Canadian actor Eric Bauza, voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, dead at 46

Eric Bauza, the Scarborough-born actor known for voicing beloved Looney Tunes characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, died on Sunday at the age of 46.

In a brief Instagram statement, his family wrote that Bauza “passed away suddenly” and said that more details were to come.

The Emmy-award-winning voice actor was “the modern voice of iconic Looney Tunes characters Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, along with dozens of other beloved cartoon characters,” the statement said.

Bauza worked for Warner Bros. for 15 years and earned over 400 acting credits, including as the iconic animated characters Road Runner and Tweety.

In a statement to Variety, Chris DeFaria, who produced the live-action animation film Coyote vs. Acme, said Bauza offered “absolutely tireless dedication” to his craft.

Warner Bros. Television Group and U.S. Networks Chairman Channing Dungey said in a statement to the publication that Bauza was a “unique voice talent who brought joy and laughter to millions around the world.”

“In addition to his incredible talent, Eric was a treasured part of our animation family. Our hearts go out to his loved ones,” Dungey continued.

The Scarborough-born voice actor was nominated for five Daytime Emmy Awards, including for his work on Muppet Babies and The Adventures of Puss in Boots. He also won three Children’s & Family Emmy Awards for Teen Titans Go!, Bugs Bunny Builders and Looney Tunes Cartoons.

Bauza was in pre-production for two films at the time of his death: Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical as Daffy Duck and The Dragon Masters, where he was set to voice the Shogun King, according to Variety.

He voiced characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Ben 10 Omniverse, among many others.

This year, Bauza lent his voice to numerous projects, including Chibiverse, Minions & Monsters, and the popular adult animated series Rick and Morty.

The Filipino-Canadian voiceover artist was also an accomplished cartoonist.

In 2023, he told Global News that, while watching television as a kid, he’d sketch the characters he saw on screen and that cartoons were “always an escape and always something that I could turn on and I would just be instantly entertained and just full with joy,” adding that he got his start in Hollywood as a cartoonist and character designer.

“I think the combination of being a cartoonist as well and, you know, wanting to draw what I saw on screen and then the voices just kind of followed,” he continued.

Bauza also spoke highly of the quality of Canadian talent in the impressionist and cartoon space, some of whom he credited with his success.

“There’s definitely something in the water,” he said, listing Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Catherine O’Hara, Rick Moranis and Eugene Levy as a few of his heroes and inspirations.

Bauza was raised in the Midland Avenue and Eglinton Avenue East neighbourhood of Scarborough and told Global News during a 2020 interview that he visited regularly from Los Angeles.

—With files from Global News