With the live action of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs currently being filmed in London, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the original version. It’s no secret that it’s one of my favourite films of all time, I’ve written enough about it (Adrianna Caselotti, Snow White’s Inspirations, The Many Phases of Snow White’s Scary Adventures), but I’ve never focused solely on the dwarfs. Though some of the seven share a voice actor, here are the other men who took part in bringing these silly but lovable characters to life.

The Creation of the Seven Dwarfs

When Walt decided to embark on the journey to create a full-length feature animated film, he knew he needed to test out his techniques as well as audience reception very gradually to see if it was the right decision. For Snow White, he started with the Goddess of Spring, a 1934 Silly Symphony film that had a female lead that was very similar to the princess. They also made The Merry Dwarfs in 1929 as a Silly Symphony depicting several identical dwarfs dancing, playing instruments, and being silly. These identical dwarfs and versions of them appeared a few other times, but the main difference between them and the ones for this film were that our 7 dwarfs would all have distinctive personalities. Some of the rejected ideas for the dwarfs were: Awful, Weepy, Dirty, Hungry, Lazy, Soulful, Helpful, Tearful, and Nifty.

The Seven Dwarfs. Image from: https://celebrationspress.com/2017/06/26/top-ten-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-seven-dwarfs/

Doc - Roy Atwell

As a young boy, Roy was fascinated by the theatre. He would put on little barn plays with him and his hometown friends, which sparked a sense of excitement for him. This passion continued into adulthood, and after serving in the Spanish-American war, he went to a professional acting school. He dipped his toes into many different aspects of the performing arts over his lifetime - vaudeville, radio, Broadway, screen acting, voice acting, comedy, opera, composing and songwriting. He starred in many films and short films through the early 1920s, as well as just about 10 after his time in Snow White. He officially retired around 1942 at the age of 64, and died in 1962 at the age of 83.

Before landing the role of Doc in Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, he had become known for mixing up his words and syllables which made a lot of his lines come out comedically. This trait of his was perfect for Doc, as the character leads with such confidence but is contrasted with his inability to get his words out right the first time.

“This pompous-looking individual is Doc, the self-appointed leader of the group.”

— Walt Disney

Dopey - Eddie Collins

Similarly to Roy, Eddie grew up with a passion for acting and left high school in the 8th grade to begin his career as an actor. He started in vaudeville and burlesque theatre, and just before Snow White, he appeared in 3 uncredited roles as he made his way to film. During one of his burlesque shows, an animator from the Disney studio attended and thought he would be a great reference model for Dopey, the dwarf with the most physical comedy. Disney had already secured Margaret Kerry for the reference of Snow White, so finding the perfect Dopey was crucial. The decision to make Dopey mute came quite late in the process, but Eddie was happy to provide a few vocal effects for the character. Pinto Colvig, who we’ll talk about next, provided the hiccupping sounds after he accidentally swallows the soap.

Eddie starred in several other films after Snow White after securing a contract with 20th Century Fox, with his other most notable role being Tylo in The Blue Bird (1940) alongside Shirley Temple.

“And this is Dopey. He don’t talk none.
You mean he can’t talk?
He don’t know. He never tried.”

— Happy

Grumpy, Sleepy - Pinto Colvig

Pinto Colvig is one of the most famous Disney classic names of all time, an official Disney Legend, and the voice of many beloved characters throughout the years. Pinto started out his artistic career as a cartoonist, as well as a writer. Much like how Walt developed his passion for animation, Pinto started out by making cartoons for his college newspaper. Eventually, once he moved out to Hollywood, his career took off after signing a deal with Walt Disney Productions. Before joining Disney, he worked for Universal Studios after they acquired Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and did some voice work for Oswald. At Disney, he was involved in the writing and voice acting for many of the early Mickey Mouse cartoons and Silly Symphonies, including Mickey’s Revue (1932), The Klondike Kid (1932), Three Little Pigs (1933), Music Land (1935), and Merbabies (1938). In 1932 he was approached to be the original voice of Goofy, for which he accepted, and played Goofy from 1932-1938, and again from 1941-1967. He also voiced Pluto for 30 years, solidifying his legacy in the original group.

Pinto took on the roles of Grumpy and Sleepy for the 1937 film, giving Grumpy his strong personality and intense mood swings, and providing the dreary yet lovable voice for Sleepy.

“Old droopy eyes is called Sleepy... and old sour puss here is Grumpy, the woman hater.”

— Walt Disney

Sneezy - Billy Gilbert

No one other than Billy Gilbert could have played Sneezy, as one of his signature acting traits was his comedic sneezes. Billy started out his career very young, joining a singing troupe and doing vaudeville like his other costars. After attending one of Billy’s shows in the 1920s, Stan Laurel scouted him and launched his professional acting career in films. Billy worked for Fox, RKO Pictures, Columbia Pictures, and eventually, Disney. Billy also made a transition into Broadway, continuing to act, but adding directing and writing to his portfolio. He worked alongside many iconic comedians, including Charlie Chaplin, The Three Stooges, and Oliver Hardy.

Billy auditioned for the part of Sneezy after making his over the top sneezes a part of his regular comedy routine. He unsurprisingly landed the role, and continued to make the sneezes his signature legacy. He also worked with Disney on Fun and Fancy Free, as Willie the Giant, who also has a keen nose.

“This funny face is Sneezy, he has hay fever. ”

— Walt Disney

Happy - Otis Harlan

While in university, Harlan discovered that the performing arts peaked his interest, and stepped into the field by joining a comedy troupe. Not much later, he would also join the vaudeville stage in Victor Herbert’s The Magic Knight burlesque musical. He starred in the part musical part silent film Show Boat in 1929 as Captain Andy Hawks. Just before providing his voice for Disney, he starred in the 1935 version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. His voice and jolly nature was the perfect fit to play our Happy. At the time of recording, he was 72 years old, and was considered one of the oldest voice actors to be working. Otis also starred as Mr. Mole in 1942’s Bambi, which would be his very last role.

“Happy here, with the beaming smile.”

— Walt Disney

Bashful - Scotty Mattraw

Unlike any of the other actors mentioned above, Scotty started out his artistic career on the backend of the storytelling, being a theatre manager and working behind the scenes. He did that for several decades until turning to silent films and fulfilling a few uncredited roles here and there in the 1920s. He starred in Babes in Toyland, the 1934 Laurel & Hardy film, as the town crier. He would go on to work for Fox in the 1930s, and then land the role of Bashful for Disney’s first film. He continued to work in film until 1940, when he took part in his last film The Grapes of Wrath. He did do a bit of voice work for Disney after that, as a part of Walt Disney’s One Hour in Wonderland.