Peter Renaday, a longtime and prolific voice actor best known as the voice of rat sensei Master Splinter in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series, died Sunday, September 8, at his home in Burbank, California. He was 89.
News of his death was shared on social media by friend and Turtles costar Townsend Coleman, who voiced the character of Michaelangelo on the immensely popular generational touchstone animated series of the 1980s-’90s.
A cause of death has not been determined, but TMZ cites law enforcement sources as having discovered an unresponsive Renaday during a welfare check at his home on Sunday. Natural causes are suspected.
“Pete was one of the most genuine, salt of the earth people I have ever known and I will miss him dearly,” Coleman wrote on social media (see the post below). “I had the privilege of visiting with him a month ago and he was as vibrant as ever, at 89 just as endearingly silly, smart and talented as I’ve always known him to be.”
In addition to his role as Master Splinter, Renaday is also known for voicing the animatronic Abraham Lincoln reciting the Gettysburg Address at Walt Disney World’s The Hall of Presidents. He also voiced the animatronic bear characters Henry and Max at Disney World’s original Country Bear Jamboree attraction.
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Renaday’s nearly 200 other film and TV credits include a mix of both voice and live-action roles, including performances in such Disney animated features as The Aristocats (1970), The Rescuers (1977) and The Black Cauldron (1985). Animated TV credits include Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, Alvin & The Chipmunks, The Transformers, The Real Ghostbusters and Batman: The Animated Series.
Live-action roles include performances in ’60s-’70s fare such as Combat!, The Love Bug, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, The Barefoot Executive and The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again.
Born Pierre Renoudet on June 9, 1935, in New Iberia, Louisiana, Renaday was married to Florence “Flo” June Daniel from 1979 until her death on February 18, 2011. An executive secretary for 35 years in the music department of Walt Disney Studios, Florence Renoudet was a featured soprano vocalist on the Disneyland Records 1973 album The Sounds of Christmas, which also included vocal work by her husband.
Information on Renaday’s survivors was not immediately available.