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Mary Kay Bergman
Mary Kay Bergman (June 5, 1961 – November 11, 1999), also briefly credited as Shannen Cassidy, was an American voice actress and voice-over teacher. She was the official voice of the Disney character Snow White from 1989 to 1999 and the lead female voice actress on the adult animated television series South Park from the show's debut in 1997 until her death in 1999. Bergman was also the voice actress of Claudette and Laurette in Beauty and the Beast, Dr. Blight in Captain Planet and the Planeteers (replacing Meg Ryan), Katie in Family Dog, and Daphne Blake in the Scooby-Doo franchise from 1997 to 1999. Throughout her career, Bergman performed voice work for every aspect in media, including over 400 television commercials.
Bergman was born in Los Angeles, California. She had an interest in animation and impersonation early in her life. After acting in her first professional role in the television film Return Engagement, Bergman studied theater arts at UCLA for three years. Struggling to find a job suited for her, Bergman was trained under her voice-acting teacher Kat Lehman and started performing radio voiceovers. Bergman was chosen as the replacement of Snow White after a long search of talent agencies and voiceover classes. She joined The Groundlings to sharpen her voice acting skills, which contributed to her audition for Family Dog. In 1994, Bergman started teaching voice acting classes. In 1997, she was cast as nearly every female character in South Park after she gave Trey Parker and Matt Stone ideas they originally did not have.
Bergman suffered generalized anxiety disorder in her private life. Her condition, which led to physical symptoms and severe stress, was kept private. On November 11, 1999, Bergman wrote two suicide notes and shot herself in the head. Shortly after she died, Bergman's widower, Dino Andrade, established the Mary Kay Bergman Memorial Fund.
Bergman was born on June 5, 1961, in Los Angeles, California. An only child, her mother, Patricia McGowen, was an animation cel painter for Max Fleischer on Popeye cartoons in New York City. Her parents performed as a singing duo at lounges and clubs in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada, and Los Angeles. They settled in Los Angeles after her mother became pregnant. Bergman was piqued by her mother's interest in animation, which led to a shared interest by watching Saturday-morning cartoons together.
At an early age, Bergman wanted to be a film star. Her early passion for impersonating was influenced by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a film she watched in theaters at the age of six or seven. Bergman grew up around the corner from the home of Adriana Caselotti, the original voice of Snow White, whom she idolized. Bergman attended Joseph Le Conte Middle School and Hollywood High School.
At age 16, Bergman received her first professional acting job in the television film Return Engagement, which starred Elizabeth Taylor. However, Bergman's scene at the end of the film was ultimately cut out, which left her disappointed. Shortly, Bergman joined the Screen Actors Guild. Upon graduating from Hollywood High School in June 1978 with top academic honors,[citation needed] Bergman enrolled at UCLA and studied theater arts from 1978 until 1981. According to her husband, Dino Andrade, Bergman attended the university because she was a fan of Carol Burnett and wanted to attend the same university as Burnett did. Bergman was a classmate and friend of future The Simpsons voice actress Nancy Cartwright. After three years in the university, Bergman received a role in a play outside of school and dropped out to start her professional life.
Bergman joined a small agency in the valley of Los Angeles, which started six months before she joined. Bergman auditioned for an exercise program that was scheduled to appear on cable programming. A week after she received the role, the agency was closed, and reopened as a candy store. Bergman described the experience as "the worst agent story in the business". Her next role was as a receptionist for the Boy Scouts of America. Bergman enjoyed the job and was pleased to work with the people of the organization. She also received compliments about her speaking voice, which added to her frustration. Bergman also worked as a receptionist for an insurance company, and from there, she moved up the ranks to become an assistant underwriter, which she found "extremely boring". To break the monotony, Bergman thought about becoming a disc jockey but could not find information about where to take classes.
