You may not recognize Gary Owens by looking at him, but you’ve heard his voice many, many times. The prolific announcer and voiceover performer has sadly passed away at the age of 80.
Owens’s most famous role was that of the announcer of Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. You also would have heard him as the original voice of Space Ghost, Blue Falcon, Powdered Toast Man, and even Batman on occasion. And as we all know, you don’t work in Hollywood for as long as he did without crossing paths with the Muppets a few times.
In 1969, he appeared on Sesame Street as “The Man from Alphabet”, a series of sketches that sadly did not test very well and never aired. But thanks to the magic of YouTube, you can watch his performance (and hear his distinctive voice) today.
He also narrated several Sesame Street animations, such as the “Secret Drawing” series, as seen below.
His Muppet connections don’t end there. He also provided voiceover work for the Sesame Street/Electric Company special “Out to Lunch“, the Muppet Movie promotional special The Muppets Go Hollywood, the Dinosaurs episode “Nuts to War“, and for the “UFO Mania” channel in Muppets From Space.
Gary Owens was an incredible talent, and we are proud that he’s connected so strongly to Sesame Street and the Muppets.
Click here to help us remember Gary Owens on the ToughPigs forum!
by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
