Alan Young was 96

Alan Young, who starred in the talking horse sitcom Mr Ed, has at the age of 96.

He died of natural causes on Thursday at a showbusiness retirement home in Los Angeles, his manager Gene Yusem said, and was buried at sea.

Born in North Shields and educated in Canada, the actor became famous for playing architect Wilbur Post, who would chat to the horse in his barn, voiced by Allan ‘Rocky’ Lane. 

Mr Ed ran for six seasons from 1960 to 1966 and attracted celebrity guests including Clint Eastwood and Mae West.

Young is said to have got the part when the comedian George Burns, whose  production company made the series, said: ‘Get Alan Young. He looks like the kind of guy a horse would talk to.’

Legend was that the producers got the horse’s lips to move by putting peanut butter in his mouth – a tale made up by Young.

In fact, a piece of nylon thread was used to manipulate Mr Ed’s lips. But the horse learned to  move his lips on cue when the trainer touched his hoof.

Before Mr Ed, Young had his own primetime variety show on CBS, which earned him a best actor Emmy in 1951. 

And after the sitcom, he turned to animation, voicing Scrooge McDuck in Disney’s Duck Tales and  Haggis McHaggis on The Ren & Stimpy Show.

He also made a a raft of guest appearances on shows including Doogie Howser, M.D, and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch

Published: 21 May 2016