Hollywood’s Oldest Bachelor
When we think of actors with unmistakably deep voices, there are many names that come to our minds: James Earl Jones, Alan Rickman, Fred Gwynne, and others. A name that doesn’t come to mind to quickly is Tony Jay, but he is definitely an actor who would fit that group. And interestingly, he was one of Hollywood’s oldest bachelors, having never married until the age of 70! He married his wife of 2 years, Marta MacGeraghty, in 2004, but had been in a relationship since 1974, and had a son together, Adam. Jay, however, unfortunately passed away in 2006 due to complications from cancer surgery. He lent his “Shakespearean,” baritone voice to a great deal of Disney films and television shows, and for each of them, his voice served as one of it’s most beneficial assets.
Tony Jay made his Disney debut in Beauty and the Beast (1991) as the voice of Monsieur D’Arque, the asylum superintendent. The film’s creators (Producer, Don Hahn and Co-Writers/Directors, Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise) were so impressed with his audition for the film, that they hired him right on the spot to voice the character and recorded all of his dialogue at his audition. His next Disney role was that of the evil Judge Claude Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). (That film was also produced by Don Hahn and written/directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise). Jay also voiced Dr. Rosenthal in Recess: School’s Out (2001) and was the narrator for Treasure Planet (2002). He voiced Shere Khan the Tiger for the Disney Channel Series, TaleSpin (1990-1991), and reprised the role for the theatrical sequel to The Jungle Book (1967), The Jungle Book 2 (2003).
Jay’s other television roles include, ABC’s The Golden Girls (1985-1992), and Disney’s Darkwing Duck (1991-1995), The Little Mermaid (1992-1994), Aladdin (1994-1995), Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000-2001), and House of Mouse (2001-2002). He acted in many live-action films as well, including Woody Allen’s Love and Death (1975), and his best known live-action role was starring opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger as Werner/Narrator in Twins (1988). He was also known for voicing the Elder God in the video game series, Legacy of Kain (1996-present).
Tony Jay may or may not have been Hollywood’s oldest bachelor, but her certainly was one of them. We can be sure however, that his incredibly powerful voice made each of his voice-over roles seem effortless, facile, and distinctively entertaining. Although none of the Disney films he worked were supervised by Walt Disney, I’m sure Disney would have been a huge fan of Tony Jay’s voice.
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