Kent Rogers

Kent Byron Rogers (July 31, 1923 – July 9, 1944) was an American actor who appeared in several live-action features and shorts, and worked as a voice actor in radio and animated cartoons.

Career For Warner Bros. Cartoons, Rogers portrayed several Hollywood stars in Hollywood Steps Out, and lent his voice to The Heckling Hare, Porky's Pastry Pirates, Horton Hatches the Egg, The Squawkin' Hawk and Super-Rabbit. Rogers also provided the original voice of Beaky Buzzard in Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid and The Bashful Buzzard. He also provided the voice of Junior Bear in Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears, the initial 1944 entry of Chuck Jones' The Three Bears series.

For Walter Lantz Productions he voiced Woody Woodpecker in five theatrical cartoon shorts released from 1942 to 1943.

Rogers also appeared occasionally on radio sitcoms, generally doing one-off characters. In 1941, he had a rare on-camera role in the film All-American Co-Ed as Henry, a boy who had a talent for doing impressions.

Death Rogers enlisted as an Ensign in the United States Navy in December 1942. He was killed in the crash of a training flight in Hawaii on July 9, 1944. Stan Freberg, who arrived in Hollywood just as Rogers had died, would be hired to replace Rogers, including in the role of Junior Bear. Mel Blanc took over as the voice of Beaky Buzzard, though that character's appearances were limited after Rogers' death.

Rogers is buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1937 Make a Wish Summer Camp Kid Film debut, uncredited Boy of the Streets Gang Member 'Red' Uncredited Headin' East Boy in Gym Uncredited 1938 Reformatory Inmate Uncredited Boys Town Tailor Uncredited The Storm Boy in Gym Uncredited 1939 Wanted: No Master Justice of the Peace Voice, uncredited Streets of New York Gang Member Uncredited 1940 Northwest Passage Odiorne Towne Uncredited Adventures of Tom Thumb Jr. Grasshopper Voice, uncredited Those Were the Days! Jimmy Skelton Uncredited The Bookworm Turns Mr. Hyde Voice, uncredited Military Academy Billings Uncredited Syncopated Sioux Punchy / Cowboy / Indians Voice, uncredited1941 Goofy Groceries Henry Gorilla / Crab Voice, uncredited Farm Frolics Henry Ant Voice, uncredited Hollywood Steps Out Mickey Rooney / James Cagney / James Stewart / J. Edgar Hoover / Henry Fonda / Cary Grant / Edward G. Robinson / Clark Gable / Bing Crosby / Lewis Stone / Ned Sparks / Peter Lorre / Groucho Marx / Kay Kyser Voice, uncredited The Heckling Hare Willoughby Voice, uncredited Life Begins for Andy Hardy Tough Boy Uncredited Speaking of Animals Down on the Farm Various Voice, uncredited Speaking of Animals in the Zoo Monkey / Elephant / Lion / Stork / Fox / Tortoise Voice, uncredited All-American Co-ed Henry 1942 Porky's Pastry Pirates James Cagney Bee Voice, uncreditedThe Hollywood MatadorWoody Woodpecker / Oxnard the Terribull / Elevator Hick Voice, uncredited The Hams That Couldn't Be Cured Algernon Wolf / Pigs / Sheriff Voice, uncredited Horton Hatches the Egg Horton the Elephant / Peter Lorre Fish / Giraffe / Rosebud Voice, uncredited Nutty Pine Cabin Beavers Voice, uncredited Hobby Horse-Laffs Strongfort / Giggleswick / Potts Voice, uncredited Speaking of Animals and Their Families Hippo Baby Voice, uncredited Ace in the Hole Woody Woodpecker / GI Sergeant Voice, uncredited Wacky Blackout Woodpecker / Baby Bird Voice, uncredited Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid Beaky Buzzard Voice, uncredited Pigeon Patrol Homer Pigeon / Carrier Pigeon / Induction Officer Voice, uncredited The Squawkin' Hawk Henery Hawk Voice, uncreditedBlitz WolfDevils Voice, uncredited The Early Bird Dood It! Worm Voice, uncredited Andy Panda's Victory Garden Caterpillar Voice, uncredited The Hep Cat Rosebud Voice, uncredited The Loan Stranger Woody Woodpecker / Hudson C. Dann Voice, uncredited Road to Morocco Male Camel Voice, uncredited Speaking of Animals in South America Spider Monkey / Male Parrot / Monkey #2 / Stork #1 / Condor / Anteater / Barnacle Goose Voice, uncredited 1943 The Screwball Woody Woodpecker / Policeman / "Ouches" / Man in Seat / Vendor / Ballplayer / Batter / Worm / Umpire / Catcher Voice, uncredited Tortoise Wins by a Hare Dumb Rabbit with Telescope Voice, uncredited Super-Rabbit Professor Canafrazz Voice, uncredited Swing Your Partner Homer Pigeon / Hank / Laughter Voice, uncredited Red Hot Riding Hood Wolf (some lines) Voice, uncredited The Dizzy Acrobat Woody Woodpecker Voice, uncredited Who Killed Who? Victim / Red Skeleton / Falling Body / Santa Claus Voice, uncredited One Ham's Family Narrator / Junior / Wolf Voice, uncredited What's Buzzin' Buzzard Joe Buzzard / Jimmy Durante Vulture's Stomach / Rabbit Voice, uncredited Speaking of Animals Tails of the Border Voice, uncredited Speaking of Animals at the Cage Door Carteen Parrot / Polar Bear / Monkey / Moron / Buzzard / Stork / Eagle Voice, uncredited 1944Bugs Bunny and the Three BearsJunyer Bear Voice, uncredited Who's Who in Animal Land Fox / Llama / Donkey / Singing Bull Voice, uncredited Speaking of Animals as Babies Monkey / Henry Ostrich talking / Baboon Baby / Papa Goat / Goat Kid / Lion Cubs / Cat Father / Giraffe Voice, uncredited Speaking of Animals: Monkey Business Monkeys Voice, uncredited Speaking of Animals in a Harem Tiny Tim Voice, uncredited 1945 The Bashful Buzzard Beaky Buzzard / Farmer Voice, uncredited, released posthumously Speaking of Animals from A to Zoo Monkey / Fox / Tortoise / Lion / Stork / Buffalo Voice, uncredited, final film role, released posthumously