Chris Wiggins obit

Chris Wiggins, Veteran Character Actor, Dies at 87

He was not on the list.


He played occult expert Jack Marshak in the 'Friday the 13th' horror TV series and voiced the original 'Babar,' 'Rocket Robin Hood' and 'Care Bears' cartoons.


Chris Wiggins, a veteran Canadian character and voice actor who appeared in such TV shows as ReGenesis, Redwall and Wojeck and voiced the original Babar, Care Bears and Spiderman cartoons, has died. He was 87.


Wiggins died Feb. 19 in Elora, Ontario, his family announced in the Toronto Star, after a struggle with Alzheimer's disease. He is best known for playing Jack Marshak in the Friday the 13th TV series, Friday's Curse, which ran for three seasons until 1990.

Wiggins also performed the role of Johann Robinson, the father on the 1976 TV series Swiss Family Robinson, and voiced the character Cornelius in the Babar animated series for the CBC in Canada and HBO stateside.

Born in Blackpool, England in 1931, Wiggins moved to Canada in 1952, where his early acting credits included the 1957 western Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans and the TV musical Folio, which ran for five seasons to 1959.

He was also a castmember at the Stratford Festival in 1960, where he appeared in roles for Romeo and Juliet, King John and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Wiggins won a Canadian Film Award in 1969 for best actor for his star turn in The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar, where he performed opposite Margot Kidder.

Wiggins provided voices for dozens of animated TV series and films, including Rocket Robin Hood, Star Wars: Droids, The Care Bears Family, The Busy World of Richard Scarry and Rupert. He was also a veteran Canadian radio actor, voicing roles in about 1,200 series episodes, especially for CBC Radio and programs like CBC Playhouse, Nightfall and Vanishing Point.


Selected filmography


General Motors Presents (1954-1961, TV Series) .... Jonah Grundeen / Sweeney / George / Sgt Wyeth / Second booking agent

Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans (1957, TV Series) .... Mort Bailey / Major Conn / Major Duffy / Mr. Travers / Sheriff Peterson / Jess Adams

The Unforeseen (1958-1959, TV Series) .... King / Monfort

R.C.M.P. (1959-1960, TV Series) .... George Needham / Kurt Hummel / Bush Pilot Watt / Martinson

Playdate (1961-1964, TV Series) .... Heinrich / Grandpa / Vanderkemp / Dr. Bahn

The United States Steel Hour (1961, TV Series) .... Charles Blake

William Lyon Mackenzie: A Friend to His Country (1961, Short) .... Jeweller?

Vacation Time (1962, TV Series) .... Co-host (1964)

The Forest Rangers (1963-1966, TV Series) .... Prof. Mandell / Porter

Moment of Truth (1964, TV Series) .... Dexter

Captain America (1966) .... Thor (Dr. Donald Blake) (voice)

Mighty Thor (1966, TV Series) .... Thor / Don Blake / Balder (voice)

The Marvel Super Heroes (1966-1969) .... (voice)

Julius Caesar (1966, TV Movie) .... Cassius

Once Upon a Prime Time (1966, Short)

Hatch's Mill (1967, TV Series) .... Donegan

Rocket Robin Hood (1967-1968, TV Series) .... Will Scarlet / Infinata / Baron Blank

Spiderman (1967-1970, TV Series) .... Mysterio / Harley Clivendon / Infinata (voice)

Wojeck (1968) .... Gilbert

The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar (1969) .... Emery

Adventures in Rainbow Country (1969, TV Series) .... Fred Vincent

King of the Grizzlies (1970) .... The Colonel

Paul Bernard, Psychiatrist (1971, TV Series) .... Dr. Paul Bernard

Follow the North Star (1972, TV Series) .... Dudley

Tom Sawyer (1973, TV Movie) .... Lawyer

The Neptune Factor (1973) .... Capt. Williams

The National Dream: Building the Impossible Railway (1974, TV Mini-Series documentary) .... Donald Smith

Swiss Family Robinson (1974-1976, TV Series) .... Johann Robinson / Buckley

Welcome to Blood City (1977) .... Gellor

Why Shoot the Teacher? (1977) .... Lyle Bishop

A Cosmic Christmas (1977, TV Short) .... Mayor (voice)

High-Ballin' (1978) .... King Caroll

Two Solitudes (1978) .... Capitain Yardley

Voice of the Fugitive (1978, Short) .... Silas

The Devil and Daniel Mouse (1978, TV Movie) .... B.L. Zebub / The Devil (voice)

Johnny Chase: Secret Agent of Space (1978-1981, TV Series)

Murder by Decree (1979) .... Doctor Hardy

Jigsaw (1979) .... MacKenzie

Riel (1979, TV Movie) .... Middleton

Fish Hawk (1979) .... Marcus Boggs

Intergalactic Thanksgiving (1979, TV Short) .... Pa Spademinder (voice)

An American Christmas Carol  With Henry Winkler (1979, TV Movie) .... Mr. Nathaniel Brewster

The Littlest Hobo (1979-1981, TV Series) .... Ed Thompson / Grandpa

The Courage of Kavik, the Wolf Dog (1980, TV Movie) .... Dr. Vic Walker

Easter Fever (1980, TV Movie) .... Santa Claus / Baker (voice)

