Daughter of Voice Actor Reflects on Legacy

Many know and love the song “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” from the 1966-special of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. But few know the man behind the deep baritone voice.

Thurl Ravenscroft’s only daughter and Upper Cumberland resident Nancy Snope said growing up with her father’s famous voice didn’t seem out of the ordinary.

“My dad was my dad and that’s what he did for business. So for us growing up, we didn’t think anything special about it. I know that might be sad to hear,” Snope said. “But you know we had friends whose dad’s were doctors and others did different things. My dad was the voice of Tony the Tiger, he did the Grinch, he was in all these Disney movies and pictures.”

Ravenscroft went uncredited for the 1966 song “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” (Photo: Nancy Snope)

Ravenscroft worked with Walt Disney on a number of different movies and short films, including Mary Poppins and Paul Bunyan. Ravenscroft’s voice can also be heard at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and other portions of the Disney theme parks.

Ravenscroft passed away in 2005 at the age of 91. Snope said Christmas often brings back memories of her father.

“It means more to me now, especially this time of year because he is gone. So I get to hear his voice,” Snope said. “And so you know, it just puts a soft spot in my heart for him. So that is a very special thing to me.”

Snope said she still gets phone calls from friends when they hear “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”

Snope said not only was her father a big part of her family but also of other people’s lives as well.

“And the same thing with Tony the Tiger. People grew up eating, of course, then they were called Sugar Frosted Flakes, as I did,” Snope said. “I had Sugar Frosted Flakes almost every morning of my life. But he is a big part of a lot of people’s families.”

Ravenscroft used his voice on commercials for Oscar Mayer, Gillette, Marlboro, and Budweiser as well.

Ravenscroft went uncredited for his work on “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.” Snope said this was not uncommon for her father.

“He is still not on the credits. When my dad was in business, it was a different time. He was free-lance so he didn’t work for particular companies, so when he got a call, he went in and did the work,” Snope said. “He was very very busy, so it was not uncommon for him to have several jobs in one day. So he would just do the job then drive to the next spot and do the job. Because of all of that, it just slipped through the cracks and they didn’t notice it until it was produced.”

Snope said people commonly recognized her father’s voice.

“There probably wasn’t a time where we were not out in public where somebody would come up to him and say, ‘Do I know you? You sound so familiar,'” Snope said. “And dad would say, ‘Does the word ‘great’ mean anything?'”

The Ravenscroft family: Ron, June, Thurl, and Nancy.
(Photo: Nancy Snope)

Snope said it would take people a few seconds to figure out who Ravenscroft was.

“‘Oh, you’re Tony. Do it for us, do it for us.’ And so you know, I would just be standing there by him and of course, he would do it,” Snope said. “And he would always have his finger go up in the air and he would do the whole thing. Just to see the excitement in other’s faces was really amazing.”

Snope said Ravenscroft used his career to share his strong Christian faith with children.

“He would say, ‘Great is a great word and until you have Jesus in your life you won’t understand what great is,'” Snope said. “So he used that a lot. And the same thing with the Grinch. The Grinch has a wonderful story. There is more to Christmas.”

Snope said she did not know the extent of her father’s career until his 90th Birthday.

“So I was going to put together a photo montage of his life but I only had four or five pictures in the house. And I asked him, ‘Dad, do you have any more pictures somewhere that I don’t know about?'” Snope said. “And he said, ‘Oh yeah dear, in that black box over there, there are some pictures.’ Talk about like Christmas, it was a treasure chest.”

Ravenscroft poses with his wife, June Ravenscroft. (Photo: Nancy Snope)

Snope said her father worked and performed with a number of famous individuals. Ravenscroft’s musical group, The Mellomen, even performed with Elvis Presley in the movie The Trouble with Girls (And How to Get into It).

Snope said Ravenscroft also performed at the White House on two occasions for the Nixon administration.

Ravenscroft also served in the Army Air Corps as a navigator during World War II.

“He loved what he did,” Snope said. “It showed in his life, it showed in his face, it showed in everything he did.”

Snope said she wishes for every family to appreciate her father’s work as much as she does.