The 94-year-old actress gave her voice to Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, Nell Fenwick and Cindy Lou Who.
Springfield native June Foray is the voice behind countless animated characters including Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Natasha Fatale on "The Bullwinkle Show."ÂÂ Voice legend June L. Foray took home an Emmy for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program at the Creative Arts portion of the Daytime Emmys at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
The Springfield native was honored for voicing the role of Mrs. Cauldron on “The Garfield Show” on Cartoon Network.
It is hardly her best known work. Foray is responsible for the voices for Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Natasha Fatale on “The Bullwinkle Show,” Nell Fenwick on “The Dudley Do-Right Show,” Cindy Lou Who in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” Granny on “The Bugs Bunny Show,” Grandmother Fa in “Mulan,” Grammi on “Gummi Bears,” Jokey Smurf on “The Smurfs” and Talky Tina in “The Twilight Zone.”
In an interview with The Republican last month, the 94-year-old Foray said she was flattered to have been nominated. “I love every character I’ve done because there’s a little bit of me in everything I’ve done."
Foray was born in Springfield in 1917, the daughter of Maurice and Ida Foray, and lived at 75 Orange St. The 1933 graduate of Classical High School moved to California with her parents and her two siblings when she was 17 to be near her mother’s brother after Maurice Foray, an engineer, fell upon difficult financial times.
The move, she has said, “was the best thing in the world for me” because in California she got involved with radio through the WBZA Players and her own “Lady Make Believe” radio show.