AURORA PRESENTS A DON BLUTH PRODUCTION
BIOGRAPHIES  -  VOICES OF CAST 

HERMIONE BADDELEY - "Shrew"
    Known to millions as the outrageous housekeeper Mrs. Naugatuck on the popular television series "Maude," Hermione Baddeley has a career in show business that includes singing, dancing, musical comedy and serious drama on stage, screen and TV.
    Born in Shropshire, England, she became the Queen of London's musical reviews and made her American debut on Broad-way in "A Taste of Honey" to much critical acclaim.  She starred in Tennessee Williams' "The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore," "The Greeks Had a Name For It," "Brighton's Rock," Noel Coward's "Fallen Angel," "Rise Above It" and many others.
    Mastering still another medium, Baddeley won an Oscar nomination for "Room at the Top" on screen and charmed everyone with her appearances in "Mary Poppins" and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown.
    Although told at the age of twelve by none other than George Bernard Shaw to change her name from Baddeley to Goodeley when he saw her on stage for the first time, she kept her name the way it was and went on to become one of today's foremost comediennes.

JOHN CARRADINE - The OWL
    The characterization of the omnipotent OWL of MRS.  FRISBY

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AND THE RATS OF NIMH captures the very essence of John Carradine in that he too is larger than life.
    Carradine began his screen career in 1936 and has appeared in countless productions including; "Stagecoach," "The Grapes of Wrath," "Captain's Courageous," "The True Storv of Jesse James," "The Ten Commandments," "House of Dracula,"  "House of Frankenstein,"  "The Three Musketeers," "The Shootist"  "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex," "The Last Tycoon," "The Sentinel'' "The Howling" and too many more to mention.
    His theatrical experience spans a very broad spectrum from Shakespeare to "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." At one time he owned a repertory theatre in San Francisco where he produced, directed and starred in numerous productions.
    Born 76 years ago in New York City, he and his wife now make their home in Montecito, California.

DOM DE LUISE - Jeremy
    Currently starring in Mel  Brooks' "History of the World, Part I," DeLuise continues a happy association with Brooks that inciudes "Silent Movie," "Blazing Saddles" and "The Twelve Chairs." His other screen credits include: "Fatso," "Smokey and the Bandit II," "Cannonball Run,"  "The End," "The World's Greatest Lover," "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Smarter Brother,"  "The Last Married Couple in America,"  "Wholly Moses,"  "The Cheap Detective," "The Busybody," and many more.
    He made his feature film directorial debut with "Hot Stuff"  in which he also starred, and  directed the stage presentation of

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"Same Time, Next Year" at the Burt Reynolds' Playhouse in Jupiter, Florida.
    His stage, appearances include "The Student Gypsy," "Last of the Red Hot Lovers," and "Here's Love," and he spent two seasons doing theatre at the Cleveland Playhouse in "School for Scandal," "Hamlet" and "Stalag 17" among others.
    No stranger to television, his introduction to the medium
was on "The Garry Moore Show" as Dominick the Great, a bumbling
magician.  His later TV credits include two series of his own:  "The Dom DeLuise Variety Show" and "Lotsa Luck" plus regular guest shots on major talk and variety programs.
    Born in Brooklyn, New York, he and his family now reside in Southern California.

ELIZABETH HARTMAN  -  Mrs. Frisby
    Hartman made a big splash on screen in the sixties with starring roles in Sidney Lumet's "The Group," "You're a Big Boy Now," "The Fixer," and "Patch of Blue" for which she received an Academy nomination for best actress.  More recently, she starred in  "Full Moon High" and "Intermission" for the big screen, a television pilot for Lorimar entitled "Cages" plus numerous television appearances.  Her theatrical background includes "Our Town," "Mad Women of Chaillot," "Bus Stop,"  "Becket,"  "Glass Menagerie" and more.
    Born in Youngstown.  Ohio.  Ms. Hartman now makes her home in California.

DEREK JACOBI  -  Nicodemus
    British born Derek Jacobi, long recognized as one of England's

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most gifted classical actors, gives voice to the key character of Nicodemus.  Jacobi gained his first measure of American fame for his virtuoso title role performance in "I, Claudius," for which he was named Best Television Actor in 1976 by the British Academy of Film and Television Awards.  His recent credits include stunning leads in the productions of "Hamlet" and  "Richard II" for the PBS on-going cycle of Shakespeare plays.
 During 1980, he made his Broadway debut starring in the Russian satirical comedy "The Suicide."
    The year also found him starring as Burgess in the television docu-drama, "Philby, Burgess and MacLean."

ARTHUR MALET  -  Mr. Ages
    Born in England, raised in Wales, Mr. Malet has made the United States his home since his teens.
    He has won several theatrical acting awards including:  The Vernon Rice award, the New York Drama Desk Award, an Obie, a Theatre Arts Actor of the Year Award, the Village Voice Theatre Award, and the Lola D'Annunzio Award from Circle in the Square, New York City.
    His Broadway appearances include "Look After Lulu" with
Noel Coward, Shadow of the Gunman' and "Moonbirds."He was in Waiting for Godot' and 'The Balcony" off-Broadway in New York.
    No stranger to television, he has appeared in approximately thirty television shows including "Barney Miller," "Palmer Town U.S.A." and "Bosom Buddies.
    His screen credits include the recently completed

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"Savage Harvest,"  "Heaven Can Wait,"  "Halloween,"   "Heat of the Night," "Mary Poppins" and "Robinson Crusoe."
    A gourmet cook and avid gardener, Mr. Malet now makes his home in Santa Monica, California.

PAUL SHENAR  -   Jenner
    His portrayal of Orson Welles in ABC-TV's   "The Night That Panicked America" earned Paul Shenar rave  reviews from national critics.  Most recently seen in NBC's epic presentation "Beulah Land," "Suddenly Love"  and "Zeigfeld, the Man and His Women," Shenar Is no stranger to television with some thirty  additional productions to his credit.
    A founding member, actor, director, teacher and student of William Ball's prestigious American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, he has played upwards of forty roles including "Hamlet," "Oedipus Rex" and "Tiny Alice," and has toured the entire country with ACT.
    His forceful characterization of Jenner marks his first experience in the field of animation.

 PETER STRAUSS   -   Justin
     Peter Strauss comes to the role of Justin, Captain of the Guard and loyal follower of Nicodemus, with a wealth of acting experience in theatre, television and film.  Most noted for his Emmy and Golden Globe nominated performance in ABC-TV's
epic production of "Rich Man, Poor Man," the title role in ABC's  "Young Joe, The Forgotten Kennedy" and "The Jericho Mile" for which he won an Emmy in 1979, Strauss has been acting and

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directing since he was thirteen years old.   He stars with Peter O'toole in "Masada," an eight hour movie for television produced by MCA Universal.
    Born in New York City, Strauss now makes his home in California.

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