Eric Bauza(1979-2026)

Eric Bauza was a prodigiously talented voice actor, born in Canada of Filipino parentage. A fan of Warner Brothers cartoons from early childhood, he went on to assume the mantle of the legendary Mel Blanc, bringing to life some of the best-loved Looney Tunes cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Porky Pig and (most frequently) Marvin the Martian. He said during an interview that his "favourite thing about inheriting Bugs Bunny was to bring back the unhinged quality that Mel Blanc brought" to the characters and to their respective personalities. Over the course of two and a half decades, Bauza managed to amass an impressive tally of more than 420 credits as a voice actor on numerous animations and video games. He won three Children’s & Family Emmy Awards and was nominated for five Daytime Emmys.A graduate (in 2000) from the Radio, Television, and Film Program at the Centennial College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, Canada, Bauza specialised in the technical side of production, but did initially pursue drama studies. He began his career as an intern at the Los Angeles-based animation studio Spümcø, Inc., working his way up from production assistant to getting his first big break voicing the character of Stimpy for a Ren & Stimpy cartoon. His numerous impersonations over the years have included Woody Woodpecker (for Universal), Disney’s Joe Carioca and Scrooge McDuck, Fozzie Bear, Professor Bunsen and Statler for Jim Henson’s animated Muppet Babies (2018) and the eponymous hero for the TV series (and spin-off film) The Adventures of Puss in Boots (2015). Additionally, Bauza had worked as a layout artist, production manager and director, as well as occasionally sidelining as a stand-up comedian and talk show host. His premature death at the age of 46 on October 25 2026 was a significant loss to the entertainment industry.