Eric Bauza, the actor who gave Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck their modern voices, has died at 46. His family announced it on his Instagram account on Sunday. “Eric Bauza, Emmy Award-winning voice actor and the modern voice of iconic Looney Tunes characters Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, along with dozens of other beloved cartoon characters, has passed away suddenly,” the post read. “More details to come.”
Those details arrived later. Los Angeles County Medical Examiner records show he died at home of hypertensive cardiovascular disease. He had been due that afternoon at the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation’s The Cat in the Hat, there to support the Daffy Season short that plays ahead of the film, according to press documents.
The numbers behind a busy career
The figure that matters is 400. Bauza collected more than 400 acting credits, beginning with The Ripping Friends in 2001. This year alone he had already worked on Chibiverse, Minions & Monsters, Forgotten Island, Rick and Morty, Superkitties and Avatar: Seven Havens. Few voice actors stay that booked.
In Coyote vs. Acme, released earlier this year, he played Bugs, Daffy, Tweety, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, Porky Pig, Road Runner and Charlie the Dog, most of them roles that began with Mel Blanc. He was also in Space Jam: A New Legacy, and in Looney Tunes Cartoons he voiced Bugs and Daffy. In 2023 he became the new Buster Bunny in Tiny Toons Looniversity.
On the awards side, he won three Children’s & Family Emmys, for Teen Titans Go!, Bugs Bunny Builders and Looney Tunes Cartoons. He also drew five Daytime Emmy nominations, for Looney Tunes Cartoons, Muppet Babies and The Adventures of Puss in Boots. The Hollywood Reporter had recently put him on its first Animation Power list.
From Scarborough to Hollywood
Bauza was born on December 7, 1979, in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto, and was of Filipino descent. His father and grandfather loved classic cartoons like Looney Tunes. As a boy he drew along with the host of Mr. Dressup, which he credited with sparking his creative side. He attended Cardinal Newman Catholic High School from 1993 to 1996 and graduated from Centennial College in 2000.
His first animation work was behind the scenes, as a character designer for studios in Hollywood. During his third year of college he interned at Spümcø. His breakthrough as a voice came on Ren & Stimpy “Adult Party Cartoon”, where he took over Stimpy from Billy West. Later credits included El Tigre, The Fairly OddParents, G.I. Joe: Resolute and Ben 10: Omniverse. He hosted the six-part documentary series Stay Tooned for CBC Gem in 2022.
Tributes
Variety’s Peter Debruge called him a “vocal MVP” who “brings a manic energy” to Porky and Daffy in The Day the Earth Blew Up. Chris DeFaria, who produced Coyote vs. Acme, told Variety he would remember Bauza for an “absolutely tireless dedication” to animation. “He embodied everything we wanted from this film,” DeFaria said, “including the major theme of the movie that a little guy can make a difference in this world.”
Channing Dungey, chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group and U.S. Networks, said Bauza “followed in the footsteps of giants like Mel Blanc” and had told colleagues that carrying on the Looney Tunes legacy was among the greatest honors of his life. At his death he was in pre-production on Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical, as Daffy Duck, and The Dragon Masters, as The Shogun King.
Sources
- Eric Bauza, the Modern Voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Other Iconic Characters, Dies at 46
- Eric Bauza
- Eric Bauza, Emmy Award-Winning Looney Tunes Voice Actor, Dies at 46
Photo: Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 3.0)
