JoBe Cerny, Voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy, Dies at 78

JoBe Cerny, who voiced the giggling Pillsbury Doughboy character in recent years, died on Oct. 30. He was 78.

Born and raised in Cicero, Illinois, Cerny earned a bachelor’s degree in speech and drama from Valparaiso University and a master’s degree in theater from Northwestern University. He used the skills he learned to cultivate the voice behind ubiquitous advertisements such as Pillsbury Doughboy and the Silent Demonstrator for Cheer Detergent.

In 2014, Cerny took over the Doughboy voice role from Paul Frees and later Jeff Bergman. The character is currently voiced by Rich Orlow.

His decades-long career included scores of roles in commercials, movies, television and theater. Of his career, Cerny once said, “I’m lucky, I get to be somebody different every day and in the end, I’m glad I stuck with my irresponsible decision to have fun. It allows me to live happily ever after … every day.”

Cerny also had small roles in films including “Road to Perdition,” “Legally Blonde 2,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and “Somewhere in Time.”

Cerny began acting when he joined The Second City as part of both the Mainstage and National Touring Company in the ’70s. He also owned and operated Cerny/American Creative Recording Studio in the River North neighborhood of Chicago for over 30 years, where he completed thousands of projects ranging from commercials and audiobooks to feature films.

Along with acting, Cerny was an avid racing fan who continued to drive go-karts into his 60s. He was also an enthusiastic model train collector. Those close to him remember his “friendly and gregarious personality, and extraordinary ability to coincidentally run into someone he knew almost everywhere he went.”

Cerny is survived by his wife of 56 years, Eileen Cerny; two sons, Tim (Andrea) Cerny and Patrick (Lily) Cerny; and grandchildren, Archer and Cleo.