Jack Jenner (V2)

**John Eugene Jenner** (November 18, 1921 - July 23, 2011) was an American actor, voice actor, producer, singer, author, film critic, veteran, activist and philanthropist. His acting career spanned nearly seven decades. He is remembered for his work during his six-decade career with Alamo Productions, which began in 1951 after he left the United States Army. He was a voice of Mickey Mouse not only for his impressive voice impersonation of him, but also because he shared the character's birthday.

## Early life and education

Jack was born in Montgonery, Alabama to Amanda Begay (1890 - 1977), a flight attendant, and Angel Jenner (1896 - 1930), a restaurant worker. A year later, both parents married different people. Jack spent loads of time with his family and friends. Jenner suffered from childhood depression for a time with his father's death in 1930 from contracting the bubonic plague, at the too-young-to-die age of 34, having been unable to afford the right healthcare because of the Depression.

Jenner first began learning voices at ages 7 and 8, having been inspired from watching cartoons of Disney, Looney Toons and others. For his birthday(s), he did an impressive Mickey Mouse voice impression for the family, as his birthday was the same as Mickey's. He joined the drama club at Budding Rose Middle School and the wrestling team at St. Parker's High School. Jenner was cut from the team during his junior/senior year(s), so he joined a singing club.

In 1939, after graduating high school, Jenner started university with a major in music. He joined the Anime Club and the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. He also worked two years as the campus' research assistant, but quit in 1941 when he was diagnosed with high blood pressure from too much stress. Jenner graduated university in 1943.

## Early acting career

In 1943, Jenner became a voice actor for Groper Studios. He grew in popularity when he began voicing Mickey Mouse in some of the cartoons he did.

Jenner became a victim of controversy when his producer asked him to perform sexual favors for them to land a role. The producer was never exposed, let alone identified. The incident has also left a bad impression on the "Groper" name of the company.

## US Army

In 1947, in order to avoid being drafted, Jenner left Groper Studios to join the US Army as an officer. He became First Lieutenant a year later, and was promoted to Captain in 1951. Alter that year, he received an honorable discharge.

## Return to acting

Following his discharge, Jenner became a voice actor for Alamo Productions. He became a full actor in 1957, and then a lead actor in 1963.

In 1966, Jenner achieved international fame when he starred in an anti-war drama.

## Activism

Jenner joined many anti-war demonstrations throughout the 60s and 70s to protest against the Vietnam War. He even became friends with disabled veteran, activist and author Ron Kovic. Jenner played Kovic in a biographical film, though he had some competition when Tom Cruise also played Kovic in the 1989 film *Born on the Fourth of July*.

## Personal life

Jenner dated his middle school classmate Doutzen Hari from 1932 to 1934. Throughout the years, he sent her gifts to stay a kind friend to her.

In 1944, Jenner met Sydney Thrasher, who would become a computer programmer for Cocksure Foods, in a library. Their first child of five, son Cody, was born in 1946. In 1954, after ten years of dating and countless proposal rejections, Thrasher proposed to Jenner at a lighthouse. They married with no prenup and went to San Fransisco for their honeymoon.

Jenner was traumatized by the death of one of his daughters, Harper (born 1956) in an terrorist bomb explosion in 1971. He later granted interviews for a terrorism documentary, sharing his struggle to cope with his loss.

While Hari appreciated Jenner's gifts, Thrasher occasionally got jealous.

## Death

Jenner died on July 23, 2011, following a stroke. He is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren and adopted niece and nephew.