Terry Mcgovern

Terence McGovern was born on May 11, 1942, in Berkeley, California. He pursued higher education at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, where he double-majored in journalism and English. He further honed his craft by studying acting with Stella Adler and Milton Katselas. McGovern began his professional career in broadcasting, working at KDKA radio and KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh from 1965 to 1969. In 1969, he relocated to San Francisco, where he joined KSFO radio. His work in media expanded into acting when he moved to Los Angeles. An early collaborator with George Lucas, McGovern was involved in Lucas’s inaugural film, “THX 1138,” released in 1971. His work on this project led to the creation of the term “Wookiee.” He continued to collaborate with Lucas on significant projects, including the 1973 film “American Graffiti,” where he played the role of high school teacher Mr. Bill Wolfe, and “Star Wars” in 1977, where he provided voice-overs for various characters.

Throughout his career, McGovern established himself as a prominent voice actor. He is widely recognized as the original voice of Launchpad McQuack in Walt Disney’s animated series “DuckTales” (1987-1990) and its spin-off, “Darkwing Duck” (1991-1992). He also voiced Babyface Beagle in “DuckTales.” His voice work extends to numerous video games, including all seven titles in the “NFL 2K” series (beginning in 1999) as the fictional play-by-play announcer Dan Stevens, a role he reprised in “All-Pro Football 2K8” (2007). Other notable video game roles include Lenny the Lyre Bird in the “Ty the Tasmanian Tiger” series and Admiral Ackbar in various “Star Wars” games. In addition to his acting and voice work, McGovern has instructed in commercial and character voice and scene and monologue acting at institutions such as the College of Marin and the University of San Francisco, where he taught script writing and broadcast announcing history. He is also the artistic director of The Marin Actors’ Workshop, which he founded.

McGovern’s diverse career also includes roles in live-action films and television. He appeared in “Mrs. Doubtfire” (1993) as A.D.R. Director Lou and in “Back to the Future” (in a deleted scene). On television, he played Jim Coyle in the CBS series “Charlie & Co.” and made appearances in “Happy Days” and “Three’s Company.” He was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2008, acknowledging his significant contributions to radio broadcasting. Since 2012, he has hosted the weekend morning show on Boss Boss Radio, an internet station focused on Top 40 hits from 1964 to 1980.