Russi Taylor (May 4, 1944 – July 26, 2019) was an American voice actress, and the first person to ever voice Strawberry Shortcake.
Biography[]
Russi Taylor was born on May 4th, 1944, in Cambridge Massachusetts. Ever since she was a child, she had a great interest in working for Disney. She met Walt Disney at the Anaheim Disney park, to whom she expressed that dream. Walt assured young Russi that her dream would one day come true.
She began her career in voice acting in the mid-70s, with her first ever role being in The Mary Tyler Moore Show as the voice of Ted and Georgette's baby. Four years later, she became the voice of Strawberry Shortcake in all six of the original 1980s Television Specials. She would be succeeded as the voice of Strawberry Shortcake in 2003 by Sarah Heinke.
Russi achieved her dream to work with Disney in 1985, when she voiced Madame Placebo in Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears. A year later, Russi became the official voice actress for Minnie Mouse in 1986, and made her official debut as the character in D-TV's "Doggone" Valentine in 1987. She performed as the character for nearly 33 years, with her final performance as the character in the 2020 theme park attraction "Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway" as a posthumous role.
Russi was also well known as being the voice actress for Huey, Dewey, and Louie in Ducktales, Baby Gonzo in Muppet Babies, Sherri and Terri in The Simpsons, and being the first English voice for Tails from Sonic The Hedgehog.
In 1988, during her work on "Totally Minnie", she met Wayne Allwine, the (at the time) current voice of Mickey Mouse. When the two first encountered each other, Wayne said to her "I’m so glad I’m going to have a Minnie now.", to which she replied "Yes, it’s pretty exciting." Both had been married to other people at the time, though they were apparently unhappy with their marriages. After ending their respective relationships, the two became friends and eventually began dating. Russi and Wayne got married in Hawaii in 1991, and remained together until Allwine's death in 2009.
Russi Taylor is fondly remembered by friends and colleagues as a sweet woman with a great sense of humor, being “outgoing and warm and always a joy to work with — always taking joy in her work,” according to David Silverman, director and producer for The Simpsons. Her marriage to Wayne Allwine, though largely kept private to avoid coloring public perception of Mickey and Minnie Mouse's relationship, was said to be happy and full of love, and the two enjoyed playing out their chemistry in their performances as Mickey and Minnie. Russi and Wayne would even go around the parks and speak as Mickey and Minnie to cheer up parkgoers.
In 2008, Russi Taylor and Wayne Allwine were both named Disney Legends for their roles as Minnie and Mickey Mouse.
Russi died of colon cancer on July 26th, 2019, in her home in Glensdale, California at the age of 75. She is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park next to Wayne Allwine.
Voice Roles in Strawberry Shortcake[]
- Strawberry Shortcake (1980-1985)
- Strawberry Berrykin (1985)