Lucille Bliss
{{short description|American actress (1916–2012)}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Lucille Bliss
|image = Annie Awards Lucille Bliss.jpg
|caption = Bliss at the 34th Annie Awards, 2007
|birth_date = {{birth date|1916|03|31}}
|birth_place = New York City, U.S.
|death_date = {{death date and age|2012|11|08|1916|03|31}}
|death_place = Costa Mesa, California, U.S.
|resting_place= Hollywood Forever Cemetery
|occupation = Actress
|years_active = 1935–2007
}}
Lucille Theresa Bliss (March 31, 1916 – November 8, 2012) was an American actress,{{cite web|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news/the-smurfs-star-lucille-bliss-dies_3371116|title=Lucille Bliss Dies|publisher=Contactmusic.com|access-date=2012-11-13|date=2012-11-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531204119/http://www.contactmusic.com/news/the-smurfs-star-lucille-bliss-dies_3371116|archive-date=2014-05-31|url-status=live}} known in the Bay Area and in Hollywood as the "Girl With a Thousand Voices".{{cite news|title=Lucille Bliss To Guide Y Talent Show|newspaper=Daily Independent Journal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2356651/lucille_bliss_y_talent_show|agency=Daily Independent Journal|date=November 14, 1958|ref=dij|page=29|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105030316/http://www.newspapers.com/clip/2356651/lucille_bliss_y_talent_show/|archive-date=January 5, 2016|url-status=live}} {{Open access}}
A New York City native, Bliss lent her voice to numerous television characters, including the title character of the first made-for-television cartoon, Crusader Rabbit, Smurfette on the popular 1980s cartoon The Smurfs and Ms. Bitters on the Nickelodeon animated series Invader Zim. In addition to her television roles, she was known for her work as a voice actress in feature films.
Life and career
=Family=
Bliss was born to James Francis Bliss, a dentist from Massachusetts, and Frieda Siemens. Her mother, a German emigrant, was a classically trained pianist and wanted her daughter to train as an opera singer.{{cite news|title=Lucille Bliss, Voice of Smurfette, Dies at 96|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lucille-bliss-voice-smurfette-dies-391305|access-date=5 May 2015|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=November 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322052317/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lucille-bliss-voice-smurfette-dies-391305|archive-date=22 March 2015|url-status=live}} Her parents later divorced.1930 United States census Her father's death in 1935{{cite news |title=Quincy |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/431930173/?match=1&terms=James%20Bliss |access-date=June 7, 2024 |work=The Boston Globe |date=May 15, 1935}} prompted Frieda and Lucille to move to California, where her mother became head of the music department at the San Francisco College for Women.{{cite news |title=Obituary |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/460233617/?article=3e7cbb51-62d3-4258-a4c3-fb986d99fce6&focus=0.5183444,0.34636983,0.6356779,0.41666147&xid=3355 |access-date=June 7, 2024 |work=The San Francisco Examiner |date=November 11, 1969 |page=48}}
=Radio=
Bliss was active in old-time radio, having roles in Pat Novak, for Hire, Candy Matson, and The Charlie McCarthy Show.{{cite journal|title=Necrology for 2012|journal=Nostalgia Digest|date=Spring 2013|volume=39|issue=2|pages=24–31}}
=Film=
Bliss' first voice work was the role of the wicked stepsister Anastasia Tremaine in Walt Disney's 1950 feature film Cinderella,[https://books.google.com/books?id=lSJIngvkCsAC&pg=PA161&dq=Anastasia+%22Lucille+Bliss%22&ei=GZITSqj9AqKuzAS99oGjCw "How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Magic Every Day of Your Life"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512051329/https://books.google.com/books?id=lSJIngvkCsAC&pg=PA161&dq=Anastasia+%22Lucille+Bliss%22&ei=GZITSqj9AqKuzAS99oGjCw |date=2016-05-12 }} Pat Williams, James Denney, and Jim Denney. (HCI, 2004) for which she was honored 50 years later by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award in March 2000.{{cite web|url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/noms21.htm |title=21st Annual Young Artist Awards |access-date=2011-03-31 |work=YoungArtistAwards.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719182252/http://www.youngartistawards.org/noms21.htm |archive-date=2012-07-19 }}
=Television=
In the early years of television, Bliss acted in Harbor Command and The Lineup. From 1950 to 1957, Bliss was "Auntie Lou" on San Francisco, California's KRON-TV's The Happy Birthday To You Show, also known as Birthday Party Show, which had guests from adults, to children, to animals. The program included use of Disney cartoon characters, as Bliss "picked up exclusive rights in northern California for the right to use Disney clips on her new show."{{cite news|title=Disney to Local TV|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2356786/disney_to_local_tv/|work=The Times|date=February 20, 1954|page=6|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304221021/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2356786/disney_to_local_tv/|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=live}} {{Open access}} At the same time, she did voices for Hanna-Barbera while they were working for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio – as Tuffy in Robin Hoodwinked, as Leprechaun in Droopy Leprechaun and later was Hugo on an episode of The Flintstones. She was also the narrator on three stories from the Disney album "Peter Cottontail and Other Funny Bunnies": "Story of Thumper", :Story of the White Rabbit", and "Story of Grandpa Bunny". Bliss was also a voice-over performer for Airborne radio spots in 2004. {{Citation needed|date=November 2012}}
