Janet Waldo, voice of Judy Jetson, dies.
Janet Waldo, the voice actor who played teenagers on many cartoon shows for Hanna-Barbera, has died aged 96.
Ms Waldo is thought to have been fighting cancer and died at her home in Encino, California on Sunday.
In 1962 Ms. Waldo won her first animation role. She played Judy Jetson, the teenage daughter on “The Jetsons,” Hanna-Barbera’s futuristic cartoon show featuring a family living in space. The show initially lasted only one season; those episodes ran in syndication until new ones were made in 1985.
Ms. Waldo played Judy in the television movie “Rockin’ With Judy Jetson” (1988), but not in “Jetsons: The Movie,” a feature film released in 1990. After Ms. Waldo finished recording Judy’s part, the studio decided to replace her with the pop singer Tiffany to drum up ticket sales.
“I was totally crushed,” she told The Los Angeles Times in 1990. “I originated the character, and I feel very sentimental about Judy.”
The film was the last time the original cast recorded together. George O’Hanlon, who voiced George Jetson, died in 1989.
Janet Marie Waldo was born on Feb. 2, 1920, in Yakima in the US. She attended the University of Washington. She had bit parts in films including “What a Life” (1939) and on radio shows like “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.” She also appeared on “I Love Lucy,” “Get Smart” and other television shows.
Ms. Waldo voiced many cartoons, including Josie on “Josie and the Pussycats” and Fred’s nagging mother-in-law on “The Flintstones.”
Ms. Waldo married the playwright Robert E. Lee in 1948. He died in 1994. She is survived by a sister; a son, Jonathan; a daughter, Lucy Lee; and two grandchildren.