Virus (1980) .... Dr. Borodinov

Escape from Iran: The Canadian Caper (1981, TV Movie) .... John Sheardown

Titans (1981, TV Series) .... Galieo

Billy Goat's Bluff (1981) .... Narrator

Shocktrauma (1982, TV Movie) .... Dr. McCall

Mazes and Monsters (1982, TV Movie) .... King

Hangin' In (1982-1986, TV Series) .... Ward / Abe

Faerie Tale Theatre (1982-1987

Strawberry Shortcake: Housewarming Surprise (1983, TV Movie) .... Mr. Sun (voice)

Rock & Rule (1983) .... Toad (voice)

Cook & Peary: The Race to the Pole (1983, TV Movie) .... Roberts

A Case of Libel (1983, TV Movie) .... Colonel Douglas

Strawberry Shortcake and the Baby Without a Name (1984, TV Movie) .... Mr. Sun / Narrator (voice)

The Bay Boy (1984) .... Chief Charlie McInnes

Star Wars: Droids (1985, TV Series) .... (voice)

Strawberry Shortcake Meets the Berrykins (1985, TV Movie) .... Mr. Sun (voice)

Jimmy Valentine (1985, TV Short) .... Victor Adams

The Edison Twins (1985-1986, TV Series) .... Lafayette / Old Trainer

Star Wars: Ewoks (1985-1986, TV Series) .... (voice)

Night Heat (1985-1986, TV Series) .... Picard / Maxim Gates

Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986) .... Great Wishing Star (voice)

Barnum (1986, TV Movie) .... Olmstead

Spearfield's Daughter (1986, TV Mini-Series) .... Sylvester Spearfield

Adderly (1986, TV Series) .... Belkin

The Care Bears (1986-1988, TV Series) .... No Heart (voice)

The Liberators (1987, TV Series) .... Flour Merchant

Ford: The Man and the Machine (1987, TV Movie) .... Malcolmson

Mariah (1987, TV Series) .... Captain Timothy Quinlan

Dinosaucers (1987, TV Series) .... Dimetro (voice)

Friday the 13th: The Series (1987-1990, TV Series) .... Jack Marshak

ALF: The Animated Series (1987-1988, TV Series) .... (voice)

ALF Tales (1988-1989, TV Series) .... (voice)

Babar: The Movie (1989) .... Cornelius (voice)

Babar (1989-1991, TV Series) .... Cornelius (voice)

Divided Loyalties (1990) .... Sir William Johnson

Counterstrike (1990-1991, TV Series) .... Kistler / Police Inspector / Sgt. Luther

Street Legal (1990-1992, TV Series) .... Ronald Spencer Sr. / Judge Ritter

Maniac Mansion (1990, TV Series) .... Santa Claus

Married to It (1991) .... Dave

Sweating Bullets (1991, TV Series) .... Corliss

Mark Twain and Me (1991, TV Movie) .... Captain

Rupert (1991, TV Series) .... (voice)

Hello Kitty and Friends (1991-1995, TV Series) .... (voice)

Road to Avonlea (1992, TV Series) .... Mr. McCorkadale

A Cry in the Night (1992, TV Movie) .... Clyde

By Way Of The Stars (1992-1993, TV Mini-Series) .... Captain Harris

Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (1993, TV Series) .... Mike West

The Busy World of Richard Scarry (1993-1996, TV Series) .... (voice)

RoboCop: The Series (1994, TV Series) .... Dr. Roger Yung

Tales from the Cryptkeeper (1994, TV Series) ... Slim (voice)

Butterbox Babies (1995) .... Senator Danver

Black Fox (1995, TV Movie) .... Ralph Holtz

Black Fox: The Price of Peace (1995, TV Movie) .... Ralph Holtz

Voices (1995) .... Angus Fergusson

Ultraforce (1995, TV Series) .... (voice)

Sailor Moon (1995, TV Series) .... Narrator / Mr. Baxter (voice)

The Neverending Story (1995, TV Series) .... Mr. Correander (voice)

Little Bear (1995-2003, TV Series) .... (voice)

Sins of Silence (1996, TV Movie) .... Father Flannigan

Pippi Longstocking (1997) .... Fridolf (voice)

Fast Track (1997, TV Series) .... Carl Scannel

Windsor Protocol (1997, TV Movie) .... Sir Charles Ferguson

Earth: Final Conflict (1998, TV Series) .... Tim O'Malley

Evidence of Blood (1998, TV Movie) .... Horace Talbott

Thunder Point (1998, TV Movie) .... Charles Ferguson

Pippi Longstocking (1998, TV Series) .... Fridolf (voice)

The Defenders: Taking the First (1998, TV Movie)

Birdz (1998, TV Series) .... Officer Pigeon (voice)

Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend (1998-1999, TV Series) .... King Proetus / Elderly Stable Hand / Great Oracle

Babar: King of the Elephants (1999) .... Cornelius (voice)

Redwall (1999-2002, TV Series) .... Abbot Mortimer / Mangiz the Seer / Crow (voice)

Franklin (2000-2004, TV Series) .... Mr. Groundhog

Franklin's Magic Christmas (2001, Video) .... Mr. Collie (voice)

Pecola (2001-2003, TV Series) ... (English version, voice)

The Snowman Who Saved Summer (2002, Video short) .... Santa Claus

The Piano Man's Daughter (2003, TV Movie) .... James Kilworth

ReGenesis (2005, TV Series) .... Vascily Popov

Our Fathers (2005, TV Movie) .... Angelo's Old Priest

Four Minutes (2006, TV Movie) .... Burnett

Babar and the Adventures of Badou (2010, TV Series) .... Cornelius (voice), (final appearance)