Heather North(1945-2017)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Heather North was an American voice actress from Pasadena, California. She was the regular voice of amateur detective Daphne Blake from 1970 to 1985, voicing the character in 7 different television series. She briefly resumed the role in 1997 for a guest appearance of Daphne in the animated series "Johnny Bravo". She voiced Daphne again for the direct-to-video films "Scooby-Doo and the Legend of the Vampire" (2003) and "Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico" (2003). She then mostly retired from acting.
North was born in 1945. She started her acting career c. 1956, at the age of 11. She had several guest-roles in television series of the 1960s, such as "My Three Sons", "Gidget", and "The Monkees". She made her film debut in the drama film "Git" (1965). She played Elaine Garrett, the adolescent daughter of dog breeder Andrew Garrett. Her character found no love or affection from her father, but found romance in his employee Deke (played by Jack Chaplain).
In 1967, North joined the cast of the soap opera "Days of Our Lives". She played Sandy Horton, a granddaughter of the original main character Dr. Thomas Horton (played by Macdonald Carey). North remained in this role until 1972, when her character was written out. Sandy was reintroduced in 1982, but played by a different actress.
In 1969, North was a roommate of fellow actress Nicole Jaffe. Jaffe was voicing Velma Dinkley in the mystery animated series "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" (1969-1970). Stefanianna Christopherson was voicing Daphne Blake, Velma's partner in mystery solving. Christopherson quit the role when she and her husband relocated to New York, and Jaffe recommended North to serve as Christopherson's replacement. North voiced Daphne in several episodes of the animated series' second season.
In 1971, North played the female lead Jennifer Scott in the comedy film "The Barefoot Executive". Jennifer and her boyfriend were the co-owners of a chimpanzee who could predict whether a new television series was going to be a hit or a flop. That same year, North married television producer H. Wesley Kenney (1926-2015). He was the producer of "Days of Our Lives" and they had met on the soap opera's set. Their marriage lasted until his death in 2015.
Animation studio Hanna-Barbera next recruited North to voice Daphne Blake in "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" (1972-1973), the first sequel to the original Scooby-Doo series. In this one, the Mystery, Inc. gang of detectives joined forces with various guest stars. The series featured crossovers with characters from "Harlem Globetrotters", "Josie and the Pussycats", "Jeannie", "Speed Buggy", "The Addams Family" and "Batman and Robin".
After a hiatus of several years, North resumed the role of Daphne in "The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour" (1976). It featured two different segments about crime-fighting dogs and their owners. She voiced Daphne in all 3 seasons of "The Scooby-Doo Show" (1976-1978). The show was variously broadcast with several packages of Hanna-Barbera shows. North also voiced incidental characters in the superhero series "Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels" (1978-1980).
Her next appearance in a Scooby-Doo series was in "Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo" (1979-1980). In this series, Scrappy-Doo was added as the new co-protagonist, and Daphne's role was increasingly de-emphasized. Daphne was eventually written out of the series. North returned to voice Daphne in "The New Scooby Doo Mysteries" (1983-1984), where Daphne was re-introduced as a co-protagonist. Daphne was depicted as a reporter for this series, but continued solving mysteries.
North had her last regular appearance in a Scooby-Doo television series in "The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo" (1985). It was the first series in the franchise to have an ongoing story-line. Scooby-Doo and his owner Shaggy Rogers were manipulated into releasing 13 powerful ghosts and demons from captivity. They and a small group of allies (including Daphne) then had to recapture the ghosts, while each ghost schemed to eliminate them. The next series in the franchise was "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" (1988-1991), which featured child versions of the main characters. North was replaced as the regular voiced of Daphne by a younger actress, Kellie Martin.
North mostly retired from acting in 1985, after Hanna-Barbera ceased requiring her services. She emerged from retirement once in 1997, and twice in 2003. In all three occasions, she voiced her signature role of Daphne. She was widowed in 2015, when her husband H. Wesley Kenney died of cardiac arrest. North herself died in November 2017, at the age of 71. She was suffering from bronchiolitis, a respiratory disease.
