Wishing a very happy 72nd birthday to John Byner, born today in 1938.
John’s a terrific comedian, impressionist and character voice actor who unfortunately doesn’t get recognized enough for his talents, and tends to be overshadowed by his contemporaries. But he’s had a long career as a comedian and TV actor. He’s also voiced characters in a number of animated cartoons such as The Angry Beavers, Duckman, Garfield and Friends, and Swat Kats. And in my humble opinion, his most noteworthy performances in animation were the voices of Gurgi and Doli in Disney’s 1985 animated feature The Black Cauldron, and both the title characters in The Ant and the Aardvark series of theatrical shorts produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises between 1969-71. The latter featured John’s impressions of crooner/TV and film star Dean Martin and comedian Jackie Mason as the respective voices of the Ant and the Aardvark.
Several of John’s TV appearances and stand-up routines are available via the YouTube Channel DogTownDon. And you can learn more about John’s biography and career on his official site JohnByner.com (and please send him birthday greetings via email–I’m sure it would make his day).
