Janet Waldo has died at the age of 96, ABC News reports. The actress was best known for voicing Judy Jetson on the animated series The Jetsons.
Waldo’s daughter Lucy Lee confirmed that the star passed away on Sunday, June 12. Waldo was diagnosed with a benign tumor five years ago that could not be operated on.
The Yakima, Washington, native made her acting debut in the romantic comedy Cocoanut Grove at the age of 18 in 1938. She later voiced Judy on the beloved series The Jetsons from 1962 to 1987 and reprised her role in 1990’s Jetsons: The Movie.
Waldo has more than 100 TV and movie credits to her name. She’s also been featured in shows such as The Flintstones, The Dukes, Alvin & the Chipmunks, The Smurfs, Jeannie, Yogi’s Space Race and Battle of the Planets. She last voiced the character Penelope Pitstop in the video game Wacky Races in 2000.
Waldo opened up about working on The Jetsons during an interview with MovieWeb in February. “The writers were fantastic because they had such great imagination and they had us all imagining what it would be like in the future, living on the moon, and all of these fun things. We had all these gadgets which were totally intriguing, like the hairstyle gadget, where you would press a button and it would change your hairstyle,” she said.
“I think The Jetsons‘ influence has been so tremendous on young people who have let their imaginations go and have become intrigued with inventing new things. There’s always something new and every time it happens I think, Hey, we did that on The Jetsons,” she continued. “I think that is the true appeal of The Jetsons, the technology. It intrigued so many people. I hope that flying car really happens.”
Waldo is survived by two children, Lee and Jonathan Barlow Lee. Her husband, actor Robert E. Lee, died at the age of 75 in 1994.
