IMDB

Actor

1963-08-16 · Layton, Utah, USA · Female

22 series in the catalog

Christine Josephine Cavanaugh (née Sandberg; August 16, 1963 – December 22, 2014) was an American actress known for her distinctive speaking style and for providing the voice for a large range of mostly cartoon characters. She was the original voices of Chuckie Finster in Nickelodeon's Rugrats and the titular protagonists of both Cartoon Network's Dexter's Laboratory and Universal Pictures' live-action film Babe respectively, as well as the voices of Gosalyn Mallard in Disney's Darkwing Duck, Bunnie Rabbot from DIC Entertainment's Sonic the Hedgehog television series, Marty Sherman in The Critic and Oblina in Nickelodeon's Aaahh!!! Real Monsters.

Cavanaugh retired from voice acting and public life in general in 2001, although some media with her contributions continued to be released until 2003. She died at age 51 on December 22, 2014, at her home in Cedar City, Utah.

Early life

Christine Josephine Sandberg was born in Layton, Utah, on August 16, 1963, to Waldo Eugene Sandberg and Reta Mason. At the age of 15, she was adopted by Kirt and Linda Johnson, whom she considered her parents for the rest of her life. Cavanaugh was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She graduated from Layton High School in 1981.

Career

In 1991, Cavanaugh began voicing Gosalyn Mallard, the titular character's adoptive daughter on Disney's Darkwing Duck as well as Chuckie Finster on Nickelodeon's Rugrats and later in 1994, Oblina on Aaahh!!! Real Monsters.

Cavanaugh could also be heard on The Critic as the voice of Marty, the son of Jay Sherman (voiced by Jon Lovitz). Her voice credits also include the animated series Sonic the Hedgehog, 101 Dalmatians: The Series, Hercules: The Animated Series, The Powerpuff Girls, The Wild Thornberrys and Disney's Recess, as well as the voice of Birdie in The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald.

In 1995, Cavanaugh lent her voice to the live-action film Babe in the starring role of its titular protagonist. She was offered to reprise her role for the sequel, Babe: Pig in the City, but decided against it when contract negotiations fell through, so the role was instead played by her Rugrats co-star Elizabeth Daily. Also in 1995, Cavanaugh began voicing the eponymous character of Dexter's Laboratory, which began as a short under Cartoon Network's What a Cartoon! anthology show and became the first short to be adapted into its own series for the channel. She later won a 2000 Annie Award for her voice performances in the TV movie Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip. Cavanaugh also guest starred on several TV shows including Salute Your Shorts, Cheers, Empty Nest, Wings, The X-Files, Everybody Loves Raymond, and ER, and had supporting roles in the feature films Soulmates and Jerry Maguire.

Cavanaugh retired from voice acting in 2001 to spend more time with family, although some TV episodes and films with her recordings continued to be released until 2003. After her retirement, she was replaced by Candi Milo on Dexter's Laboratory and by Nancy Cartwright, her co-star in The Critic, as the voice of Chuckie in the Rugrats franchise.

Death and legacy

On December 22, 2014, Cavanaugh died at her home in Cedar City, Utah, at the age of 51. According to the reference book Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, Third Edition, she reportedly died from leukemia. She was cremated, and her ashes were scattered into the Great Salt Lake.

Cavanaugh's legacy was acknowledged by Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of Dexter's Laboratory, as he cited her death as one of the factors in his refusal to create a revival of the show.

Christine Cavanaugh Obituary – Los Angeles Times