Scatman Crothers
| Scatman Crothers | |
|---|---|
Crothers performing in 1960
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| Born |
Benjamin Sherman Crothers May 23, 1910 Terre Haute, Indiana, United States |
| Died | November 22, 1986 (aged 76) Van Nuys, California, United States |
| Cause of death | Pneumonia and lung cancer |
| Occupation | Actor, dancer, musician, singer |
| Years active | 1932–1986 |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Sullivan (1937–1986) |
Benjamin Sherman Crothers (May 23, 1910 – November 22, 1986), known as Scatman Crothers, was an American actor, singer, dancer and musician known for his work as Louie the Garbage Man on the TV show Chico and the Man and as Dick Hallorann in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980), the latter of which earned him the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor.
He was also a prolific voiceover artist, and provided the voices of Meadowlark Lemon in the Harlem Globetrotters' animated TV series, Jazz the Autobot in The Transformers and The Transformers: The Movie (1986), the title character in Hong Kong Phooey and Scat Cat in the animated Disney film (1970).
Crothers was born in 1910 in Terre Haute, Indiana, the son of Donnie/Donel and Benjamin Crothers. He obtained the name Scatman when he auditioned for a radio show in 1932 at the former WSMK (now WING) in Dayton, Ohio. The director did not think his given name seemed catchy enough, so Crothers devised the handle Scat Man, although this talent, scat singing, would develop later. He continued to enjoy this talent throughout his career, even teaching scat singing to college students. Later, the nickname was condensed to Scatman by Arthur Godfrey. In his early career, he also associated with many Cleveland-based acts and frequently played on the scene in Ohio.
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