Jimmy MacDonald

John James MacDonald (May 19, 1906 – February 1, 1991) was an English-born American foley artist and voice actor. He was the original head of the Disney sound-effects department and was also the second official voice of Mickey Mouse from 1947 to 1976 after Walt Disney stopped playing the character and before Wayne Allwine became the third voice of Mickey in 1977.

Voice acting James MacDonald did the first test yodeling for the dwarfs in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) before they brought in professional yodelers as well as doing some sounds for Dopey, such as his hiccuping and sobbing. He also did some of the Dwarfs whistling and sneezing.

By 1947, Walt Disney was getting too busy and hoarse from smoking to continue voicing Mickey Mouse, so he offered the job to MacDonald. MacDonald voiced Mickey Mouse until his retirement in 1976, when he was replaced by his sound-effects protégée, Wayne Allwine, for The New Mickey Mouse Club. MacDonald returned to voice Mickey again, though, for an appearance at the 50th Academy Awards in 1978 and the opening of Star Tours at Disneyland in 1987. Despite formally retiring, MacDonald remained involved with several Disney productions; he voiced Evinrude from The Rescuers (1977) and was often consulted for sound-effects projects.

MacDonald played drums in the Firehouse Five Plus Two jazz band. He played with the band on and off from its inception until it disbanded in the early 1970s. MacDonald also voiced Doc in Snow White's Enchanted Wish.

Later life and death MacDonald married Sarah Roberta Cullen in 1936, they remained married until his death in 1991.

Filmography Sound-effects work Film

Music

Acting credits Film

Out on a Limb|

Chicken in the Rough| Corn Chips| Plutopia|Mickey Mouse (voice) Test Pilot Donald|Chip (voice) Alice in Wonderland|Dormouse (voice) R'coon Dawg|Mickey Mouse (voice)

Donald Applecore| Lambert the Sheepish Lion|Wolf (voice) 2 Chips and a Miss|Chip (voice) Pluto's Party|Mickey Mouse (voice) Pluto's Christmas Tree|Mickey Mouse, Chip (voices)

The Simple Things|Mickey Mouse (voice) Rugged Bear|Humphrey the Bear (voice)

The Lone Chipmunks| Dragon Around| Grin and Bear It|Humphrey the Bear (voice) Social Lion|Lion (voice) 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea|Ned Land humming "Whale of a Tale" (voice)

Beezy Bear| Up a Tree|Chip (voice)

Chips Ahoy|Chip (voice)

In the Bag| 1959 Noah's Ark|Animal sounds (voice) 1960 Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus|Drummer 1963 The Sword in the Stone|Wolf (voice) 1966 Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree|Bees (voice)

The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin|Saloon Percussionist The Jungle Book|Shere Khan, Bagheera (voice, roaring) 1968 The Mickey Mouse Anniversary Show|Mickey Mouse (voice) 1971 Bedknobs and Broomsticks|Hyena (voice) 1977 The Rescuers|Evinrude (voice) 1981 The Fox and the Hound''The Bear (voice, archive audio only)

Television

Theme park attractions + Year Title Role 1971 Mickey Mouse Revue Mickey Mouse (voice) 2021 Snow White's Enchanted Wish Doc (voice)