John Erwin, Voice Actor in ‘He-Man’ and ‘Archie’ Cartoons, Dies at 88

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John Erwin, the secluded actor famed for lending his voice to the brave title character in the show He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and the self-absorbed friend Randy Mantle in a series of Archie cartoons, has passed away. He was 88 years old.

It was announced by Erwin’s representatives from Celebworx PR that he passed away due to natural causes, approximately on December 20th, in his residence located in Camarillo, California.

From 1969 onwards, for approximately a decade, Erwin became known for his voiceover roles in numerous TV ads, most notably as Morris the Cat – a sassy orange tabby character who only ate the 9Lives brand of cat food. This highly successful marketing strategy was devised by the Leo Burnett advertising agency.

Previously, Erwin made an appearance on television playing the character Teddy, a cattle driver, in the CBS show “Rawhide,” which featured Clint Eastwood.

In the world of animation, Erwin was the voice behind both the muscular, blonde He-Man (and his alter ego, Prince Adam) in “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” from 1983 to 1985, as well as in “She-Ra: Princess of Power” from 1985 to 1987. Additionally, he lent his voice to the villain Beast Man and other supporting characters in the television series based on Mattel’s toy line, which were syndicated shows.

Working with John Erwin was like a tale that combined humor, proficiency, and unpredictability,” Alan Oppenheimer stated in his commentary. “He was a versatile actor, scriptwriter, voice talent for commercials, musician, painter, and simply an exceptional individual – a truly lasting impression on my life.

Melendy Britt, who played She-Ra (sister to He-Man), stated, “John Erwin, for 40 years, has been more than just my co-star; he’s been my off-screen companion.

John Lee Erwin, born on December 5, 1936, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, portrayed diverse roles such as a paratrooper and chaplain in the 1956-57 television series titled “Citizen Soldier.

He started working with “Rawhide” in 1959 during its second run and was featured in 22 episodes of the Western series until 1965. Simultaneously, he took on the role of a soldier in the Civil War-based show “13 Fighting Men,” which starred Grant Williams.

Erwin initially gave voice to Randy in 1968 for the Saturday morning CBS/Filmation cartoon “The Archie Show.” He continued voicing this character across several other animated series, such as “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,” until 1978.

He created characters for animated series such as “Groovie Goolies”, “Foofur” and “Spacecats”, lent his voice to the 1995 film “Babe”, and after retiring, he reprised his role as He-Man in a 2005 episode of “Family Guy”.

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His portfolio includes working on cartoons like “Groovie Goolies”, “Foofur” and “Spacecats”, voicing the film character “Babe” (1995), and he emerged from retirement to voice He-Man once more in a 2005 episode of “Family Guy”.

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Among his projects were animations like “Groovie Goolies”, “Foofur” and “Spacecats”, the character for the film “Babe” (1995), and he returned from retirement to voice He-Man in a 2005 episode of “Family Guy”.

Additionally, Erwin took on roles as a presenter/storyteller in various television series such as “Here’s Lucy” and “Malcolm & Eddie”, and appeared in movies like “Looker” (1981), “Everybody’s All-American” (1988) and “Back to the Future Part II” (1989).

Remarkably, among those who carry on are his cherished loved ones – the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His public relations agency confirmed this. Regrettably, they chose not to share a picture of him.

Regardless of continuous requests from fans throughout the years, Erwin remained elusive at public conventions, refraining from discussing his time as He-Man. In 2014, Oppenheimer stated this was due to his introverted nature, explaining that he was “very shy.” At one point, he even asked his co-star to accompany him on a trip to London.

According to Oppenheimer, he mentioned something along the lines of “If Skeletor and He-Man teamed up, they’d cover a distance from London to Edinburgh,” and it seems he refused. He values his solitude quite a bit. He even added, “I don’t resemble He-Man.” I responded with, “Neither do I look like Skeletor, and no one seems to mind that detail.” Yet, I can’t seem to persuade him out of it.

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2025-01-31 21:27