April Winchell

### Other Works

101 Dalmatians: The Series - Cruella De Vil, Mickey Mouse Works - Clarabelle Cow, Lilo & Stitch - Mrs. Edmonds

April Winchell (born January 4, 1960) is an American voice actress, actress, writer, talk radio host, commentator and comedian. She provides the voice for Sylvia, one of the main characters and Wander's best friend.

## Personal Life

Winchell is the daughter of ventriloquist, actor, and comedian Paul Winchell, and his second wife, Nina Russel. In her weblog writings and appearances on radio, she describes her childhood with many references to the great talent of her father as well as the many disturbing incidents owing to his mental health issues

On August 19, 2005, she announced on her website that she was diagnosed with cancer and underwent successful surgery and radiation treatment. To promote solidarity during her radiation treatment, she issued her own rubber wristbands. Where Lance Armstrong's wrist bands were yellow, April's were "Glow in the Dark" so one could "glow along" with April. Winchell is also widely known as a supporter of various charity causes, including Project Angel Food, a Los Angeles-based service providing meals for home bound people living with AIDS. Her website, Regretsy, generated charitable funds through selling of Regretsy merchandise.

On, April 17, 2011, Winchell created April's Army, one of the largest selling teams on Etsy. The Army's members ran monthly campaigns, and all the profits gathered from their store went to a selected Regretsy member who has encountered hardships. On December 5, 2011, Regretsy began a Secret Santa program, collecting donations for presents for needy children. Regretsy raised so much money so quickly that PayPal froze the Regretsy account – as well as Winchell's unrelated personal account – for six months in order to "investigate." As this move effectively destroyed Christmas for 200 needy families, public outcry was massive, resulting in Regretsy becoming a worldwide trending topic on Twitter. After publicly apologizing, PayPal reinstated Winchell's accounts and donated $20,000 to the families she was raising money for.

## Career

Winchell's projects include the role of Sylvia in *Wander Over Yonder,* a Disney animated series featuring Jack McBrayer in the title role. Created by *The Powerpuff Girls* producers Craig McCracken and Lauren Faust, the show chronicles the adventures of "Wander" and his trusty (and cynical) steed Sylvia, as they travel the universe. The program premiered on the Disney Channel in September 2013.

As a voice actress, she has been heard in hundreds of animated television programs, such as *Goof Troop* (Peg Pete), *Recess* (as Mrs. Muriel Finster), *Disney's House of Mouse* and *Mickey Mouse Clubhouse* (as Clarabelle Cow), *Bonkers* (as Lucky's wife, Dyl Piquel), *Pepper Ann* (as Pepper Ann's mom, Lydia Pearson), and *Kids from Room 402* (as Miss Gracie Graves the School teacher, along with a number of other characters that appear on the show), *The Legend of Tarzan* (taking over for Rosie O'Donnell as Terk), *101 Dalmatians: The Series* (as Cruella De Vil), *SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron* (as Molly Mange), *Robot and Monster*, *Phineas & Ferb* and *Kim Possible*.

She has also voiced roles in numerous films, including *Antz*, *Who Framed Roger Rabbit*, *Monsters University* and Rob Zombie's *The Haunted World of El Superbeasto*. Winchell portrayed the "Glendale Federal Bank" lady – a cranky, cynical customer mollified by the service at her new bank – in a series of highly successful radio commercials, which Winchell wrote and directed herself. The commercials caught the attention of Roseanne, who hired her as a writer on her eponymous sitcom. She was also tested for the part of Regan in*Тhe Exorcist* until she fell ill and was taken out of consideration.

Gallery

Jack McBrayer (Wander) and April WinchellApril Winchell at D23April and Jack McBrayer (Wander) RecordingJack McBrayer (Wander) and April Winchell (Sylvia)April Winchell at SDCCApril WinchellApril WinchellApril WinchellApril Winchell (Sylvia)
The gallery for April Winchell may be viewed here.

## References

1. ↑  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April\_Winchell