Junius Matthews

Born: 1890-06-12

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


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The Sword in the Stone

as Archimedes the Owl (voice)
Released: 1963-12-25

Wart is a young boy who aspires to be a knight's squire. On a hunting trip he falls in on...

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The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

as Rabbit (voice)
Released: 1977-03-11

Whether we’re young or forever young at heart, the Hundred Acre Wood calls to that place in each...

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Black Angel

as Dr. Courtney
Released: 1946-08-02

A falsely convicted man's wife, Catherine, and an alcoholic composer and pianist, Martin team up...

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Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree

as Rabbit (voice)
Released: 1966-02-04

Christopher Robin's bear attempts to raid a beehive in a tall tree.

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A Summer Place

as Mr. Hamble (uncredited)
Released: 1959-11-18

A self-made businessman rekindles a romance with a former flame while their two teenage children...

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The Lineup

as Jeffers
Released: 1958-06-11

In San Francisco, a psychopathic gangster and his mentor retrieve heroin packages carried by...

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Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too

as Rabbit (voice)
Released: 1974-09-20

Rabbit is tired of Tigger always bouncing him, so he gets Pooh and Piglet together to come up...

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Without Reservations

as Charlie Potter (uncredited)
Released: 1946-05-13

Kit Madden is traveling to Hollywood, where her best-selling novel is to be filmed. Aboard the...

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I've Always Loved You

as Little Man
Released: 1946-12-02

A beautiful young concert pianist is torn between her attraction to her arrogant but brilliant...

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Disney's Halloween Treat

as Archimedes (voice) (archive footage)
Released: 1982-10-30

Contains memorable scenes from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Fantasia," "Lady and the...

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Dragnet

as uncredited
First aired: 1951-12-16

Follows the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his...

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Have Gun, Will Travel

as uncredited
First aired: 1957-09-14

Have Gun – Will Travel is an American Western television series that aired on CBS from 1957...

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The Gene Autry Show

as uncredited
First aired: 1950-07-23

The Gene Autry Show is an American western/cowboy television series which aired for 91 episodes...

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The Real McCoys

as uncredited
First aired: 1957-10-03

The Real McCoys is an American situation comedy co-produced by Danny Thomas' "Marterto...

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