Who was Bill Cunningham? Original voice of Ken doll dies at 96

Bill Cunningham, the original voice of Ken in Barbie commercials, has died aged 96. Cunningham died on July 15 at his home in West Hollywood, California. However, his death was announced on Thursday, July 28, 2023, on Instagram by the CESD Talent Agency, which he founded.

Born on January 2, 1927, in San Francisco, Cunningham entered Hollywood at a young age. But prior to that, he served on a minesweeper ship during World War II in the United States Navy. He toured with the Fort Emory Drum and Bugle Corp and performed in front of audiences at several locations throughout the Pacific theatre.

Cunningham returned home after the war to pursue a singing career, which he began on NBC’s Voices of Walter Schumann and The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show.

Before getting the role of Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken, the singer appeared on a number of movie soundtracks for Fox, Paramount, and Warner Bros.

Cunningham released an album called I’m Always Chasing Rainbows in 1962, but a year later he founded his own talent agency, which was one of the earliest in Los Angeles.

He used his money to establish the Pacific Artists Agency, which began with just ten voice-over artists.

The company expanded into New York City and Chicago in 1971 when T.J. Escott bought the firm.

After Cunningham retired in 1989 and Slevin and Doherty were made partners in 2005, the firm became known as CESD (Cunningham-Escott-Slevin-Doherty).

The famed voice artist’s memoir I Wonder What Became Of Me was released in 2014, and he is survived by friends and relatives, including his nephews and nieces Kirk, Kevin, Kristen, Janet, Barbara, and Debbie.

Source: abtc.ng