At age 16, Bergman received her first professional acting job in the television film Return Engagement, which starred Elizabeth Taylor. Having started acting in high school plays, she got an agent for on-camera commercials, film, and television and studied privately with acting coach Harry Mastrogeorge for several years. CareerĪfter getting cast in an equity-waiver play outside of school, Bergman decided to leave UCLA. She was a classmate and friend of future Simpsons voice actress Nancy Cartwright. Following in the steps of one of her idols, Carol Burnett, Bergman attended University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and studied theater arts from 1978 until 1981. Among Bergman's favorites were Jonny Quest, The Flintstones, and Wait Till Your Father Gets Home, which she considered a 'precursor to The Simpsons.' īergman attended Joseph Le Conte Middle School and Hollywood High School, graduating in June 1978 with top academic honors. Characterizing her mother's previous work inking and painting cels for Fleischer Studios, Bergman said it was a mechanical task, but it piqued her mother's interest in animation that was shared with Bergman years later by watching Saturday-morning cartoons with her. They settled in Los Angeles after her mother became pregnant. Her parents performed as a singing duo at lounges and clubs in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada, and Los Angeles. She grew up around the corner from the home of Adriana Caselotti, the original voice of Snow White. She was the only child of musicians David 'Dave' Bergman and Patricia Paris 'Pat' McGowan. Early lifeīergman was born on June 5, 1961, in Los Angeles, California, to Jewish parents. Shortly after her death, her husband Dino Andrade established the Mary Kay Bergman Memorial Fund. In the 1990s, she voiced Daphne Blake in three films from the Scooby-Doo franchise as well as Timmy Turner in Oh Yeah! Cartoons. In 1989, she began voicing the Disney character Snow White. After struggling to secure on-screen acting jobs, she began taking work as a voice-over actress. She acted in plays during high school and also studied theater at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Throughout her career, Bergman performed voice work for over 400 television commercials and voiced over 100 cartoon, film, and video game characters.īorn in Los Angeles, California, Bergman had an interest in fantasy and animation early in her life. She was the lead female voice actress on South Park from the show's debut in 1997 until her death.

Mary Kay Bergman (J– November 11, 1999), also credited as Shannen Cassidy, was an American voice actress and voice-over teacher.

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