Mr Ed and long-time Disney star Alan Young from North Shields dies aged 96

Long time comedy actor and the voice of Uncle Scrooge, Alan Young, passed away on May 19, 2016.

Many people fondly remember DuckTales for being an amazing cartoon and yet another gold mine for Disney. However, sadly the voice of one of Disney’s most beloved characters, died 6 days ago.

Alan Young was a UK-born American actor, born November 19, 1919 in North Shields to Scottish parents. His father was a tap dancer and mine worker and his mother a singer. The family moved to Edinburgh when Young was a toddler and then to West Vancouver when he was six years old. As a child, Young was bedridden constantly due to severe asthma and it’s here where his love of radio was born.

In high school, Alan had his own comedy show on CBC’s network but left it in 1939 when World War Two started to serve in the Royal Canadian Navy. However, he resigned due to the fact that he would be running a Navy radio show. He attempted to join the Canadian Army but was rejected due to his asthma.

Young then moved to Toronto to resume his radio career, but in 1944 he was discovered by an American agent and moved to New York, where he started to work on the Philco Radio Hall of Fame. Young eventually got his own show, entitled The Alan Young Show, with the show’s tagline being Young Today, Young Tomorrow, Young Forever. After two years he switched from NBC to ABC and in 1946 starred in the movie Margie as Roy Hornsdale, the titular character’s bumbling classmate.

He then starred in the 1949 film Chicken Every Sunday as Geoffrey Lawson.

In 1950 a televised version of the Alan Young show began, and the following year Young received an Emmy award for outstanding lead actor – the first of many awards.

In 1961, Young’s career took off with the sitcom Mr Ed where he played Wilbur Post – the only one that the titular horse would talk to.

However, by far his most famous role is that of Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck’s often selfish Scottish entrepreneur uncle.

First appearing in 1984’s Mickey’s Christmas Carol, Scrooge became a regular character and in 1987 had a starring role in the legendary cartoon DuckTales where he starred alongside his three nephews – Huey, Louie and Dewey.

Young also reprised his role as Uncle Scrooge in several games featuring the character such as the Kingdom Hearts series and the 2013 remake of the equally famous DuckTales video game.

He also played the character in several other Disney instalments such as The Mickey’s Upon a Christmas movies and even the new Mickey Mouse shorts specifically the episode Goofy’s First Love.

Alan died aged 96 from natural causes and according to website Jezebel, he has already been buried at sea.

Rest In Peace: Alan Young 1919-2016.