Eric Bauza, the Canadian actor who gave Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and numerous other Looney Tunes characters their modern voices, has died at 46. His family announced his death in a statement posted to his Instagram account.
The Television Academy’s memorial record gives the date of his death as Sunday, 25 October. The family said he had “passed away suddenly”, according to the statement reproduced by ABC News, and indicated that further details would follow.
Channing Dungey, chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group and US Networks, paid tribute to Bauza’s work during 15 years at Warner Bros. Animation. In a statement supplied to Deadline and reproduced by Animation World Network, she described him as a valued member of the studio’s animation family who had brought laughter to millions.
Bauza grew up in Scarborough, Ontario, near Toronto. His father and grandfather introduced him to classic Looney Tunes cartoons, according to his Los Angeles Philharmonic biography. He later recalled watching the programmes on television and videotape, as well as drawing along with the Canadian children’s television presenter Mr Dressup.
In an account of their 2022 podcast conversation, Canadian television journalist Bill Brioux said Bauza graduated from Centennial College’s Radio, Television and Film programme in 2000. His early animation work included The Ripping Friends, followed by voice work on Ren & Stimpy: Adult Party Cartoon.
He worked behind the drawing desk before becoming known behind the microphone. In interviews with Animation World Network, Bauza described preparing character poses from storyboards for animators to develop. He practised impressions around colleagues while working as a layout artist.
His first opportunity to voice a classic Warner Bros. character was Marvin the Martian. Bauza told Animation World Network that he initially auditioned unsuccessfully for Bugs Bunny before being offered Marvin. About a decade later, Looney Tunes Cartoons gave him the chance to perform Bugs, Daffy and Tweety.
The work brought major awards. The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s biography credits him with three Emmy wins for performances in Looney Tunes Cartoons, Bugs Bunny Builders and Teen Titans Go! He also hosted the Children’s and Family Emmy Awards on 15 March 2025, when he collected another award.
His television roles extended beyond the Warner Bros. characters. They included Puss in Boots in The Adventures of Puss in Boots and Baby Fozzie in Muppet Babies. The Television Academy also lists work on X-Men ’97, Tiny Toons Looniversity and Ben 10: Omniverse.
Bauza’s film credits included Space Jam: A New Legacy, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie and Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp. The Television Academy’s memorial also identifies Coyote vs. Acme, Forgotten Island, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Buddy among his 2026 films.
He appeared in person as well as through animated characters. In 2022, he hosted Stay Tooned, a six-part documentary about cartoons’ cultural influence. His voices also featured in Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, presented at the Hollywood Bowl in July 2025 to celebrate the character’s 85th anniversary. The programme included Wet Cement, with Bauza voicing Daffy Duck.
Image: Eric Bauza at WonderCon, Anaheim, 29 March 2026. Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Archival photograph. Website image resized; social adaptation adds headline and branding under the same licence.
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