France's Master Mimic and Voice of Asterix Dies Aged 93

France's Master Mimic and Voice of Asterix Dies Aged 93
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France's Master Mimic and Voice of Asterix Dies Aged 93

France's Master Mimic and Voice of Asterix Dies Aged 93

The French voice of characters from Mickey Mouse to Asterix and the "Star Wars" droid C-3PO has died aged 93, voice actor Roger Carel's family said Friday.

Carel lent his mellifluous tones to a dazzling array of animated characters from Winnie the Pooh and Kermit the Frog on "The Muppet Show" to Kaa the snake in "The Jungle Book".

A legendary mimic, he also dubbed Jiminy Cricket in Disney's "Pinocchio" into French as well as Charlie Chaplin in "The Dictator".

For generations of French cinemagoers Carel personified the hugely popular American comedian Jerry Lewis, as well as Peter Sellers, Jack Lemmon and Peter Ustinov.

Such was his versatility that he often dubbed a number of characters in the same film.

Carel continued working well into his 80s, by which time he had clocked up more than 300 films and television series, playing his final Asterix aged 85.

His son said the actor, whose real name was Roger Bancharel, was buried Thursday in a village in western France after dying on September 11.

A former trainee Catholic priest, Carel left the seminary to be an actor, starting out alongside such later French screen legends as Anouk Aime and Michel Piccoli.



Tom Cruise Is Finally Getting an Oscar as Will Dolly Parton, Debbie Allen and Wynn Thomas 

Tom Cruise appears at the premiere of "Top Gun: Maverick" at the 75th international film festival, Cannes, southern France on May 18, 2022. (AP) 
Tom Cruise appears at the premiere of "Top Gun: Maverick" at the 75th international film festival, Cannes, southern France on May 18, 2022. (AP) 
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Tom Cruise Is Finally Getting an Oscar as Will Dolly Parton, Debbie Allen and Wynn Thomas 

Tom Cruise appears at the premiere of "Top Gun: Maverick" at the 75th international film festival, Cannes, southern France on May 18, 2022. (AP) 
Tom Cruise appears at the premiere of "Top Gun: Maverick" at the 75th international film festival, Cannes, southern France on May 18, 2022. (AP) 

Twenty-five years after Tom Cruise received his first Oscar nomination, he’s finally getting a trophy. It’s not for his death-defying stunts, either. At least, not exclusively.

Cruise, choreographer Debbie Allen and “Do The Right Thing” production designer Wynn Thomas have all been selected to receive honorary Oscar statuettes at the annual Governors Awards, the film academy said Tuesday. Dolly Parton will also be recognized with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her decades-long charitable work in literacy and education.

“This year’s Governors Awards will celebrate four legendary individuals whose extraordinary careers and commitment to our filmmaking community continue to leave a lasting impact,” Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement.

Most recipients of the prize historically have not yet won a competitive Oscar themselves. Cruise, 62, has been nominated four times, twice for best actor in “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Jerry Maguire,” once for supporting actor in “Magnolia” and once for best picture with “Top Gun: Maverick.” He’s also championed theatrical moviegoing and big-scale Hollywood production through the coronavirus pandemic.

Yang spotlighted Cruise’s “incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community.”

Allen, 75, has never been nominated for an Oscar. But the multi-hyphenate entertainer — she also acts and produces — has played an integral role in the Oscars show, having choreographed seven ceremonies over the years. Four of those were nominated for prime-time Emmy awards.

A nomination had also eluded Thomas, a leading production designer whose films have often gone on to best picture nominations and even one win, for Ron Howard’s “A Beautiful Mind.” Thomas is most known for his long-term collaboration with filmmaker Spike Lee, from “She’s Gotta Have It” and “Malcolm X” through “Da 5 Bloods.”

Parton has been nominated twice for best original song, for “9 to 5” and, in 2006, “Travelin’ Thru” from the film “Transamerica.” But her honor celebrates her humanitarian efforts over the years, through organizations like the Dollywood Foundation and the literary program “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.”

Yang said Parton “exemplifies the spirit” of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

The awards will be handed out during an untelevised ceremony on Nov. 16 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles. Last year’s recipients included the late Quincy Jones, Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, filmmaker Richard Curtis and casting director Juliet Taylor.

Recipients of the prizes, which honor lifetime achievement, contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences and service to the academy are selected by the film academy’s board of governors.