Though long gone, North remains one of the most popular voice actresses of the 1970s and the 1980s. Several actresses have voiced Daphne Blake since North's heyday, but none has been identified with this role to the degree that North was. Despite her limited success in live-action roles, North is fondly remembered for a few notable comedy roles.
North was born in 1945. She started her acting career c. 1956, at the age of 11. She had several guest-roles in television series of the 1960s, such as "My Three Sons", "Gidget", and "The Monkees". She made her film debut in the drama film "Git" (1965). She played Elaine Garrett, the adolescent daughter of dog breeder Andrew Garrett. Her character found no love or affection from her father, but found romance in his employee Deke (played by Jack Chaplain).
In 1967, North joined the cast of the soap opera "Days of Our Lives". She played Sandy Horton, a granddaughter of the original main character Dr. Thomas Horton (played by Macdonald Carey). North remained in this role until 1972, when her character was written out. Sandy was reintroduced in 1982, but played by a different actress.
In 1969, North was a roommate of fellow actress Nicole Jaffe. Jaffe was voicing Velma Dinkley in the mystery animated series "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" (1969-1970). Stefanianna Christopherson was voicing Daphne Blake, Velma's partner in mystery solving. Christopherson quit the role when she and her husband relocated to New York, and Jaffe recommended North to serve as Christopherson's replacement. North voiced Daphne in several episodes of the animated series' second season.
In 1971, North played the female lead Jennifer Scott in the comedy film "The Barefoot Executive". Jennifer and her boyfriend were the co-owners of a chimpanzee who could predict whether a new television series was going to be a hit or a flop. That same year, North married television producer H. Wesley Kenney (1926-2015). He was the producer of "Days of Our Lives" and they had met on the soap opera's set. Their marriage lasted until his death in 2015.
Animation studio Hanna-Barbera next recruited North to voice Daphne Blake in "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" (1972-1973), the first sequel to the original Scooby-Doo series. In this one, the Mystery, Inc. gang of detectives joined forces with various guest stars. The series featured crossovers with characters from "Harlem Globetrotters", "Josie and the Pussycats", "Jeannie", "Speed Buggy", "The Addams Family" and "Batman and Robin".
After a hiatus of several years, North resumed the role of Daphne in "The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour" (1976). It featured two different segments about crime-fighting dogs and their owners. She voiced Daphne in all 3 seasons of "The Scooby-Doo Show" (1976-1978). The show was variously broadcast with several packages of Hanna-Barbera shows. North also voiced incidental characters in the superhero series "Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels" (1978-1980).
Her next appearance in a Scooby-Doo series was in "Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo" (1979-1980). In this series, Scrappy-Doo was added as the new co-protagonist, and Daphne's role was increasingly de-emphasized. Daphne was eventually written out of the series. North returned to voice Daphne in "The New Scooby Doo Mysteries" (1983-1984), where Daphne was re-introduced as a co-protagonist. Daphne was depicted as a reporter for this series, but continued solving mysteries.
North had her last regular appearance in a Scooby-Doo television series in "The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo" (1985). It was the first series in the franchise to have an ongoing story-line. Scooby-Doo and his owner Shaggy Rogers were manipulated into releasing 13 powerful ghosts and demons from captivity. They and a small group of allies (including Daphne) then had to recapture the ghosts, while each ghost schemed to eliminate them. The next series in the franchise was "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" (1988-1991), which featured child versions of the main characters. North was replaced as the regular voiced of Daphne by a younger actress, Kellie Martin.
North mostly retired from acting in 1985, after Hanna-Barbera ceased requiring her services. She emerged from retirement once in 1997, and twice in 2003. In all three occasions, she voiced her signature role of Daphne. She was widowed in 2015, when her husband H. Wesley Kenney died of cardiac arrest. North herself died in November 2017, at the age of 71. She was suffering from bronchiolitis, a respiratory disease.
Though long gone, North remains one of the most popular voice actresses of the 1970s and the 1980s. Several actresses have voiced Daphne Blake since North's heyday, but none has been identified with this role to the degree that North was. Despite her limited success in live-action roles, North is fondly remembered for a few notable comedy roles.
