Len Carlson

Len Carlson (September 2, 1937 – January 26, 2006) was a Canadian voice actor who voiced various characters on many animated television series from the 1960s to the 2000s, an occasional live-action TV actor, and a Kraft Canada TV pitchman during the 1970s and 1980s. He was a native of Edmonton and a former professional athlete, playing baseball for a San Francisco Giants farm team before his acting career.

He was the voice of Big Boss, Sundown and Mace on C.O.P.S., Senator Robert Kelly and the Supreme Intelligence on X-Men (1992), Bert Raccoon and Pigs Two and Three in The Raccoons (and a voice director for the show from 1990 to 1991), Putter from Popples, Mr. Frumble, Mr. Gronkle, and Mayor Fox in The Busy World of Richard Scarry, Professor Coldheart in Care Bears (1985), and Rocket Robin Hood in some of the third-season episodes. He was also the voice of Allo and Quackpot on the TV series, Dinosaucers and he was the original voice of the Green Goblin in Spider-Man (1967), the voice of Ganon in The Legend of Zelda segments of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, and the voice of Buzz in the show Cyberchase (2002). Also, he was the voice of Sterling Überbucks, his brother Carling, his great grandfather Sterling Überrucks and his nephew Stewie on RoboRoach (2002) and the title character in the short-lived Swamp Thing (1991) animated series.

He also voiced all the male characters in two animated 1970s series (The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo and The Toothbrush Family), was the voice of Ace the Seagull and Sharkey Shark in the children's TV series The Waterville Gang and did voices for movies including The Nutcracker Prince, Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot, The Great Defender of Fun, and reindeer voices in the live-action feature Blizzard.

In addition to numerous contributions to animated television, Carlson was the voice of Kraft Canada advertisements for decades, as well as being the voice of the Jolly Green Giant, Canadian Tire, Kelloggs, and more. Carlson also contributed to creative projects, dramatically opening Canadian musician Lawrence Gowan's 1985 music video "A Criminal Mind".

In his last years, Carlson was a regular on Nelvana-produced shows such as Rolie Polie Olie, Cyberchase, Pecola, Donkey Kong Country, Medabots, Beetlejuice, and Beyblade as the main antagonist Gideon (season two).

Carlson died of a heart attack in Keswick, Ontario, at the age of 68 on January 26, 2006. The Atomic Betty episode "Takes One to Know One", the Cyberchase episode "EcoHaven Ooze", and the Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks episode "Space Rangers" were dedicated to his memory.