Well, to be exact, his fourth voice. (Random question: who was the first?)
Bret Iwan was born today in California back in 1982. He became Mickey's fourth (and current) voice after his previous voice actor, Wayne Allwine, passed away in 2009. Bret took over a very important position, of course, but what's really amazing is that Wayne had done it for 32 years!
Bret is filling some pretty big shoes...and the footsteps (in answer to the above question) go all the way back to Disney himself!
From one of my new favorite sites, thisdayindisneyhistory.com: "...Disney looked within the company to find someone to perform the recognizable voice. Iwan won the role after a company-wide search where a relative submitted Iwan as a possibility. In a final audition, Russi Taylor, the voice of Minnie Mouse and the widow of Wayne Allwine, helped in selecting Iwan."
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| Bret and the Big Cheese himself! Image from the Disney Wiki. |
Here's a cute little video dedicated to Bret and his birthday today. Happy Birthday, Bret! Eat a Mickey ears shaped cake. Now that I think about it though, you've probably heard that an awful lot today....
In honor of Mickey, see ya all real soon!