While working as a receptionist, Bergman received an invitation to a party from one of her co-workers at the insurance company. When Bergman attended the party, she danced and sang with a karaoke machine. Her impersonation of Ethel Merman caught the attention of voice-over teacher Kat Lehman. Bergman studied voice acting and took all Lehman's classes. After her final class, Bergman recorded a demo tape and was delivered to Bergman's first voice-acting agency, Abrams, Rubaloff, and Lawrence. Bergman soon quit her job as a receptionist after realizing that "squeezing auditions into her regular work schedule was not working". Her first voice role was a frightened woman in a radio commercial for a small home security company on a local station in 1986.[citation needed]
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Mary Kay Bergman
Mary Kay Bergman (June 5, 1961 – November 11, 1999), also briefly credited as Shannen Cassidy, was an American voice actress and voice-over teacher. She was the official voice of the Disney character Snow White from 1989 to 1999 and the lead female voice actress on the adult animated television series South Park from the show's debut in 1997 until her death in 1999. Bergman was also the voice actress of Claudette and Laurette in Beauty and the Beast, Dr. Blight in Captain Planet and the Planeteers (replacing Meg Ryan), Katie in Family Dog, and Daphne Blake in the Scooby-Doo franchise from 1997 to 1999. Throughout her career, Bergman performed voice work for every aspect in media, including over 400 television commercials.
Bergman was born in Los Angeles, California. She had an interest in animation and impersonation early in her life. After acting in her first professional role in the television film Return Engagement, Bergman studied theater arts at UCLA for three years. Struggling to find a job suited for her, Bergman was trained under her voice-acting teacher Kat Lehman and started performing radio voiceovers. Bergman was chosen as the replacement of Snow White after a long search of talent agencies and voiceover classes. She joined The Groundlings to sharpen her voice acting skills, which contributed to her audition for Family Dog. In 1994, Bergman started teaching voice acting classes. In 1997, she was cast as nearly every female character in South Park after she gave Trey Parker and Matt Stone ideas they originally did not have.
Bergman suffered generalized anxiety disorder in her private life. Her condition, which led to physical symptoms and severe stress, was kept private. On November 11, 1999, Bergman wrote two suicide notes and shot herself in the head. Shortly after she died, Bergman's widower, Dino Andrade, established the Mary Kay Bergman Memorial Fund.
Bergman was born on June 5, 1961, in Los Angeles, California. An only child, her mother, Patricia McGowen, was an animation cel painter for Max Fleischer on Popeye cartoons in New York City. Her parents performed as a singing duo at lounges and clubs in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada, and Los Angeles. They settled in Los Angeles after her mother became pregnant. Bergman was piqued by her mother's interest in animation, which led to a shared interest by watching Saturday-morning cartoons together.
At an early age, Bergman wanted to be a film star. Her early passion for impersonating was influenced by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a film she watched in theaters at the age of six or seven. Bergman grew up around the corner from the home of Adriana Caselotti, the original voice of Snow White, whom she idolized. Bergman attended Joseph Le Conte Middle School and Hollywood High School.
At age 16, Bergman received her first professional acting job in the television film Return Engagement, which starred Elizabeth Taylor. However, Bergman's scene at the end of the film was ultimately cut out, which left her disappointed. Shortly, Bergman joined the Screen Actors Guild. Upon graduating from Hollywood High School in June 1978 with top academic honors,[citation needed] Bergman enrolled at UCLA and studied theater arts from 1978 until 1981. According to her husband, Dino Andrade, Bergman attended the university because she was a fan of Carol Burnett and wanted to attend the same university as Burnett did. Bergman was a classmate and friend of future The Simpsons voice actress Nancy Cartwright. After three years in the university, Bergman received a role in a play outside of school and dropped out to start her professional life.
Bergman joined a small agency in the valley of Los Angeles, which started six months before she joined. Bergman auditioned for an exercise program that was scheduled to appear on cable programming. A week after she received the role, the agency was closed, and reopened as a candy store. Bergman described the experience as "the worst agent story in the business". Her next role was as a receptionist for the Boy Scouts of America. Bergman enjoyed the job and was pleased to work with the people of the organization. She also received compliments about her speaking voice, which added to her frustration. Bergman also worked as a receptionist for an insurance company, and from there, she moved up the ranks to become an assistant underwriter, which she found "extremely boring". To break the monotony, Bergman thought about becoming a disc jockey but could not find information about where to take classes.
While working as a receptionist, Bergman received an invitation to a party from one of her co-workers at the insurance company. When Bergman attended the party, she danced and sang with a karaoke machine. Her impersonation of Ethel Merman caught the attention of voice-over teacher Kat Lehman. Bergman studied voice acting and took all Lehman's classes. After her final class, Bergman recorded a demo tape and was delivered to Bergman's first voice-acting agency, Abrams, Rubaloff, and Lawrence. Bergman soon quit her job as a receptionist after realizing that "squeezing auditions into her regular work schedule was not working". Her first voice role was a frightened woman in a radio commercial for a small home security company on a local station in 1986.[citation needed]