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Junius Matthews
Actor
Born June 12, 1890Died January 18, 1978 (87 years)
Junius Conyers Matthews was an American actor. 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. He was a private in World War I before becoming an actor, and determined to become a popular radio and television actor, his career began on stage where he got his first role in a silent film called The Silent Witness (1917). 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 '60s.
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).
Matthews died on January 18, 1978 at age 87 and was buried in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery
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).
Matthews died on January 18, 1978 at age 87 and was buried in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery
Filmography
| 1984 | Disney's Halloween Treat · as Archimedes (voice) (archive Footage) |
| 1977 | The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh · as Rabbit (voice) |
| 1974 | Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too · as Rabbit (voice) |
| 1968 | Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day · as Rabbit |
| 1966 | Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree · as Rabbit (voice) |
| 1963 | The Sword in the Stone · as Archimedes The Owl (voice) |
| 1959 | A Summer Place · as Mr. Hamble (uncredited) |
| 1958 | Mackenzie's Raiders (TV Series) · as Neighbor |
| 1958 | The Lineup · as Jeffers |
| 1957 | The Court of Last Resort (TV Series) · as Al Henry |
| 1957 | The Real McCoys (TV Series) |
| 1957 | Have Gun, Will Travel (TV Series) |
| 1957 | Jeanne Eagels · as Court Clerk |
| 1956 | Richard Diamond, Private Detective (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1956 | The Gale Storm Show (TV Series) · as Justin Macrae |
| 1956 | The Count of Monte Cristo (TV Series) · as Clerk |
| 1955 | Good Morning, Miss Dove · as Mr. Pruitt |
| 1954 | The Great Gildersleeve (TV Series) · as Stage Door Manager |
| 1954 | The Lineup (TV Series) · as Charlie Neeley |
| 1953 | The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse (TV Series) · as Mr. Rafferty |
| 1953 | I Led 3 Lives (TV Series) · as Comrade Felix |
| 1952 | My Wife's Best Friend · as Rev. Dr. Smith |
| 1951 | Dragnet (1951) (TV Series) |
| 1951 | Half Angel · as Timid Man |
| 1950 | The Gene Autry Show (TV Series) |
| 1949 | Chicken Every Sunday · as Deacon Wilson |
| 1947 | The Shocking Miss Pilgrim · as Mr. Carter |
| 1946 | I've Always Loved You · as Little Man |
| 1946 | Black Angel · as Dr. Courtney |
| 1946 | Without Reservations · as Charlie Potter (uncredited) |
| 1943 | Seeds of Freedom · as Speaker |