Legendary Voice Actor June Foray to Receive Governor's Award

June Foray, who provided the voice for cartoon characters such as Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Cindy Lou Who in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," will receive the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Governors Award honoring her impact on television, the academy announced in North Hollywood Thursday.

Foray, 95, will receive the honor during the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony Sept. 15 at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.

"June Foray absolutely embodies everything that this honor represents," Television Academy Chairman/CEO Bruce Rosenblum said. "A legend and a pioneer, June is not only in a class of her own, but she literally created that class. There is simply no one more deserving of this honor."

The Massachusetts native began working on radio dramas when she was just 12 years old. Her radio career continued to flourish until the dawn of television, and she appeared on a series of shorts. But her voice proved to be her bread and butter.

She voiced Lucifer in Disney's "Cinderella," a mermaid in "Peter Pan" and Witch Hazel in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. She even provided the voice for Little Ricky's dog in an episode of "I Love Lucy."

She became the voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel in 1959, and also lent her voice the evil Natasha Fatale character on the popular cartoon. She continued voicing Witch Hazel as a nemesis to Bugs Bunny, and provided the voice of Granny -- who owned the always-battling Tweety and Sylvester.

In 1966, Foray provided the voice of Cindy Lou Who in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," which has evolved into a holiday classic that is aired annually.

She also provided voices on cartoons such as "George of the Jungle" and "The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour," and she was the voice of Dudley Do- Right's love interest, Nell Fenwick, on "The Dudley Do-Right Show." She was also Jokey Smurf on the "Smurfs" television series in the 1980s.

She continues to lend her voice to "Looney Tunes" cartoons.

--City News Service