Earl Hammond

Born in New York City, but later a resident of Buffalo, Earl Hammond entered show business while still in elementary school as a young voice actor in various radio programs, and he continued to work on the airwaves during other points in his career. During the 1950s, Hammond began appearing on television, most notably as the science-fiction hero "Buck Rogers" on a quickly cancelled version of the decades-long franchise. In the mid-'50s, Hammond was featured in the soap opera "Valiant Lady," but after that, he largely receded to one-off spots on shows such as "Maverick" and "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis." During the late '60s, Hammond transitioned to voice work for animated programs, and this is where he proved to be most prolific, voicing a variety of roles on Japanese-originated shows such as "Ultraman" and "Star Blazers." In '85, Hammond began working on the popular cartoon "ThunderCats," voicing a wide array of characters, including the villainous Mumm-Ra. Also during that year, he was featured as the voice of Santa in another Rankin/Bass production, "The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus." Although Hammond didn't work as much in later years, he still contributed his voice to various projects up until just years before his death in 2002.