Walker Edmiston, 81, Voice of Keebler Elf, Dies
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 28, 2007
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 27 (AP) — Walker Edmiston, an actor who was the voice of many cartoon and puppet characters, including Ernie the Keebler elf in television commercials, died on Feb. 15 at his home in Woodland Hills. He was 81.
The cause was complications of cancer, said his daughter, Erin Edmiston.
Mr. Edmiston was born on Feb. 6, 1926, in St. Louis and moved to Los Angeles in 1947.
In the 1950s and early 1960s, Mr. Edmiston had a children’s show on local television, “The Walker Edmiston Show,” featuring his own puppets.
In the 1960s and 1970s, he was the voice of many characters on shows created by Sid and Marty Krofft, including Dr. Blinkey and Orson the Vulture on “H. R. Pufnstuf” and Sparky the Firefly on “Bugaloos.”
Mr. Edmiston also had acting roles in episodes of television series like “Gunsmoke,” “Mission: Impossible” and “The Dukes of Hazzard,” and performed for nearly 20 years on “Adventures in Odyssey,” a radio series produced by the nonprofit group Focus on the Family.
He is survived by his daughter.
