Scatman Crothers

Scatman was the voice of Jazz, on both The Transformers and Transformers: The Movie (1986).

Scatman was the the voice of Scat, the Panther, in The Aristocats (1970).

Scatman got his stage name when he auditioned at a radio show in 1932 in Dayton, Ohio. The director thought his name wasn't catchy enough, so he told the director to call him "Scat Man" because of his talent for scat singing.

Scatman did a soul music album, Big Ben Sings in 1973.

Scatman was friends with Barry White, who always teased him about not being able to sing, to which he constantly replied saying Barry "had no voice."

Scatman was good friends with Jack Nicholson.

Scatman was married to his wife Helen, from 1937 until his death in 1986.

Scatman was 5 feet 10 inches tall.

Scatman had a difficult time filming with director Stanley Kubrick on The Shining (1980). One scene with Scatman was given 70 takes by Kubrick. Kubrick finally relented after pressure from co-star Jack Nicholson to go easy on him, after Scatman physically and emotionally broke down on the set.

Scatman was nominated in 1984 for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in "Twilight Zone, The Movie." (1983)

Scatman won the Saturn Award in 1981 for Best Supporting Actor for his work in "The Shining."(1980)

Scatman has a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, at 6712 Hollywood Blvd.

Scatman wrote several popular songs, including "When, Oh When," "A Man's Gotta Eat," "I Was There," "The Gal Looks Good," and "Nobody Knows Why."

Scatman was the first African-American performer to host a TV musical program in Los Angeles, CA.

Scatman had a character named after him in the 1970 Disney film, "The Aristocats," called "Scat Cat" which he also voiced.

Scatman was a presenter at the Science Fiction Film Awards in the 1970s and would often "scat" the titles of films he was presenting.

Scatman once had a job cleaning and blocking hats.

Scatman got his stage name when he auditioned for a radio show in Dayton, Ohio in 1932. The director didn't think his given name was catchy enough, so Crothers told the director to call him "Scat Man" because of his talent at scat singing.

Scatman is buried at the same cemetery as his Chico And The Man co-star Freddie Prinze, in the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, CA.

Scatman was a drummer in a jazz band at a speakeasy when he was 15 years old.

Scatman's final role was as the Autobot Jazz in Transformers the Movie. While Jazz appeared in the arc that took place after the movie, he didn't speak, as sadly, Scatman passed away shortly before the arc as made.