New York Native Voiced This Famous Christmas Character

As we head into the holiday season get ready to hear the voice of a New York Native many times over in a Christmas TV classic.

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For many people in Western New York holiday tradition is to sit down with the family, turn on the Christmas Classic "The Year Without Santa Claus" and enjoy quality family time.

Many people here in the 716 don't know that voice of one of the many characters might sound a bit familiar. A little bit of a Western New York accent. Lackawanna Native Dick Shawn is the voice of the "Snow Miser" in the TV Classic.

If you ever sang, "I'm Mister Ten Below, Friends call me Snow Miser, Whatever I touch
Turns to snow in my clutch, I'm too much!" or any part of the "Mr. Snow Miser" song you are following the footsteps of a Western New York Native.

Dick Shawn was an actor and comedian and was on a wide array of TV shows including The Ed Sullivan Show, Three's Company on which he played Jack Tripper's father, St. Elsewhere, and Magnum, P.I.

He even was in a music video for "Dance" by the hair metal band Ratt.

Shawn was born and raised in Lackawanna and made the move out west to become a star of TV and movies.

Most people remember his death when he suffered a heart attack on stage in the middle of one of his shows. Most people in the audience assumed it was all part of his act and refused to leave the auditorium after a doctor began to administer CPR.

He was 63 years old at the time of his death.