Jack Angel (October 24, 1930 – October 18, 2021) was an American voice actor and radio personality. Angel voiced characters in shows by Hasbro and Hanna-Barbera such as Super Friends, The Transformers and G.I. Joe and was involved in numerous productions by Disney and Pixar. Before becoming involved with voiceover work, Angel was a disc jockey for California radio stations KMPC and KFI.
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Biography
Angel was born on October 24, 1930, in Modesto, California, the second child of John Angel, a Greek immigrant, and Lucille (née Parsons). He graduated from San Francisco State University in 1957, and at the same time, he was hired as a disc jockey for a California radio station and decided to focus on a career in radio programs. A decade later, he had become one of the most popular radio personalities with his radio programs being heard on stations KMPC and KFI, Los Angeles.
In the early years of his career, he also landed roles in stage productions at The Actor's Ring and the Portland Civic Theater. It was during his broadcasting career that he began experimenting with voiceovers he would produce for clients; while at KMPC, Angel's demo ended up in the hands of Gary Owens, who already had made his own inroads as an animation voiceover actor and forwarded Angel's demo tape to his agent. After almost 20 years in radio, Angel shifted to voice acting on a full-time basis.
Angel's first jobs in the voice-over industry came in the mid-1970s, voice acting on the series Super Friends, in which he played Hawkman, The Flash and Samurai, including The All-New Super Friends Hour, Challenge of the Superfriends, Super Friends, The Legendary Super Powers Show and Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians. During that time, he made guest appearances in Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo and The Smurfs.
In the second season of the Transformers series (1985), Angel was the voice of Astrotrain, Smokescreen, Ramjet, and Omega Supreme, and he reprised the roles of Ramjet and Astrotrain in The Transformers: The Movie (1986). In the third and fourth seasons of The Transformers (1986-1987), Angel voiced Ultra Magnus (who had been played by Robert Stack in The Transformers: The Movie) and in the fourth season he voiced Cyclonus following the death of Roger C. Carmel.
He also lent his voice to the character Dr. Zachary Darret in the 1984 CBS animated series Pole Position, and also voiced Wet Suit on Sunbow's G.I. Joe and several characters on Dino-Riders.
In 1995, he was the voice of Nikki in the animated film Balto. He played the SWATbots on Sonic the Hedgehog, The Liquidator on Darkwing Duck, and Nick Fury on Spider-Man: The Animated series.
Nickelodeon
Angel's voice work in animated shows for Nickelodeon in the 2000s included:
Superintendent Chaplin in Hey Arnold!.
MacTavish in the second part of the episode "Sir Nigel" in The Wild Thornberrys
The Pirate Captain on the episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender titled "The Waterbending Scroll".
The Weathered One on an episode of My Life as a Teenage Robot titled "Weapons of Mass Distraction".
Comrade Chaos on El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera in the episode "Old Money".
Disney and DreamWorks
He provided "additional voices" in Toy Story and Toy Story 2, and the voice of Chunk in Toy Story 3.
He also provided additional voices for Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, The Dukes, Snorks, Dino-Riders, The Smurfs, The Rescuers Down Under, The Little Mermaid, DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp, Land of Enchantment, Super Dave: Daredevil for Hire, Aladdin, Hercules, Quest for Camelot, The Iron Giant, Monsters, Inc., The Lorax, Monsters University and Despicable Me 2.
His uncredited voice roles include an Egyptian in the 1998 animated film The Prince of Egypt and Rock in the 2014 American biblical epic film Noah.
Personal life
Angel was married twice. He and his first wife, Barbara Angel, divorced in 1980. Together they had three children. He married talent agent/owner Arlene Thornton in 1984. They lived in Studio City and Malibu, California.
Death
Angel died of natural causes on October 18, 2021, six days before his 91st birthday. On the day of his death, a piece of lost 1980s paraphernalia that contained his voice as the lead role, being the U.S. dub of TUGS, was discovered.
Filmography
Animated series
Mork & Mindy: The Animated Series — Additional voices
The Dukes — Additional voices
Snorks — Additional voices
Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs — Additional voices (English dub)
Denver, the Last Dinosaur — Prof. Chin
Dino-Riders — Additional voices
Kid 'n Play – Additional voices
The Wizard of Oz – Additional voices
Space Cats — Additional voices
Where's Waldo? – Additional voices
ProStars – Additional voices
The Legend of Prince Valiant — Additional voices
Super Dave: Daredevil for Hire - Additional voices
The New Adventures of Captain Planet — Additional voices
The Fantastic Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor — Additional voices
All-New Dennis the Menace — Additional voices
Sonic Underground — Gondar
Live action films — Voice
Deal of the Century — Announcer
Funny Lady — Radio Announcer
The World's Greatest Lover — Voice on Record
Trenchcoat — Head Kidnapper
Joey — Fletcher the Dummy
Beetlejuice — Voice of The Preacher
Hook — Pirates (ADR)
Mom and Dad Save the World — Creature Voice (uncredited)
Ticks — (ADR)
The Fifth Element — Alien Commander
Vendetta — Old Gaspare (ADR)
A.I. Artificial Intelligence — Teddy
Looney Tunes: Back in Action — The Crusher
This is the End — Looping Voice Talent (uncredited)
Noah — Rock (ADR) (uncredited)
Live action
The Young and the Restless — Judge Martin J. Kline
King B: A Life in Movies — Jack Cole
Deterrence — Secretary of Defence
Crime and Punishment in Suburbia — Russ
Scrubs — PA System Announcer
Crime Story — Series Narrator
Other
The Legend of Paul Bunyan (short) — Narrator
The Six Million Dollar Man — Voice of Tower Operator
Metric Meets the Inchworm (short)
CBS Library — Mister Spitznagle ("The Incredible Book Escape")
The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson — Promo Announcer
Silver Spoons — Chess Player
Amazing Stories — Dog School Security Guard ("The Family Dog")
Harry and the Hendersons — TV Wrestler
I Am My Resume (short) — Stan Angeles
Crime Story — Narrator
Scrubs — PA System Announcer ("My Waste of Time")
Brad and Gary (short) — Gary
The Don of the Flies (short) — Narrator, Stooley, Harry and Moon (He also produced the short)
The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol — Papa Smurf
The Smurfs: The Legend of Smurfy Hollow — Papa Smurf
Recruited (short) — Principal
TUGS — Captain Star and Narrator, only in test US dub
Commercials
United States Forest Service — Smokey Bear (2002—2012)
