Ed Gilbert

Ed Gilbert (born Edmund Francis Giesbert on June 29, 1931 – May 8, 1999) was an American actor, with extensive credits in both live action roles and voice work in animation, although he was better known for the latter. He is also credited, under his birth name, with research in entomology and the discovery of new beetle species.

During the 1960s, Gilbert appeared on television series such as The Gallant Men, Combat!, The Rogues and Mannix. In 1966, he guest starred as Robert Cramer on four episodes of Ben Casey. He is well known as Fenton Hardy on the 1970s television series The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries.

He provided the voices of Superion (originally voiced by Frank Welker), Thrust and Blitzwing in the second and third seasons of The Transformers, Kissyfur's father Gus in Kissyfur, Thirty-Thirty, Sandstorm, Shaman and other voices in BraveStarr, Baloo in the Disney animated series TaleSpin, General Hawk in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Puggsy and Daddy Starling in Tom and Jerry: The Movie, Mr. Smee in Peter Pan and the Pirates, Phasir in the Aladdin television series, The Mandarin in the first season of Iron Man: The Animated Series and Dormammu in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. He voiced Tigger on some albums and read-along cassettes in the early 1990s, He voiced minor characters in Batman: The Animated Series; Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero and The New Batman Adventures.He also voiced the security guard Daryl in the computer game, Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out!.

Gilbert, under his birth name, also pursued the study of Coleoptera and described a number of beetle species and genera, such as Linsleychroma, including Linsleychroma monnei.

He died on May 8, 1999 of lung cancer. His interment was at Eternal Valley Memorial Park and Mortuary in Newhall, California.