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Junius Matthews

Known For
Acting

Known Credits
17

Gender
Male

Birthday
June 12, 1890 (136 years old)

Place of Birth
Chicago, Illinois, USA

Junius Matthews

Biography

Junius Conyers Matthews was an American actor. He was the voice of Archimedes the Owl in Disney's The Sword in the Stone in 1963. He was also the original voice of Rabbit in the Winnie the Pooh franchise from 1966 to 1977. He was a private in World War I before becoming an actor, and determined to become a popular radio and television actor, his career began on stage where he got his first role in a silent film called The Silent Witness (1917). He later played the role of the Tin Woodsman on a radio version of The Wizard of Oz. His distinctive voice can be frequently heard in supporting roles in radio, particularly westerns where he was often cast as an old codger, miner, or master of the cook wagon. Matthews appeared on the short-lived series Luke Slaughter of Tombstone as Slaughter's sidekick, Wichita, and played Ling Wee, a Chinese waiter, in Gasoline Alley. He also made guest appearances on several television series in the 1950s and '60s.

It was not until the last ten years of his life that Matthews became widely known for his role as Rabbit in the Winnie the Pooh movies produced by the Disney studio from 1966 to 1977, including the featurettes Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968), and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! (1974) as well as the feature-length compilation film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977). He played other roles for Disney, most notably the owl, Archimedes, in Disney's The Sword in the Stone (1963).

Matthews died on January 18, 1978 at age 87 and was buried in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery

Known For

Acting

1982Disney's Halloween Treatas Archimedes (voice) (archive footage)
1977Disney's Greatest Villainsas Archimedes (voice) (archive footage)
1977The Many Adventures of Winnie the Poohas Rabbit (voice)
1974Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Tooas Rabbit (voice)
1966Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Treeas Rabbit (voice)
1966Winnie the Poohas Rabbit
1963The Sword in the Stoneas Archimedes the Owl (voice)
1959A Summer Placeas Mr. Hamble (uncredited)
1958The Lineupas Jeffers
1957The Real McCoysas
1957Have Gun, Will Travelas
1951Dragnetas
1950The Gene Autry Showas
1946I've Always Loved Youas Little Man
1946Black Angelas Dr. Courtney
1946Without Reservationsas Charlie Potter (uncredited)
1917The Silent Witnessas Bud Morgan

Production