Jonathan Winters Rumored to Voice Papa Smurf

UGO.com is reporting that Jonathan Winters will voice Papa Smurf in The Smurfs computer-animated feature expected to release in theaters on July 29, 2011.

IMDb.com and Wikipedia.org both state that John Lithgow and Julia Sweeney are rumored to be involved with the film as well, and IMDb adds that Wallace Shawn is rumored to voice the villain Gargamel, but bear in mind that no cast members have been officially announced or confirmed to date…and neither has Winters either, for that matter. UGO credits a “well placed source,” so take that for what it’s worth.

And speaking of Winters…

Over the course of 2009 I featured individuals here who were very influential in sparking my lifelong interest in character voice acting, like comedy legends Bill Cosby, Rich Little and Stan Freberg.

Jonathan Winters is another early influence, whose amazing skill for improv, quick wit and flair for comedic characters (and character voices) has always fascinated and entertained me. And he’s had a fair amount of animation credits to date, with such memorable guest roles on Animaniacs, Tiny Toon Adventures, The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972), and Pogo for President (1980).

But Winters is a man of many talents and a wearer of many hats (quite literally, from his repertoire of hat-wearing characters): comedian, actor, voice talent, artist and author. He’s also recently released an audio production: Jonathan Winters: A Very Special Time, a collection of “soliloquies and psalms” narrated by Winters.

Visit his official website — JonathanWinters.com — to learn more about this marvelous talent and an entertainment legend.

And if you have about 2 hours to watch the Archive of American Television‘s a 5-part comprehensive interview with Winters, it’s well worth viewing: