Recommended music: GODSOwn DJ – Masters of the Universe
On this #SomethingElseSunday post from the archives, we’re celebrating the life of voice actor John Erwin. News of his recent passing [at the time of the original post] became known this past week, and wow, what a loss!
John’s big break into the pop culture zeitgeist was a recurring role as Teddy on the television series Rawhide. By the mid-1960s, he transitioned into being a voice actor portraying Reggie Mantle on the animated Archie Show. This character role continued in several future Archie series, including the animated Sabrina the Teenage Witch show. The voice acting continued with regular roles in television and films into the 1990s. Some of these were main characters, and many more were incidental background characters.
Remember the scene in Back to the Future Part II when Biff hears the football announcer detail the comeback, mirroring the Sports Almanac, and changes his future? That was John Erwin’s voice. Likewise, the witty tone of Morris the Cat in 9 Lives Cat Food commercials came before Garfield’s similar style. That, too, was John Erwin.
Although these roles define an accomplished career, it is one character who has permanently linked John Erwin’s voice in my memory for over forty years: John Erwin was He-Man.
My earliest television memory is likely the Filmation He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series. John’s voice as both Prince Adam and He-Man was present from the opening sequence and featured prominently throughout each 22-minute episode. Erwin’s resonant, commanding voice assured viewers that the hero on screen would “have the power” and act with integrity.
Besides our main heroes, Erwin portrayed dozens of other characters on both the He-Man and She-Ra animated series. I have pictured some of my favorites here. Despite this significant involvement with the popular franchise, Erwin avoided the spotlight. He never wanted a young He-Man fan picturing himself as the hero rather than the animated, larger-than-life personas he saw on screen, and he declined all convention appearances. That means I never actually met the man or saw him give an interview. I only have the positive comments from those who collaborated with him back in the 1980s to tell me that he was a special person, just one who continued to avoid any public appearances despite the demand from a generation of fans.
The lessons and morals of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series have stuck with me my entire life, and the cartoon was in heavy rotation during my children’s younger years as I hoped to instill those same values in them. So, thank you, Mr. Erwin, for that memorable voice that helped guide the animated wisdom into my mind, and keep it there ever since. Rest in peace.
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