Grace Stafford

(1903 - 1992)

Grace Stafford (born Grace Boyle, November 7, 1903 – March 17, 1992) was an American actress and the wife of animation producer Walter Lantz. Stafford is best known for providing the voice of Woody Woodpecker, a creation of Lantz's, for many years starting from 1950. At first Stafford asked not to be credited in the role, believing that audiences would be disillusioned if they knew Woody was voiced by a woman. But she soon came to enjoy being known as Woody's voice and, starting with 1958's Misguided Missile, finally allowed her name to be credited on screen. [biography (excerpted) from Wikipedia]