William Glenn Shadix (April 15, 1952 - September 7, 2010) was an American actor and voice actor known for his role as Otho Fenlock in Tim Burton's horror/comedy film Beetlejuice and the voice of the Mayor of Halloween Town in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Early life

Shadix was born in Bessemer, Alabama. He added the surname "Scott" when his mother, Annie Ruth (Livingston), remarried a few years after his birth. He attended Birmingham-Southern College for two years, studying with absurdist playwright-director Arnold Powell.

Career

He lived in New York City prior to moving to Hollywood in the late 1970s. He got his breakthrough film role in Beetlejuice while appearing in a stage play, portraying Gertrude Stein. Beetlejuice filmmaker Tim Burton went on to cast Shadix in 1993's The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes.

In 1995, Shadix was cast as Ray Cathode in the Space Mountain queue advertisements when the ride was sponsored by FedEx.

In 2005, Shadix was cast as the voices of The Brain and Monsieur Mallah in season five of the Teen Titans animated series. His other voice work includes the aforementioned Nightmare, and episodes of Jackie Chan Adventures and Justice League Unlimited (where he played Tobias Whale and Steven Mandragora). He reprised his Nightmare Before Christmas role in the video game The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge, and the Square-Enix video game Kingdom Hearts II.

His television work included the HBO drama Carnivàle, the NBC television comedy Seinfeld, in which he played Jerry's landlord, and playing the roles of giant brothers Typhoon and Typhon in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. On stage, Shadix was set to begin rehearsals for a Birmingham production of Alan Bennett's History Boys. He also recorded a promo for Red Bar Radio.

Personal life

In 2007, after spending 30 years in Los Angeles, he retired to his native Bessemer, Alabama, where he purchased a Queen Anne-style Victorian era home. The house was completely destroyed in a fire on December 13, 2008. Shadix told reporters, "I have lost my dream."

Death

On September 7, 2010, according to Shadix's sister, Susan Gagne, he fell in the kitchen at his condominium in Birmingham, Alabama, and died of blunt trauma to his head. Shadix had mobility problems and was in a wheelchair.

Filmography

• The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981) as Twin Oaks Customer
• Beetlejuice (1988) as Otho Fenlock
• Sunset (1988) as Roscoe Arbuckle
• Heathers (1989) as Father Ripper
• Meet the Applegates (1991) as Greg Samson
• Sleepwalkers (1992) as Mr. Fallows
• Demolition Man (1993) as Associate Bob
• The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) as Mayor of Halloween Town (Voice)
• My Summer Story (1994) as Leonard Doppler, Manager of Orpheum Theater
• Love Affair (1994) as Anthony Rotundo
• Dunston Checks In (1995) as Lionel Spalding
• Multiplicity (1996) as Building Inspector
• Quack Pack (1996) as Dr. Emile Crocker
• The Empty Mirror (1996) as Hermann Göring
• Men (1997) as Neil
• Chairman of the Board (1998) as Larry
• Bartok the Magnificent (1999) (Voice)
• Red Dirt (2000) as Virgil Cunningham
• Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase (2001) as Tar Monster (Voice)
• Planet of the Apes (2001) as Senator Nado
• Shut Yer Dirty Little Mouth (2002) as Peter
• To Kill a Mockumentary (2004) as Karl
• The Final Curtain (2007) as Jack Strong
• Tom Cool (2009)
• Finding Gauguin (2010) as Monsieur Vollard

Television

• The Golden Girls (1987) 1 episode; "Diamond in the Rough"
• Roseanne (1990) 1 episode; "Chicken Hearts"
• Seinfeld (1991) 1 episode; "The Apartment"
• Night Court (1992) 1 episode; "The 1992 Boat Show"
• Cheers (1992) 1 episode; "The Beer Is Always Greener"
• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1993) 1 episode; "Hex and the Single Guy"
• Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills (1994) 40 episodes as the voice of the blob-like alien Nimbar
• Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995) Season 2: Episode 23 "Cast a Giant Shadow"
• Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1996) Season 3: Episode 43 "Monster Child in the Promised Land"
• Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1997) Season 4: Episode 60 "Beanstalks and Bad Eggs"
• Thanks (1999) 6 episodes as Dr. Addington
• Sabrina The Teenage Witch (1999) 1 episode; "Salem, the Boy"
• Jackie Chan Adventures (2000) 4 episodes; "The Stronger Evil", "Shangai Moon", "The Eighth Door", "Demon World Part 2"
• Rocket Power (2002) as The Mayor (Voice)
• Carnivàle (2003) as Val Templeton
• The Batman (2004) Season 1: 1 episode; "Q & A" as Cluemaster
• Teen Titans (2005) 6 episodes as The Brain and Monsieur Mallah
• Justice League Unlimited (2005) 1 episode; "Double Date" as Steven Mandragora

[ Source: Wikipedia ]