The Second Voice of Tony the Tiger Passes

Posted June 2014

Lee Marshall, the second person to voice Tony the Tiger’s distinctive “They’re G-r-r-r-eat!” slogan, passed away on April 26, 2014 in Santa Monica, California. Marshall took the place of Thurl Ravenscroft, the original voice of Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger; Ravenscroft passed away on May 22, 2005.

Lee Marshall was born Marshall Aaron Mayer on November 28, 1949 in Ventura, California. He did some acting, but he is best known as a ringside announcer for the American Wrestling Association, Women of Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling. Marshall also provided the voice for Buff the Buffalo Head in Disney’s Country Bear Jamboree1. He died of esophageal cancer.

Thurl Ravenscroft was the voice of Tony the Tiger for 50 years. He was a singer and famously unknown (his name was left off the credits) for singing, “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. “…Producers Chuck Jones and Dr. Seuss took out a full-page ad in ‘Variety’ to correct the oversight.” 2

Ravenscroft’s voice can be heard in many Disney movies, often with the singing group he formed, the Mellomen, and in the Disneyland attractions. In the movies, listen for him in Lady and the Tramp (the Mellomen sang as dogs), Cinderella, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Pete’s Dragon, and The Fox and the Hound.3 Ravenscroft was also a voice for Buff the Buffalo Head, as well as for characters in the Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean.4

Thurl Ravenscroft was born on February 6, 1914 in Norfolk, Nebraska, and he died at the age of 91 of prostate cancer.

Trivia: do you remember Tony the Tiger’s family members: Mama Tiger, Mrs. Tiger, Tony, Jr. and daughter Antoinette? Did you know that Tony had competitors for his spot as spokesperson for Sugar Frosted Flakes? They were Elmo the Elephant, Katy the Kangaroo and Newt the Gnu. Tony was created by the Leo Burnett advertising agency, and several different sources of information and obituaries list three or four people as his creator.

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1, 2 Internet Movie Database, www.imdb.com.
3, 4 “Disney Legends,” http://d23.com.