Norma Macmillan
Norma MacMillan (September 15, 1921 – March 16, 2001) was a Canadian actress, best known for voicing numerous characters in animation and claymation, including Casper the Friendly Ghost on The New Casper Cartoon Show, Gumby on The Gumby Show, Sweet Polly Purebred on Underdog, and Davey on Davey and Goliath.
Early life
MacMillan was born on September 15, 1921, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and began her career there as a stage actress. It was in Vancouver that she met, worked with her then husband Thor Arngrim. In 1954, MacMillan, her husband and his business partner Stuart Baker, set out for Toronto where she began landing work voicing children's roles for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Career
After her husband and she moved to New York, MacMillan lent her voice talents to numerous roles; as "Casper the Friendly Ghost" on The New Casper Cartoon Show, as "Gumby" on The Gumby Show, as "Sweet Polly Purebred" in the Underdog cartoons, and as "Davey" on Seasons 4-5 of the claymation series Davey and Goliath among others. In addition to these roles, MacMillan also voiced the roles of John-John and Caroline Kennedy in the world record setting The First Family album of 1962. In 1991, she provided narration for Saban Entertainment's comedic "Sugar & Spice" subset of Funky Fables cartoons, which included The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, Heidi, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and The Secret Garden.
In addition to her voice roles, MacMillan also appeared as an on-screen actress in various television and films roles. Her on-screen work included guest-starring roles on such television shows as Columbo, She's the Sheriff, Webster and Thirtysomething. During this time, she also appeared in feature films, including Nightmare on the 13th Floor, Big Business, Love at Stake, Dangerous Intentions, Big Bully, and Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry with Katharine Hepburn.
MacMillan appeared in numerous television commercials, but perhaps her most visible acting role was the part she played in the 1980s as the sweet, demure, naive "Aunt Martha" opposite Ruth Manning's "Aunt Harriet" for Kraft Foods mayonnaise commercials. Upon returning to Vancouver with her husband in the mid-1990s, MacMillan joined the Co-Op Radio's Sunday show for senior citizens and was a board member of the local 411 Seniors Centre.
While in Canada, MacMillan went on to voice characters in a number of later animated series and films such as Funky Fables, Fat Dog Mendoza, Madeline, Generation O!, Milo's Bug Quest and The Animated Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Personal life
MacMillan and her husband producer/manager Thor Arngrim, were married in 1954, together they have two children, including Stefan Arngrim (born December 23, 1955), who played Barry Lockridge on Land of the Giants, and Alison Arngrim (born January 18, 1962), who played Nellie Oleson on Little House on the Prairie. MacMillan and her husband Thor returned to Canada in 1993.
Death
MacMillan died on March 16, 2001, at the age of 79, in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Articles
The Maquinna line : a family saga by Norma Macmillan
A murder, a tryst, a mysterious child. A Victoria aristocrat who obsesses over her Churchill relatives. A repressive Welsh mother with a royalty fixation. A once-carefree Hesquiat girl from Nootka Sound. A dashing Icelandic philanderer. And quiet, steady Julia Godolphin, trying to rise above it all. The lost novel of Norma Macmillan, the Vancouver actress who lived much of her life in New York and Hollywood, is the work of a woman steeped in the American entertainment industry but deeply in love with the history of her native province, which eventually drew her home before her death in 2001.
The Maquinna Line: A Family Saga is set on Vancouver Island from 1871 to 1945, with a nod to the meeting of Captain Cook and Chief Maquinna in 1778. It traces the stories of the five families of varied social standing, including two descendents of Chief Maquinna. In the end, theyre all ordinary people trying to find happiness in the face of intrigue, ambition, misunderstanding and changing social and sexual mores.
Order it on Amazon or check it out on Internet Archive
