'Bullwinkle Show' voice actress wins TV Academy's Governors Award

Steve Pond
Voice actress June Foray, best known as the voice of animated character "Rocky the Flying Squirrel", poses at the premiere of a digital restoration of the 1963 film musical comedy "Bye Bye Birdie" at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in Beverly Hills, California in this April 27, 2011 file photo. REUTERS/Fred Prouser

By Steve Pond LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Veteran voice artist June Foray, the voice of Rocket J. Squirrel and Natasha Fatale on "The Bullwinkle Show," Cindy Lou Who in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and Granny in the Tweety and Sylvester cartoons, has been named recipient of the 2013 Governors Award by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, ATAS chairman Bruce Rosenblum announced on Thursday. Foray, 95, has been in the entertainment business for more than 80 years, and over the last 60 she has become known as "The First Lady of Cartoon Voices." Her other notable voices include Dudley Do-Right's Nell Fenwick, Jokey Smurf in "The Smurfs" and Magica DeSpell in the "Duck Tales: Remastered" videogame. "Each year the Board of Governors recognizes a person or organization whose contributions to our industry will forever live on," said Television Academy Chairman and CEO Bruce Rosenblum. "June Foray absolutely embodies everything that this honor represents. A legend and a pioneer, June is not only in a class of her own, but she literally created that class. There is simply no one more deserving of this honor." Foray, who is still a mainstay at animation-related events, will receive her award at the Creative Arts Emmys show on September 15 at the Nokia Theatre.