Michael Magee (actor)
Michael Magee (October 11, 1929 – July 15, 2011) was a Canadian actor, singer and author. He was known for voicing Cyril Sneer and his pet half dog/half aardvark Snag in the Canadian animated series The Raccoons[1] and the voice for The Coach on the CBC show, Yes You Can.
Career
[edit]He was also well-known for his alter-ego that he created in the 1970s known as Fred C. Dobbs. Dobbs first came to the public's attention when a daily telephone call from a crotchety commentator enlivened the Bruno Gerussi's morning show on CBC Radio in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the mid-to-late 1970s, Magee starred in a series for Toronto's TVOntario called Magee & Company, in which he played numerous characters, including Dobbs.[2]
In 1973, he created the show The Real Magees, where he and his wife Duddie were the hosts of this weekday, half-hour talk show, chatting informally with non-celebrities, such as a cab driver, ambulance driver and nightclub bouncer. Bob Weinstein produced the series in Montreal for Screen Gems and CBC Television.[2]
He went on to work as a writer, producer, and commentator for the CBC racing telecasts from 1964 to 1986. The network won the Sovereign Award for outstanding film/video/broadcast in 1985. An avid racing historian, Magee authored the book, "Champions," in collaboration with Pat Bayes, which was published in 1980. He also was a renowned handicapper and one of his last official connections with racing was as the host of "Racing With Magee," a daily radio show that aired in the mid-1990s.
Death
[edit]Magee died on July 15, 2011[3] at the age of 81. He had been suffering from colitis, which led to internal bleeding and heart stoppage.[2]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | The Merry Wives of Tobias Rouke | Narrator | |
| 1976 | The Clown Murders | Compton | |
| 1979 | The Brood | Inspector | |
| 1980 | The Christmas Raccoons | Cyril Sneer | Voice, TV movie |
| 1981 | The Raccoons on Ice | Cyril Sneer / Snag | Voice, TV movie |
| 1983 | The Raccoons and the Lost Star | Voice, TV movie | |
| 1984 | The Raccoons: Let's Dance! | Voice, TV movie | |
| 1984 | The Surrogate | Motorcycle Cop | |
| 1985-1991 | The Raccoons | Cyril Sneer / Snag | Voice, TV Series |
References
[edit]- ^ Erickson, Hal (July 2005). Television cartoon shows: an illustrated encyclopedia, 1949 through 2003. McFarland & Co. p. 650. ISBN 978-0-7864-2256-2. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
- ^ a b c Hawthron, Tom (November 29, 2011). "Popular media personality loved horse racing, alter egos". Globe and Mail. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
- ^ "Michael Magee Obituary". Obitree.
