Richard ‘Dickie’ Jones, Voice of Disney’s Pinocchio, Dies at 87

Voice actor Richard Percy “Dickie” Jones died July 7 in his Northridge, Calif., home of apparent natural causes, although he had suffered an earlier fall. He was 87.

The Texas-born Jones began as a child actor and maintained his career into his 30s, becoming a familiar face in TV and low-budget westerns. As “Dickie” Jones, the native Texan landed small parts in films like the Laurel and Hardy classic “Babes in Toyland” (1934) as well as “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939) and “The Adventures of Mark Twain” (1944), where he played a young Samuel Clemens.

Still, Jones is probably best remembered for, at the age of 12, voicing the title role in Walt Disney’s animated classic “Pinocchio” — a film that Variety dubbed its 1939 review to be “a substantial piece of entertainment for young and old.”

Jones’ final screen appearance was in the 1965 western “Requiem for a Gunfighter,” after which he retired from acting to pursue a career in real estate.

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