Jay Johnson

Jay Johnson (born July 11, 1949) is an American ventriloquist and actor, best known for playing Chuck (and Bob) Campbell on Soap.

Early life

Johnson was born in Abernathy, Texas, and raised in Richardson, Texas. He attended Richardson High School, where he was president of the theater club.

Johnson’s interest in ventriloquism began at an early age: he discovered his "natural ability" for the craft when he was about 11 years old. He later recalled that during his high-school years he had begun performing publicly and even appeared in local television commercials with one of his early figures, Squeaky, which gave him a modest local following. directed by Bryan W. Simon.

The original Bob puppet featured on Soap was added to the entertainment collection at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in May 2007. He currently uses a replica Bob for Jay Johnson: The Two & Only! and other appearances.