Wally Burr, Voice Director for The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Akira, and More Passes Away at 93

Posted by Bronzewolf Jul 10, 2017 at 4:20pm CDT 18,091 views

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Fellow Seibertronian xRotorstormx has alerted us to the sad fact that the well known voice director Wally Burr has passed away at the age of 93. He was known for his work on Akira, Jem, and, most notably, the 1980's Transformers TV series and it's follow up 1986 theatrical film, as well as many other classic pieces of media.

Wally was imperative in the 1970's-1980's Cartoon landscape, and his impact, while often underappreciated, will live on in the shows and films he worked on. Many of our favorite classic shows, including our beloved Transformers, would have been very different without Wally's influence and his signature perfection-driven direction. He will be truly missed, and the thoughts of Seibertron.com are with his friends and family.

Wally Burr, Voice Director for The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Akira, more Passes Away at 93

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Re: Wally Burr, Voice Director for The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Akira, and More Passes Away at 93 (view post)

Comment by Deadput Jul 10, 2017

R.I.P

The voice work was easily the best part of the G1 cartoon and we should be appreciative that for however strict he was on the job he made sure the results were quality.

God bless his soul.

Re: Wally Burr, Voice Director for The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Akira, and More Passes Away at 93 (view post)

Comment by o.supreme Jul 10, 2017

Met him at BC in 2004, and was there when Maurice LeMarche made his apology at the RB panel at BC 2013, and Burr was unexpectedly there. Glad they buried that hatchet before he passed.

Re: Wally Burr, Voice Director for The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Akira, and More Passes Away at 93 (view post)

Comment by Relic0037 Jul 10, 2017

R.I.P. Wally! You had a hand in helping create some shows that were an important part of many of our childhoods.

Re: Wally Burr, Voice Director for The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Akira, and More Passes Away at 93 (view post)

Comment by chuckdawg1999 Jul 10, 2017

o.supreme wrote:Met him at BC in 2004, and was there when Maurice LeMarche made his apology at the RB panel at BC 2013, and Burr was unexpectedly there. Glad they buried that hatchet before he passed.

I'm not familiar with the story, what happened between the two?

This guy created the template that all the great cartoons of the 80's followed. He should be mentioned in the same hushed tones as the greats directors of Hollywood.

Re: Wally Burr, Voice Director for The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Akira, and More Passes Away at 93 (view post)

Comment by WreckerJack Jul 10, 2017

Sad to see him pass. A great thanks to him for his work.

Re: Wally Burr, Voice Director for The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Akira, and More Passes Away at 93 (view post)

Comment by Megatronformayor Jul 10, 2017

R.I.P Wally Burr :-(

Re: Wally Burr, Voice Director for The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Akira, and More Passes Away at 93 (view post)

Comment by fenrir72 Jul 10, 2017

Without his guiding hand, the character we have grown to love would not have been memorable! G1/Wally Rulez!

Re: Wally Burr, Voice Director for The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Akira, and More Passes Away at 93 (view post)

Comment by Rated X Jul 10, 2017

R.I.P. Wally Burr :BOWDOWN:

Me and my homie were lucky enough to hang out with him at the bar and have a drink at Botcon 2013. We asked him all kinda stuff it was like we had our own private pannel at the bar. I thought he was in his 70s. He looked great for his age. He was a really great guy.

Re: Wally Burr, Voice Director for The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Akira, and More Passes Away at 93 (view post)

Comment by Sabrblade Jul 10, 2017

He gave me a complement at BotCon 2013. RIP. :-(

Re: Wally Burr, Voice Director for The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Akira, and More Passes Away at 93 (view post)

Comment by Albatross250 Jul 11, 2017

Till All Are One.

R.I.P

Re: Wally Burr, Voice Director for The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Akira, and More Passes Away at 93 (view post)

Comment by o.supreme Jul 11, 2017

chuckdawg1999 wrote:I'm not familiar with the story, what happened between the two?

This guy created the template that all the great cartoons of the 80's followed. He should be mentioned in the same hushed tones as the greats directors of Hollywood.

I'm sure the exact words are documented somewhere, however the gist is that in conventions past numerous VA's had some less than respectful things to say about Wally Burr, not just LaMarche. At the time (1970's, 80's etc...) I'm sure Burr was a harsh boss to work for, because he demanded perfection, which is one of the reasons why shows like the original Transformers and GI Joe: A Real American Hero are still so beloved by fans. Some directors would just have the actors do their part as quick as possible and move on (you can imagine someone like Frank Welker probably recorded several shows in a day). But Burr is sighted as one of the reasons why Voice Actor sessions now cannot go beyond 4 hours, instead of the 8 hour maximum they used to be.

Because I'm merely human

, I don't want to overthink and wonder if the apology was genuine, or to placate fans and Wally Burr, but in either case it was the right thing to do, and glad it was done.

I've had a horrible boss or two in my life, but I don't feel the need to use an audience as a forum or social media to drag them through the mud.

Re: Wally Burr, Voice Director for The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Akira, and More Passes Away at 93 (view post)

Comment by triKlops Jul 11, 2017

RIP

Re: Wally Burr, Voice Director for The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Akira, and More Passes Away at 93 (view post)

Comment by Sabrblade Jul 11, 2017

I'm trying to find his true birth year, but conflicting sources disagree on whether it's 1926 or 1924, and most of these sources are either Wikis or other editable-by-fans websites.

His own official website doesn't appear to have any info about his birth either.

Re: Wally Burr, Voice Director for The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Akira, and More Passes Away at 93 (view post)

Comment by o.supreme Jul 11, 2017

Is IMDB editable?

6/2/24

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0123030/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Voice Chasers has the same info, at least to edit I think you have to register.

http://voicechasers.com/database/showac ... torid=1762

Re: Wally Burr, Voice Director for The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Akira, and More Passes Away at 93 (view post)

Comment by Sabrblade Jul 11, 2017