=Volunteer efforts=
Bliss produced and directed talent shows for the Embarcadero Armed Services YMCA in San Francisco. Some service personnel launched professional careers from those shows.{{Clarify|date=April 2021}}
=Death=
Bliss died from natural causes on November 8, 2012, in Costa Mesa, California, at the age of 96.[http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-lucille-bliss-20121115,0,3130903.story "Lucille Bliss dies at 96; voice of Crusader Rabbit and Smurfette"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115233747/http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-lucille-bliss-20121115,0,3130903.story |date=2012-11-15 }}, Los Angeles Times; retrieved November 15, 2012. She never married and left no survivors.{{cite web|url=http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/news/Lucille-Bliss-1916-2012|title=Lucille Bliss: 1916–2012|publisher=Behind The Voice Actors|date=1916-03-31|access-date=2012-11-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140525201301/http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/news/Lucille-Bliss-1916-2012|archive-date=2014-05-25|url-status=dead}} She was buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.{{Citation needed |date=March 2023}}
Filmography
{{Div col}}
- Cinderella (1950) – Anastasia Tremaine (Credit cut)
- Crusader Rabbit (1950–52) – Crusader Rabbit
- Alice in Wonderland (1951) – Daisy / Tulip (Uncredited)
- Peter Pan (1953) – Mermaid / Tiger Lily(Uncredited)
- A Kiddies Kitty (1955) – Suzanne (Uncredited)
- The Waggily Tale (1958) – Little Girl/Mama (Uncredited)
- Robin Hoodwinked (1958) – Tuffy
- Droopy Leprechaun (1958) – Leprechaun
- How to Have an Accident at Work (1959) – Donald's son
- The Flintstones (1960) – Hugo (episode "The Good Scout", Uncredited)
- 101 Dalmatians (1961) – TV Commercial Singer
- DoDo, The Kid from Outer Space (1965–70) – DoDo
- The Space Kidettes (1966–67) – Snoopy
- Funnyman (1967) – Girl of 1000 voices
- The Tiny Tree (1975) – Field Mouse
- The Flintstones' Christmas (1977) – Bamm-Bamm Rubble
- The Flintstones: Little Big League (1978) – Dusty
- Casper the Friendly Ghost: He Ain't Scary, He's Our Brother (1979) - Gervais, Carmelita, Nice Lady
- Hug Me (1981)
- The Smurfs (1981–89) – Smurfette
- The Secret of NIMH (1982) – Mrs. Beth Fitzgibbons
- The Great Bear Scare (1983) – Miss Witch
- Chuck E. Cheese - The Christmas That Almost Wasn't (1983) - Mrs. Claus
- Strong Kids, Safe Kids (1984) – Pebbles Flintstone/Bamm-Bamm Rubble/Smurfette/Baby Smurf{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/movies/Strong-Kids-Safe-Kids/|title=Strong Kids, Safe Kids|website=Behind The Voice Actors|quote=Pebbles and Baby Smurf usual voice actresses aren't listed, but Baby Smurf makes noises and Pebbles has only one line of dialogue.|postscript=Jean Vander Pyl and Julie McWhirter didn't voice Pebbles and Baby Smurf in this special. They aren't in the credits, so I think that it was probably Lucille Bliss who voiced them, and she also voiced Bamm-Bamm instead of Don Messick, who is in the credits.|language=en-US|access-date=2020-08-01}}
- Cap'n O. G. Readmore (1985–92) - Lickety Page
- Rainbow Brite: San Diego Zoo Adventure (1986) – Narrator
- Assassination (1987) – Crone
- The Night Before (1988) – Gal Baby
- Miracle Mile (1988) – Old Woman in Diner
- Betty Boop's Hollywood Mystery (1989) - Miss Green
- Asterix and the Big Fight (1989) – Impedimenta (aka Bonnemine)
- Tales of the City (1993) – Cable Car Lady
- Thumbelina Narrated by Mayim Bialik (1994) - Miscellaneous (video game)
- Space Quest VI: The Spinal Frontier (1995) – Sharpei/Waitron (video game)
- Wacked (1997) – Jane Katz
- Invader Zim (2001–02; 2006) – Ms. Bitters
- Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (2002) – Rozatta (video game)
- Battlestar Galactica (2003) – Shaden (video game)
- Blue Harvest Days (2005) – Bear Brat
- Robots (2005) – Pigeon Lady
- Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005) – Yugoda
- Up-In-Down Town (2007) – Quinby
{{div col end}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Lucille Bliss}}
- {{IMDb name|id=0088520|name=Lucille Bliss}}
- {{emmytvlegends name|lucille-bliss}}
- {{Find a Grave|100743343}}
{{Winsor McCay Award 2000s}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bliss, Lucille}}
Category:Actresses from New York City
Category:American film actresses
Category:American television actresses
Category:American radio actresses
Category:American voice actresses
Category:Television personalities from New York City
Category:American women television personalities
Category:20th-century American actresses
Category:21st-century American actresses
Category:Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery