When you're a voice actor, viewers often make the mistake of assuming that the most you can do in your profession is voice a cartoon character. The reality is that once you've realized you have a knack for voice acting and are able to hone your craft, you have a range of opportunities that are now accessible.

This was how Don Messick chose to take on a career as a voice actor. Messick, who is typically noted for his voice performances as characters like Astro the Dog and Scooby Doo, actually got his beginnings as a ventriloquist. He spoke with the Associated Press about his early life, and revealed, "When my voice changed when I was 13, I discovered its flexibility."

It was then that he decided to put that range to good use. He said, "I became a ventriloquist. That was during the era of Charlie McCarthy. I started entertaining at rural affairs on Maryland's Eastern Shore, where I grew up." The Dummy's name was Woody DeForest and cost Messick fifteen dollars at the time.

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When Messick got a bit older, he moved on to radio, where he had his very own radio show in the town of Salisbury. After high school, Messick went to acting school, where he said, "I learned how bad I was and how much technique I needed to learn."

Messick stated that he then worked on different puppet shows, providing voices, before he was finally introduced to William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, who were at a turning point in their career and had just left MGM to begin their own cartoon studio. Obviously, it worked out well for everyone, because Messick stated, "I'm still on a day player contract, but I've worked every year for them for the past 26 years."