Bernard “Bunny” Cowan narrator and voices behind Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Bernard “Bunny” Cowan: The Man of Many Voices
Discovered at Bathurst Lawn Memorial Park, Toronto
On my walk at Bathurst Lawn Memorial Park, I came across the grave of Bernard “Bunny” Cowan, a remarkable voice talent whose work shaped much of my childhood.
Bunny lent his distinctive voice as the announcer on many beloved CBC television series, including Front Page Challenge and The Wayne and Shuster Show. But for many of us, his memorable work was in animation — he voiced characters in Spider-Man and Rocket Robin Hood.
One of his most iconic roles was in the 1964 classic Christmas special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, where he gave life to Bumble, Clarice’s father, and the Spotted Elephant. Interestingly, the entire voice cast for Rudolph was Canadian, except for Burl Ives — brought in as the narrator and headliner to satisfy NBC and the sponsor, General Electric.
Bernard Cowan died in Toronto, July 17, 1990. He was 68.
The voice cast of ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ Bernard Cowan (recording supervisor and miscellaneous voices), left to right, Arthur Rankin Jr. (producer), Paul Kligman (Donner), Paul Soles (Hermey), Corinne Conley (Mrs. Claus), Alfie Scopp (Charlie-in-the-Box), Larry D. Mann (Yukon Cornelius), Billie Mae Richards (Rudolph) are shown at RCA Victor Studios in Toronto, 1964.
