Character actor George S. Irving died on Monday, December 26, 2016 at the age of 94. While having a successful and award winning career on Broadway, he also provided the voice for “Heat Miser”
Irving made his Broadway debut in the chorus of the original 1943 production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” He went on to appear in many Broadway shows including “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”, “Can-Can”, “Bells Are Ringing”, “Irma La Douce”, and many more.
In 1973, he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for playing the role of Madame Lucy in the revival of the musical “Irene”. Irving’s final Broadway appearance came in 1983, when he received a Tony nomination for playing the role of Sir John Tremayne in the original musical “Me and My Girl”.
Irving also appeared in several television sitcoms including “The Patty Duke Show” and “All in the Family”. Among his most memorable television and film accomplishments was providing the voice for the Heat Miser character in the Rankin/Bass’ stop-motion Christmas movies “The Year Without A Santa Claus” and “A Miser Brothers’ Christmas”. He also was the narrator in the “Underdog” cartoons.
Irving married dancer and actress Maria Karnilova in 1948. The two were together until her death in 2001. Irving is survived by a son, Alexander, and a daughter, Katherine, as well as three grandchildren.
To read more about George S. Irving, here is his Wikipedia page.
Here is a scene from “The Year Without A Santa Claus” featuring Heat Miser…
Photo: http://all-in-the-family-tv-show.wikia.com/Timrock
