Pinto Colvig

**Vance DeBar "Pinto" Colvig** (September 11, 1892 - October 3, 1967) was an American actor, voice actor, newspaper cartoonist, circus performer, vaudeville performer, animator, and writer. He was best known as the original Bozo the Clown. He was the voice of Disney's Goofy. In 1993 he was honored with a Disney Legends award.

## Life and career

Colvig was born in 1892 in Jacksonville, Oregon. His parents were Addie and William Colvig. His father was the Jackson County attorney. He was the youngest of seven children. He was nicknamed "Pinto" because of all his freckles. Colvig grew up in Jacksonville and nearby Medford. He spend a good deal of time mimicking the sounds he heard all around him. He could mimic the sound of farm animals, a rusty gate and noises from around the village.

He studied art at Oregon Agricultural College (OAC) (later Oregon State University) in Corvallis, Oregon. in 1916 he married Margaret Slaven. They moved to San Francisco where Colvig worked as a cartoonist for the San Francisco Bulletin and the San Francisco Chronicle.

### Silent films

In the 1920s Colvig began working in Hollywood in silent movies. He was a comedy writer and played bit parts for Mack Sennett. He then moved to the Disney studios where he became one of their top artists.

### Talking pictures

When movies changed to sound he began doing voices for characters. He is also known for his Disney work as the voice of Goofy from 1932 until his death in 1967. He was the voice of Bluto in Popeye cartoons. He was Grumpy and Sleepy in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In The Three Little Pigs he was the voice of the Practical Pig. He was also the co-writer of the song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" in the same movie.

### Sound artist

From the 1920s he provided sound effects on programs such as the Jack Benny Program and Amos 'n' Andy. He invented most of his own sound effects. He was known for making a funny line even funnier. Colvig is a legend among foley sound technicians.

### Bozo the clown

As a teenager Colvig ran away to join the circus. He eventually performed as a circus clown. In 1946 he was hired by Capitol Records to work on the world's first read-along book “Bozo at the Circus.” The book and record were a tremendous success and there were demands by children to see Bozo. Drawing on his circus background, Colvig created a clown character to match the books and records. Station KTTV in Los Angeles created a television series for Bozo the clown starring Pinto Colvig. After Bozo, Colvig returned to doing voice work.

## Death

Colvig died of lung cancer on October 3, 1967, in Woodland Hills, California. He was 75 years old.

## Filmography

|Year|Title|Role|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1925|_Hey Fever Time_|||
|_After a Reputation_||||
|_Buster be Good_||||
|_Oh! Buster!_|The Butler|||
|_Buster's Nightmare_||||
|1928|_The Cockeyed Family_|Orange Farmer|(uncredited)|
|1930|_Spooks_|Hippo|(voice, uncredited)|
|_Henpecked_|Oswald the Lucky Rabbit|(voice, uncredited)||
|_The Chain Gang_|Hounds|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Snappy Salesman_|Oswald the Lucky Rabbit|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Cold Feet_|Oswald the Lucky Rabbit|(voice, uncredited)||
|_The Navy_|Oswald the Lucky Rabbit|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Africa_|Oswald the Lucky Rabbit|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Alaska_|Oswald the Lucky Rabbit|(voice, uncredited)||
|1931|_What a Doctor_|Oswald the Lucky Rabbit|(voice, uncredited)|
|_The Moose Hunt_|Pluto|(voice)||
|_Mickey Steps Out_|Pluto|(voice)||
|_Mickey's Orphans_|Pluto|(voice, uncredited)||
|1932|_The Duck Hunt_|Pluto|(voice, uncredited)|
|_The Mad Dog_|Pluto|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Barnyard Olympics_|Pluto|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Mickey's Revue_|Dippy Dog, Pluto|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Just Dogs_|Pluto|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Mickey's Nightmare_|Pluto|(voice)||
|_Trader Mickey_|Pluto|(voice, uncredited)||
|_The Whoopee Party_|Goofy|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Touchdown Mickey_|Goofy|(voice, uncredited)||
|1933|_Building a Building_|Pegleg Pete|(voice, uncredited)|
|_The Mad Doctor_|Pluto|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Mickey's Pal Pluto_|Pluto|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Mickey's Mellerdrammer_|Goofy|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Ye Olden Days_|Goofy|(voice, uncredited)||
|_The Three Little Pigs_|Practical Pig|(voice, uncredited)||
|_I Like Mountain Music_|Yodeler, various|(voice, uncredited)||
|_The Steeplechase_|Colonel|(voice, uncredited)||
|1934|_The Grasshopper and the Ants_|Grasshopper|(voice, uncredited)|
|_Playful Pluto_|Pluto|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Big Bad Wolf_|Practical Pig|(voice, uncredited)||
|_The Wise Little Hen_|Peter Pig|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Orphan's Benefit_|Goofy|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Servants' Entrance_|Mustard Pot|(uncredited)||
|1935|_Mickey's Service Station_|Goofy|(voice, uncredited)|
|_The Cookie Carnival_|Cookie Boy|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Mickey's Garden_|Pluto, Grasshopper|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Mickey's Fire Brigade_|Goofy|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Pluto's Judgement Day_|Pluto|(voice, uncredited)||
|_On Ice_|Goofy, Pluto|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Broken Toys_|W.C. Fields Doll, Various|(voice, uncredited)||
|1936|_Mickey's Grand Opera_|Goofy|(voice, uncredited)|
|_Three Little Wolves_|Practical Pig|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Moving Day_|Goofy|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Mickey's Rival_|Mortimer Mouse|(voice)||
|_Alpine Climbers_|Pluto|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Donald and Pluto_|Pluto|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Three Blind Musketeers_|Tall thin mouseketeer|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Donald and Pluto_|Pluto|(voice, uncredited)||
|_Mother Pluto_|Pluto|(voice, uncredited)||

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Pinto Colvig
- **image**: Pinto Colvig in Jacksonville School.jpg
- **caption**: Pinto Colvig in Jacksonville School
- **birth name**: Vance DeBar Colvig
- **birth place**: Jacksonville, Oregon, United States, U.S.
- **death place**: Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, Woodland Hills, California, United States, U.S.
- **alma mater**: Oregon State University
- **yearsactive**: 1925–1967
- **spouse**: Margaret Bourke Slavin
(m. 1916–1950; her death)
Peggy Bernice Allaire
(m. 1952–1967; his death)
- **death cause**: Lung cancer
- **children**: Vance Colvig, Vance DeBar Colvig, Jr.
<small>(1918-1991)</small>
William Mason Colvig
<small>(1920–1992)</small>
Byington Ford Colvig
<small>(1921–1996)</small>
Bourke L. Colvig <small>(1922–1985)</small>
Courtney X. Colvig <small>(1931–1990)</small>
- **parents**: William Mason Colvig (father) (1845–1936)
Adelaide Birdseye Colvig (mother) (1856–1912)
- **resting place**: Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City