Ross Bagdasarian
Ross Bagdasarian , also known as David Seville , (* 27. January 1919 in Fresno , California as Rostom Sipan Bagdasarian ; † 16th January 1972 in Beverly Hills , California) was an American singer, songwriter and actor. He became known as the creator of " Alvin and the Chipmunks ".
life and career
His parents were Armenians and immigrated to the United States from the Ottoman Empire . Seville celebrated his first success with the single Come On-a My House , which he wrote for Rosemary Clooney with his cousin, the author William Saroyan . He was the first to record his voice at different speeds. He released records with it as The Chipmunks . He is modeled on the adult in the resulting cartoon series Alvin and the Chipmunks . The Chipmunks still exist today through recordings, TV series and film adaptations.
On the side, he also worked as a supporting actor in around a dozen films in the 1950s, the best known is probably his appearance as a penniless composer in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller The Window to the Court with James Stewart and Grace Kelly .
In Germany, David Seville only landed one hit with Witch Doctor , which reached number 12 in the charts in 1958. After Seville died of a heart attack in 1972, his son Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. (* 1949) continued the band.
Hits
- 1958: The Chipmunk Song
- 1958: Witch Doctor
- 1959: Alvin's Harmonica
Filmography
- 1952: The Greatest Show on Earth (The Greatest Show on Earth)
- 1952: Viva Zapata!
- 1953: A Song, a Kiss, a Girl (The Stars are Singing)
- 1953: Through the Yellow Hell (Destination Gobi)
- 1953: The Girls of Pleasure Island
- 1954: Stalag 17
- 1954: White Death in Alaska (Alaska Seas)
- 1954: The Rear Window
- 1955: Meet Mr. McNutley (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1955: The Pepsi-Cola-Playhouse (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1955: Kismet
- 1956: Fire in Blood (Hot Blood)
- 1956: Heroes can cry too (The Proud and Profane)
- 1956: Three Violent People
- 1957: The Devil's Curve (The Devil's Hairpin)
- 1958: Breakthrough at Dawn (The Deep Six)
- 1959: The Dick Clark Show (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1961: The Alvin Show (TV series, 2 episodes)
Web links
- Ross Bagdasarian in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ehnert, Günter (Ed.): Hit balance sheet. German chart singles 1956-1980 . Hamburg: Taurus Press, 1990, p. 184
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Bagdasarian, Ross |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Seville, David; Bagdasarian, Rostom Sipan (real name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American singer and songwriter |
DATE OF BIRTH | January 27, 1919 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Fresno , California , USA |
DATE OF DEATH | January 16, 1972 |
Place of death | Beverly Hills , California, USA |