Junius Matthews

Junius Conyers Matthews (June 12, 1890 – January 18, 1978) was an American actor in films, theater, radio and television. He was the voice of Archimedes the Owl in Disney's The Sword in the Stone in 1963. He was also the original voice of Rabbit in the Winnie the Pooh franchise from 1966 to 1977.

Career Matthews began his acting career on Broadway in shows like Young Wisdom (1914) and Any House (1916) before he got his first role in a silent film called The Silent Witness (1917). He briefly stopped performing while serving as a private in World War I. Over the course of the 1920s he alternated between stage and radio productions. He later played the role of the Tin Woodsman on a radio version of The Wizard of Oz. His distinctive voice can be frequently heard in supporting roles in radio, particularly westerns where he was often cast as an old codger, miner, or master of the cook wagon. Matthews appeared on the short-lived series Luke Slaughter of Tombstone as Slaughter's sidekick, Wichita, and played Ling Wee, a Chinese waiter, in Gasoline Alley. He also made guest appearances on several television series in the 1950s and 1960s.

Winnie the Pooh It was not until the last ten years of his life that Matthews became widely known for his role as Rabbit in the Winnie the Pooh movies produced by the Disney studio from 1966 to 1977, including the featurettes Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968), and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! (1974) as well as the feature-length compilation film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977). He played other roles for Disney, most notably the owl, Archimedes, in Disney's The Sword in the Stone (1963). After his death in 1978, first Will Ryan and then Ken Sansom took over the role as the voice of Rabbit.

Death Matthews died at a Los Angeles hospital from cardiovascular disease on January 18, 1978, six months before he would have turned 88, after a stroke the previous year had left him nearly unable to work. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1917 The Silent Witness Bud Morgan 1943 Seeds of Freedom Speaker1946 Without Reservations Charlie Potter Uncredited Black Angel Dr. Courtney I've Always Loved You Little Man Uncredited 1947 The Shocking Miss Pilgrim Mr. Carter Uncredited 1949 Chicken Every Sunday Deacon Wilson Uncredited 1951 Half Angel Timid Man Uncredited 1952 My Wife's Best Friend Rev. Dr. Smith Uncredited 1955 Good Morning, Miss Dove Mr. Pruitt Uncredited 1957 Jeanne Eagels Court Clerk Uncredited 1958 The Lineup Jeffers Uncredited 1959 A Summer Place Mr. Hamble Uncredited 1963 The Sword in the Stone Archimedes The Owl Voice 1966 Winnie the Pooh and the Honey TreeRabbit Voice 1968 Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day Voice 1974 Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! Voice 1977 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh VoiceArchive footage