Mary Kay Bergman

Mary Kay Bergman (June 5, 1961 – November 11, 1999), also credited as Shannen Cassidy, was an American voice actress and voice-over teacher. She was the lead female voice actress on South Park from the show's debut in 1997 until her death. Throughout her career, Bergman performed voice work for over 400 television commercials and voiced over 100 cartoon, film, and video game characters. Born in Los Angeles, California, Bergman had an interest in fantasy and animation early in her life. She acted in plays during high school and also studied theater at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). After struggling to secure on-screen acting jobs, she began taking work as a voice-over actress. In 1989, she began voicing the Disney character Snow White. In the 1990s, she voiced Daphne Blake in three films from the Scooby-Doo franchise as well as Timmy Turner in Oh Yeah! Cartoons. Shortly after Bergman's death, her husband Dino Andrade established the Mary Kay Bergman Memorial Fund. Early life Bergman was born on June 5, 1961, in Los Angeles, California, to Jewish parents. She was the only child of musicians David "Dave" Bergman and Patricia Paris "Pat" McGowan. She grew up around the corner from the home of Adriana Caselotti, the original voice of Snow White. Her parents performed as a singing duo at lounges and clubs in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada, and Los Angeles. They settled in Los Angeles after her mother became pregnant. Characterizing her mother's previous work inking and painting cels for Fleischer Studios, Bergman said it was a mechanical task, but it piqued her mother's interest in animation that was shared with Bergman years later by watching Saturday-morning cartoons with her. Among Bergman's favorites were Jonny Quest, The Flintstones, and Wait Till Your Father Gets Home, which she considered a "precursor to The Simpsons."