The voice behind Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and so many more
Photo Courtesy of Gage Skidmore- Wikimedia Commons
Eric Bauza was the voice of so many of our childhoods in so many ways. He was a talented man, and a wonderful person who will be dearly missed
Among the many talented people that have been taken from us throughout 2026, Eric Bauza has just recently joined the world’s dearly departed. According to People Magazine, Bauza passed away on Oct. 25, 2026 due to a hyper-sensitive cardiovascular disease. He was only 46 years old.
Bauza is most known for being an iconic voice actor for the Looney Tunes franchise. According to Forbes, Bauza has played a part in bringing a plethora of the wacky cartoons to life, providing voices to not only the iconic Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, but also characters like Elmer Fudd, Tweety Bird, Foghorn Leghorn, and Porky Pig, and Road Runner.
Eric Bauze had been providing the voices for a sizable chunk of the Looney Tunes cast for quite a few years, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, it was 2018 when he first stepped up to be the voice of the head hare himself, Bugs Bunny. While his talent for voice acting was evident with his enthusiastic, over-the-top performances and wonderful impressions of the characters, what really made him stand out was how much of a fan he seemed to be of Looney Tunes. Bauza had knowledge of the history of the franchise. Alex Kirwan, the producer of Looney Tunes Cartoons (2019-2024), called Bauza a “super fan.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kirwan could tell when Bauze made “very specific references to very specific shorts,” such as the specific Bugs Bunny scream from Hair-Raising Hare (1946).
Bauza’s role in bringing these characters to life went far beyond simply doing their voices. He may be a major part of the reason that the recent hit film, Coyote vs. Acme (2026) was able to be released in the first place. According to the U.S. News, Warner Bros. wanted to cancel the movie, not viewing the film as worth the cost. It was only due to a public outcry from fans that the movie rights went up for sale, allowing it to be purchased by Ketchup Entertainment. It would seem that Bauza played a huge part in generating public support. On top of pushing the film on social media, Bauza used the opportunity of an acceptance speech in the 2024 Annie Awards. He called for the film to be given the chance to release in the voice of Daffy Duck! According to U.S. News, Bauza claims this was because Daffy is “the go-to cartoon character above anyone else when it comes to begging and pleading…It seemed appropriate.”
On top of being a top dog for the Looney Tunes, Eric Bauze brought plenty of other characters to life in many different franchises. According to IMDb, he played a handful of villains in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014-2017) and multiple characters in Ben 10: Omniverse (2012-2014). That is only a small number of the 419 different shows, movies, and shorts that Bauze played a part in bringing to life.
According to Variety, Eric Bauza will be making a debut on The Simpsons (1989- ). The episode will premiere on Nov. 15, 2026, 21 days after Bauza’s death. This means that The Simpsons (1989- ) was very likely Bauza’s last ever performance.
Eric Bauza was an incredibly talented voice actor. On top of bringing so many Looney Tunes characters to life, Bauza was in a menagerie of other cartoons and films that made him the part of so many childhoods. We thank him for all he has done for the animation world.