Editing Norma MacMillan

{{Short description|Canadian actress (1921–2001)}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Norma MacMillan
| image         = Norma Macmillan-Casper.jpg
| alt           = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption       = MacMillan with Casper
| birth_name    = <!-- only use if different from name -->
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1921|9|15}}
| birth_place   = [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], Canada
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|2001|3|16|1921|9|15}}
| death_place   = Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 
| resting_place = Remains scattered off [[Strait of Juan de Fuca]]
| occupation    = Actress
| years_active  = 1954–2001
| spouse        = {{marriage|Thor Arngrim|1954}}
| children      = {{unbulleted list|[[Stefan Arngrim]]|[[Alison Arngrim]]}}
}}
'''Norma MacMillan''' (September 15, 1921 &ndash; March 16, 2001) was a Canadian actress, best known for voicing numerous characters in animation and claymation, including [[Casper the Friendly Ghost]] on ''[[The New Casper Cartoon Show]]'', [[Gumby]] on ''[[The Gumby Show]]'', Sweet Polly Purebred on ''[[Underdog (TV series)|Underdog]]'', and [[Davey and Goliath|Davey]] on ''[[Davey and Goliath]]''.

==Early life==
MacMillan was born on September 15, 1921, in [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], Canada, and began her career there as a stage actress.<ref name="NYTimes"/><ref name="nytimes"/> It was in Vancouver that she met, worked with her then husband Thor Arngrim.<ref name="NYTimes"/><ref name="nytimes"/> In 1954, MacMillan, her husband and his business partner Stuart Baker, set out for Toronto where she began landing work voicing children's roles for the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]].<ref name="Newsday">{{cite web|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/69912605.html?dids=69912605:69912605&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+22%2C+2001&author=THE+ASSOCIATED+PRESS&pub=Newsday+(Combined+editions)&desc=OBITUARIES+%2F+Norma+Macmillan%2C+Voice+of+Casper&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131170305/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/69912605.html?dids=69912605:69912605&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+22,+2001&author=THE+ASSOCIATED+PRESS&pub=Newsday+(Combined+editions)&desc=OBITUARIES+/+Norma+Macmillan,+Voice+of+Casper&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 31, 2013|title=Obituary – Norma MacMillan, Voice of Casper|agency=Associated Press|date=March 22, 2001|work=Newsday}}</ref>

==Career==
After her husband and she moved to New York, MacMillan lent her voice talents to numerous roles; as "[[Casper the Friendly Ghost]]" on ''[[The New Casper Cartoon Show]]'', as "[[Gumby]]" on ''[[The Gumby Show]]'', as "[[Sweet Polly Purebred]]" in the ''[[Underdog (TV series)|Underdog]]'' cartoons, and as "[[Davey and Goliath|Davey]]" on  Seasons 4-5 of the claymation series ''[[Davey and Goliath]]'' among others. In addition to these roles, MacMillan also voiced the roles of [[John F. Kennedy Jr.|John-John]] and [[Caroline Kennedy]] in the world record setting ''[[The First Family (album)|The First Family]]'' album of 1962.<ref name="Newsday"/><ref name="NYTimes"/><ref name="nytimes"/> In 1991, she provided narration for [[Saban Entertainment]]'s comedic "Sugar & Spice" subset of ''[[Funky Fables]]'' cartoons, which included ''The Ugly Duckling'', ''Thumbelina'', ''Heidi'', ''Alice in Wonderland'', ''The Wizard of Oz'', ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'', ''Cinderella'', and ''The Secret Garden''.

In addition to her voice roles, MacMillan also appeared as an on-screen actress in various television and films roles. Her on-screen work included guest-starring roles on such television shows as ''[[Columbo]]'', ''[[She's the Sheriff]]'', ''[[Webster (TV series)|Webster]]'' and ''[[Thirtysomething (TV series)|Thirtysomething]]''. During this time, she also appeared in feature films, including ''Nightmare on the 13th Floor'', ''[[Big Business (1988 film)|Big Business]]'', ''[[Love at Stake]]'', ''Dangerous Intentions'', ''[[Big Bully (film)|Big Bully]]'', and ''[[Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry]]'' with [[Katharine Hepburn]].<ref name="Newsday"/>

MacMillan appeared in numerous television commercials, but perhaps her most visible acting role was the part she played in the 1980s as the sweet, demure, naive "Aunt Martha" opposite Ruth Manning's "Aunt Harriet" for [[Kraft Foods|Kraft Foods mayonnaise]] commercials. Upon returning to Vancouver with her husband in the mid-1990s, MacMillan joined the [[CFRO-FM|Co-Op Radio]]'s Sunday show for senior citizens and was a board member of the local 411 Seniors Centre.<ref name="NYTimes"/><ref name="nytimes"/>

While in Canada, MacMillan went on to voice characters in a number of later animated series and films such as ''Funky Fables'', ''[[Fat Dog Mendoza]]'', ''[[Madeline (TV series)|Madeline]]'', ''[[Generation O!]]'', ''Milo's Bug Quest'' and ''The Animated Adventures of Tom Sawyer''.<ref name="NYTimes"/><ref name="nytimes"/>

==Personal life==
MacMillan and her husband producer/manager Thor Arngrim, were married in 1954, together they have two children, including [[Stefan Arngrim]] (born December 23, 1955), who played [[Land of the Giants#Cast|Barry Lockridge]] on ''[[Land of the Giants]]'', and [[Alison Arngrim]] (born January 18, 1962), who played [[Nellie Oleson]] on ''[[Little House on the Prairie (TV series)|Little House on the Prairie]]''.<ref name="NYTimes"/> MacMillan and her husband Thor returned to [[Canada]] in 1993.<ref name="NYTimes"/>

==Death==
MacMillan died in March 2001, at the age of 79,<ref name="Newsday"/> in [[Vancouver, British Columbia]].<ref name="NYTimes">{{Cite web|date=March 23, 2001|author=The Associated Press|title=Norma Macmillan, Voice for Cartoons, Dies at 79|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/23/arts/norma-macmillan-voice-for-cartoons-dies-at-79.html|access-date=September 17, 2023|website=New York Times Times|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="nytimes">{{Cite web|date=March 26, 2001|author=The Associated Press|title=Norma Macmillan; Cartoon Voice Artist, 79|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/26/nyregion/norma-macmillan-cartoon-voice-artist-79.html|access-date=September 17, 2023|website=New York Times|language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0534018}}
*{{discogs artist|Norma Macmillan}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macmillan, Norma}}
[[Category:1921 births]]
[[Category:2001 deaths]]
[[Category:Actresses from Vancouver]]
[[Category:Canadian film actresses]]
[[Category:Canadian television actresses]]
[[Category:Canadian voice actresses]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate actresses in the United States]]