“He followed in the footsteps of giants like Mel Blanc.”
So said Channing Dungey, Chairman, Warner Bros. Television Group and US Networks tonight after the family of Eric Bauza announced the death of the most recent voice actor behind characters like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, including in this year’s much-loved Coyote vs. Acme. Bauza was 46.
Filling the shoes of the legendary Mel Blanc at Looney Tunes was no small task, but the three-time Emmy winner did so capably for years. Dungey called Bauza an “incredible talent.”
Besides the two biggies, other Looney Tunes characters he brought to life included Tweety, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepé Le Pew, Porky Pig, Road Runner, Elmer Fudd and Marvin the Martian. He voiced many of those characters in Space Jam: A New Legacy and Looney Tunes Cartoons. For the latter, Bauza in 2022 won the first ever Children’s and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice Performance in an Animated Program. That was for Looney Tunes Cartoons. He won the award again for Teen Titans Go! in 2024. In 2023, he won the Outstanding Voice Performance in a Preschool Program Emmy for Bugs Bunny Builders.
Here’s a bit of Buaza and fellow Emmy winner Peter Cullen both doing voices at the ceremony in 2023.
That alone would have been a career, but Bauza also voiced Stimpy, the animated Luke Skywalker, Puss in Boots, Bam-Bam Rubble, Donatello, Leonardo, the animated Jason Bourne, Robert “Big Bob” Belcher, Jimmy Pesto, Sr., Woody Woodpecker, Two-Face, Bane, Jimmy Olsen and Aquaman.
A partial list of the other projects to which he lent his talents includes The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Avatar: The Last Airbender series, The Fairly OddParents, Phineas and Ferb, Rick and Morty, Ultimate Spider-Man, Teen Titans Go!, The Tom and Jerry Show, The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show, Lego Star Wars, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Powerpuff Girls, Muppet Babies, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Krapopolis and X-Men ’97.
Said Dungey in a statement, “Eric Bauza was a unique voice talent who brought joy and laughter to millions around the world. During his 15 years at Warner Bros. Animation, he was the voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck among countless other characters. He followed in the footsteps of giants like Mel Blanc. Eric said that carrying on the legendary legacy of the Looney Tunes was among the greatest honors of his life. In addition to his incredible talent, Eric was a treasured part of our animation family. Our hearts go out to his loved ones.”
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