Junius Matthews

Junius Conyers Matthews (June 12, 1890 – January 18, 1978) was an American actor who was best known for being the original voice of Rabbit in the Winnie the Pooh franchise from 1966 to 1977.

He was a private in World War I before becoming an actor, and determined to become a popular radio and television actor, his career began on stage where he got his first role in a silent film called The Silent Witness (1917). He later played the role of the Tin Woodsman on a radio version of The Wizard of Oz. His distinctive voice can be frequently heard in supporting roles in radio, particularly westerns where he was often cast as an old codger, miner, or master of the cook wagon. He played a recurring role in the short-lived series "Luke Slaughter of Tombstone" as Slaughter's sidekick, Wichita. He also played Ling Wee, a Chinese waiter, in Gasoline Alley.

Winnie the Pooh

It was not until the last ten years of his life that Matthews became widely known for his role as Rabbit in the Winnie the Pooh movies produced by the Disney studio from 1966 to 1977, including the featurettes Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968), and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! (1974) as well as the feature-length compilation film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977). He played other roles for Disney, most notably the owl, Archimedes, in Disney's The Sword in the Stone (1963).

Matthews died in 1978 at age 87 and was buried in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery.

• The Silent Witness (1917) - Bud Morgan
• Seeds of Freedom (1943) - Speaker
• Without Reservations (1946) - Charlie Potter (uncredited)
• Black Angel (1946) - Dr. Courtney
• I've Always Loved You (1946) - Little Man (uncredited)
• The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947) - Mr. Carter (uncredited)
• Chicken Every Sunday (1949) - Deacon Wilson (uncredited)
• Half Angel (1951) - Timid Man (uncredited)
• My Wife's Best Friend (1952) - Rev. Dr. Smith (uncredited)
• Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955) - Mr. Pruitt (uncredited)
• Jeanne Eagels (1957) - Court Clerk (uncredited)
• The Lineup (1958) - Jeffers (uncredited)
• A Summer Place (1959) - Mr. Hamble (uncredited)
• The Sword in the Stone (1963) - Archimedes, The Owl (voice)
• Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966) - Rabbit (voice)
• Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968) - Rabbit (voice)
• "The Martin Movie" (1970) - Martin Matthews (first appearance)/Rabbit (defeated voice)
• "The Martin Movie 2" (1970 - Martin Matthews (final appearance)/Rabbit (before he was having a tag saying: "Piglit")
• Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! (1974) - Rabbit (voice)
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) - Rabbit (voice)