Vance Colvig
Vance DeBar Colvig Jr. (March 9, 1918 – March 4, 1991) was an American character actor and writer.[2] He lent his voice to the Chopper bulldog character on The Yogi Bear Show. In the 1980s, he made guest appearances in various television series and music videos.
Vance Colvig | |
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![]() Vance Colvig in 1926 | |
Born | Vance DeBar Colvig Jr. March 9, 1918 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Died | March 4, 1991 72) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged
Occupation | Actor, writer |
Years active | 1940s–1991 |
Spouse(s) | Virginia G. Arslanian[1] |
Children | 1 |
Parent(s) | Vance "Pinto" Colvig Sr. Margaret Bourke Slavin |
Career
Colvig began his career as a page at NBC. In the 1940s, he became a writer for such radio shows as Breakfast in Hollywood, Command Performance and Bride and Groom.[3]
On January 5, 1959, Vance Colvig Jr. became the first to portray Bozo the Clown on a franchised Bozo program licensed by Larry Harmon. In the role his father Pinto Colvig first portrayed on Capitol Records in 1946 and KTTV-TV in Los Angeles in 1949, Vance portrayed the whiteface clown Bozo on KTLA-TV in Los Angeles from 1959 to 1964.[4]
Colvig's best known cartoon voice was that of the bulldog Chopper, Yakky Doodle's best friend and protector on The Yogi Bear Show.
Colvig worked mainly as a popular character actor in numerous performances spanning the 1980s; many roles subtly express his clowning talent. He made guest appearances on The Golden Girls, Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere and other television shows. In one of his last film roles, Colvig can be seen as a bum opposite "Weird Al" Yankovic in several humorous scenes in the 1989 comedy UHF. Vance also appeared on a 1990 episode of the TV series Night Court playing a bum. He enjoyed playing several characters at Knott's Berry Farm amusement park and at trade shows.[5]
Colvig appeared in commercials and music videos. His cameo appearances in music videos include David Lee Roth's 1985 cover of "Just a Gigolo" as a female producer, and Gregg Allman's 1987 "I'm No Angel" as a gas station attendant.
Colvig can be heard (identifying himself by name) on the second Negativland album, Points (Seeland 1981). On the track "A Nice Place to Live", his live remote broadcasts from the Los Angeles and Contra Costa county fairs are sampled.[6]
Personal life
Colvig was married to Virginia G. Arslanian until his death in 1991.[7][8] Together they have a son, Vance DeBar Colvig III.[9][10]
Death
Colvig died March 4, 1991, five days shy of his 73rd birthday. of cancer at his Hollywood Hills home, at the age of 72.[3]
Partial filmography
Film and television
- The Quick Draw McGraw Show (1959, TV Series) - Narrator / Tombstone Jones (voices)
- The Yogi Bear Show (1961, TV Series) - Chopper (voice)
- Death Valley Days (1966, TV Series) - Dusty
- Fred Flintstone and Friends (1977-1978, TV Series)
- For the Love of It (1980, TV Movie) - Old Hippie
- American Pop (1981) - Hobo #1
- St. Elsewhere (1982-1984, TV Series) - Bum / Mr. Pechar
- Three's a Crowd (1985, TV Series) - Wino
- The Boys Next Door (1985) - Old Man
- Amazing Stories (1985, TV Series) - Vaudevillian #1
- My Chauffeur (1986) - Doolittle
- Odd Jobs (1986) - Chairman
- Barfly (1986) - Alcoholic Man
- Yogi's Treasure Hunt (1986-1987, TV Series) - Chopper (voice)
- Maid to Order (1987) - Man with Newspaper
- Dudes (1987) - Hezekiah
- Boys Will Be Boys (1987, TV Series)
- Pass the Ammo (1988) - Fritz
- Crime Story (1988, TV Series) - Billy Jones
- Track 29 (1988) - Me. Ennis
- Mortuary Academy (1988) - Uncle Willard
- Arizona Heat (1988) - Mr. Gordon
- Big Top Pee-wee (1988) - Clownie
- All's Fair (1989) - Old Man
- Hard Time on Planet Earth (1989, TV Series) - Fan #2
- UHF (1989) - Bum
- Night Court (1990, TV Series) - Bum
- Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (1990, TV Movie) - Dungeon Warden
- The New Adam-12 (1991, TV Series) - Wino
- Boris and Natasha: The Movie (1992, TV Movie) - One-Eyed Man (final film role, posthumous release)
Radio
- Breakfast in Hollywood (1941–1948) - Writer
- Command Performance (1942–1949) - Writer
- Bride and Groom (1945–1950) - Writer
References
- Mother and Wife of Vance Colvig -page 3-
- Obituary Variety, March 11, 1991.
- "Vance Colvig; Roles Included 'Bozo the Clown'". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. March 11, 1991. p. A 24. Retrieved September 16, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- Cashin, Pat (2010-04-23). "VANCE COLVIG: Bozo Appearance (1964)". clownvalley.net. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
- "Actor Vance Colvig Jr. Dies". AP News Archive. 1991-03-11. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
- Negativland, "A Nice Place to Live". Points, Seeland Records 1981.
- "Actor Vance Colvig Jr. Dies". AP News Archive. 1991-03-11. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
- Mother and Wife of Vance Colvig -page 3-
- "Actor Vance Colvig Jr. Dies". AP News Archive. 1991-03-11. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
- Mother and Wife of Vance Colvig -page 3-