Jimmy MacDonald (sound effects artist)
| Jimmy MacDonald | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
John James MacDonald May 19, 1906 Crewe, Cheshire, North West England, U.K. |
| Died | February 1, 1991 (aged 84) Glendale, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Congestive heart failure |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Sound effects artist, animator, musician, voice actor, and head of Disney sound effects department |
| Years active | 1934–1977 |
| Spouse(s) | Roberta MacDonald (m. ?–1991, his death) |
John James "Jimmy" MacDonald (May 19, 1906 – February 1, 1991) was an English-born American sound effects artist, animator, voice actor, musician, and the original head of the Disney sound effects department. He was also the voice of Mickey Mouse from 1948 to 1976.
He was born in West Street, Crewe, Cheshire on May 19, 1906. His parents were Richard William MacDonald and Minnie Hall. The family emigrated to America when MacDonald was six months old. They travelled via the SS Haverford from Liverpool, England, arriving in Pennsylvania 15 days later.
As a young man MacDonald landed a job as a musician on the Dollar Steam Ship Lines, which in 1934 led to an opportunity to record music for a Disney cartoon. He went on to secure a permanent contract with Disney, becoming head of the sound department.
In addition to directing sounds for animated shorts as aurally complicated as Mickey's Trailer (1938), he developed many original inventions and contraptions to achieve expressive sounds for characters like Casey Jr., the circus train engine from Dumbo (1941); Evinrude the dragonfly from The Rescuers (1977); the bees in Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966); and Buzz-buzz (later called "Spike"), the bee who gets the best of Donald Duck in his 1950s short films. He also made the sound effects of Tick Tock the crocodile from Peter Pan (1953) and Dragon Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty (1959) by using castanets.
MacDonald also added voice effects, like on-screen humming for Kirk Douglas in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954).
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