Photo:CESD Talent Agency/ Instagram, Paul Jordan
CESD Talent Agency/ Instagram, Paul Jordan
Bill Cunningham, the original voice ofBarbie’s boyfriend Ken for Mattel during the early 1960s, has died. The singer-turned-talent agency founder was 96.
Cunningham died on July 15 at his West Hollywood home, CESD Talent Agency toldDeadlineThursday. No other details were provided.
Cunningham was “among the great innovators and gentlemen of the talent representation business,” CESD partners Ken Slevin and Paul Doherty said in a statement to PEOPLE Thursday. “Bill set the template for client and customer service, particularly in commercial, voice-over and print. He was a warm, gregarious, classy man who made a positive impact on all those he represented and employed. It was our honor to know him and to learn from him.”
Born in San Francisco, Cunningham moved to Hollywood to pursue an entertainment career before he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He performed with the Fort Emory Drum and Bugle Corp during his service, touring throughout the Pacific theater.
After the war, Cunningham found success as a singer. He performed on NBC’sVoices of Walter SchumannandThe Tennessee Ernie Ford Showand sang on movie soundtracks for nearly every major Hollywood studio. During this period, he also voiced Ken inMattel’s early Barbie records, decades beforeRyan Goslingplayed Barbie’s boyfriend on the big screen. Cunningham also toured withJudy Garlandand Dinah Shore.
Mattel, Inc.
The firm was renamed Cunningham & Associates in 1967, and Cunningham opened offices in New York and Chicago in 1971. T.J. Escott, Slevin, and Doherty joined the firm in the 1970s and 1980s. Slevin and Doherty became partners in 2005, and the firm was renamed Cunningham-Escott-Slevin-Doherty (CESD) Talent Agency.
Cunningham retired in 1989 and published an autobiography,I Wonder What Became of Me, in 2014.
His survivors include nephews and nieces Kirk, Kevin, Kristen, Janet, Barbara, and Debbie.
source: people.com
