Billy Bletcher

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Billy Bletcher
Billy Bletcher (left) and Bobby Vernon in Short and Snappy (1921)
Born
William Bletcher

(1894-09-24)September 24, 1894
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJanuary 5, 1979(1979-01-05) (aged 84)
Los Angeles, California U.S.
Resting placeWestwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
OccupationActor
Years active1914–1971
Known forOriginal voice of Pete
SpouseArline Roberts[1]
Children1[2]

William "Billy" Bletcher (September 24, 1894 – January 5, 1979)[3] was an American actor. He was best known for providing the voice of Pete for the Disney franchise in the 1930s to the 1950s.

Career[change | change source]

Bletcher was born on 24 September 1894 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.[4] At age 19 he was a vaudeville performer.[5] He started his movie career in 1913 at the Vitagraph Studios in Brooklyn, New York.[5] In 1917, he moved to California and became a comedian for Mack Sennett.[5] He later starred in several Hal Roach two reelers.

During his acting career he starred in a number of comedies.[1] Bletcher also acted in Westerns and action movies.[1] He directed two feature movies in the 1920s.[1] Bletcher was the voice of the Lone Ranger in the 1937 movie serial.[6] He was a veteran voice actor from the Disney animated movie The Three Little Pigs (1933).[6] Later he did voice-overs for television. His last movie appearance was in 1969.[5]

Personal life[change | change source]

Bletcher was married once, to actress Arline Roberts.[1] She was a vaudevillian and a Ziegfeld Girl. When they moved to California she worked as a "bathing beauty".[7] She acted in silent comic two-reelers and feature movies but never gained the prominence her husband did.[7] They had a daughter, Barbara Bletcher.[7]

Filmography[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 George A. Katchmer, A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses (Jefferson, NC; London: McFarland, 2009), p. 29
  2. ↑ "Billy Bletcher". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "Billy Bletcher". Inyxception Enterprises, Inc. DBA Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "Billy Bletcher". Voice Chasers/Dekiru Productions. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Billy Bletcher Biography". Flixster/Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 6 September 2015.[permanent dead link]
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Clayton Moore; Frank Thompson, I Was That Masked Man (Dallas, TX: Taylor Pub. Co., 1998), p. xxi
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Arline Bletcher". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 7 September 2015.

Other websites[change | change source]

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