Ken Sansom: Mormon Actor
Ken Sansom voiced the part of Rabbit in a series of Winnie The Pooh TV shows and movies for over 20 years. He also voiced Stan, the Woozle in the series. He was best known for his Rabbit role, but he was also a ubiquitous presence in many TV commercials and acted in movies. He was born on April 2, 1927, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Sansom, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, could mimic over 250 voice styles and change characters instantly. He began his career with "Sansom and Then Some," which ran on KSL from 1957 to 1963.
- On the whimsical, popular program he portrayed many different characters. Sansom once told the Deseret News he was one of the best-paid schizophrenics in the business because he used more than 20 voices on his radio show. [1]
Sansom left Utah and worked in Hollywood during the 70's and 80's, winning bit parts in movies, including "The Sting," and starring in many commercials, including some for Del Monte, where he praised their canned vegetables in the character of a folksy, country grocer.
Sansom was inducted into the Utah Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He passed away at the age of 85 in Hollady, Utah, on October 8, 2012.
Filmography
*My Friends Tigger & Pooh (2007–2009) as Rabbit *Who Saves The Village? (2005) as Ol Blue *Kingdom Hearts II (video game, 2005) as Rabbit *Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005) as Rabbit *Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005) as Rabbit *The Tigger Movie (2000) as Rabbit *Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin (1997) as Rabbit *Tale Spin (1 episode, 1990) as Ralph Throgmorton *The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (78 episodes, 1988–1991) as Rabbit, Stan Woozle, Piglet Look-Alike & Store Clerk *The Wizard of Oz (TV series, 1990) *Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School (1988) as Ned *The Chipmunk Adventure (1987) as Inspector Jamal *Murder She Wrote (3 episodes, 1985–1986) *Starchaser: The Legend of Orin (1985) as Magreb/Tactical Robot *The Transformers (13 episodes, 1984–1985) as Hound *Nutcracker Fantasy (1979) *Days of our Lives (1 episode, 1976) *Charlie's Angels (1 episode, 1976) *Herbie Rides Again (1974) *The Sting (1973) *The Long Goodbye (1973) *Mayberry R.F.D. (3 episodes, 1970–1971) *The Brady Bunch (1 episode, 1971)
He also did the voice of the Candlestick man in the two Stop-Motion Animated film Called "The Light before Christmas" 2007 and another called "Spooky Bats and Scaredy Cats" 2009. [2]
