# Teresa Ganzel
**Teresa Ganzel** (also credited as Terese Ganzel) is an American actress, comedian, and voice performer born in 1957 in [Toledo, Ohio](https://www.edgepedia.org/toledo-ohio), known for her high, Kewpie-doll voice, her recurring comedy roles on *The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson*, and her voice work in animated series and Pixar films.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/teresa_ganzel) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ganzel-teresa-1957)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1957, Toledo, Ohio, USA[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/teresa_ganzel) |
| Signature TV role | Art Fern's Tea Time movie lady on *The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson*, NBC, 1982–1991[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ganzel-teresa-1957) |
| Signature film role | Fancy Bates in *The Toy* (1982), with Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason[3](https://www.nndb.com/people/749/000352690/) |
| Animation lead | Miss Vavoom in *Droopy: Master Detective* (Fox, 1993–1994), a character that originated on *Tom & Jerry Kids*[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ganzel-teresa-1957) • [4](https://popgeeks.com/pop-geeks-flashback-interview-teresa-ganzel/) |
| Studio voice work | Additional voices and ADR for *Monsters, Inc.*, *Cars*, *WALL-E*, *Up*, *Toy Story 3*, and *Despicable Me 3*[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/) |
| Game shows | Frequent celebrity player on *The $25,000 Pyramid*, *Hollywood Squares*, *Password*, and *Win Lose or Draw*[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/) |
| Training | Two years of intensive study at the Goodman Theater in Chicago[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/) |
## Early life and training
Ganzel grew up in the Midwest, living in Ohio, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, and Wisconsin, and has said that middle America became a natural accent for her.[6](https://voice123.com/voice-actor/teresaganzel) Her performing began in high school in Minnesota, where she won first-prize trophies in statewide speech contests in the category of "Humorous Interpretation," and she acted in school plays and musicals.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/) Her first television job was the lead in a national Arctic Cat snowmobile commercial, a takeoff of *American Graffiti* in which she played the [Cindy Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/cindy-williams) character.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/)
For college she was accepted into the Goodman Theater in Chicago, where she received two years of intensive training.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/) She then moved to Los Angeles; after a few frustrating years seeking serious roles as a brunette, she lightened her hair with peroxide, and the "ditzy blonde" persona she developed afterward carried her into a string of comedy parts.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/)
## Television and The Tonight Show
Her first television role was a guest spot as "Greedy Gretchen" on *Three's Company* in 1981, a character she repeated on the follow-up series *Three's a Crowd* in 1985.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ganzel-teresa-1957) For six consecutive years she was cast as a series regular on a network series: *Teachers Only* (as Samantha "Sam" Keating, 1983), *The Duck Factory* opposite a young [Jim Carrey](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-carrey) (as Mrs. Sheree Winkler, 1984), *Roxie* with [Andrea Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrea-martin) (as Marcie McKinley, 1987), *The Dave Thomas Comedy Show*, *Dirty Work*, and *The Arena*.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ganzel-teresa-1957)
**The Tonight Show.** While promoting *Teachers Only* on *The Tonight Show*, she met [Johnny Carson](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-carson), and after several successful panel appearances he invited her to perform in sketches.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/) She played Art Fern's Tea Time movie lady from 1982 to 1991 and portrayed other Mighty Carson Art Players characters; her IMDb biography counts more than 30 appearances over the show's final decade, until Carson's retirement in 1992.[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ganzel-teresa-1957) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/) In 2017 she returned to the Carson legacy as a speaker, presenting the Carson Lecture at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film at the [University of Nebraska–Lincoln](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-nebraska-lincoln).[7](https://arts.unl.edu/sites/unl.edu.hixson-lied/files/media/file/2018-magazine.pdf)
She was also a frequent celebrity game show player on *[Password](https://www.edgepedia.org/password-american-game-show)*, *Hollywood Squares*, and *Win Lose or Draw*, but is best known in that arena for *The $25,000 Pyramid*; her IMDb biography states she appeared on that show more than any other female celebrity.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/) Guest appearances across 1980s and 1990s television included *Night Court*, *Newhart*, *Remington Steele* (as Rita del Rio), *The Love Boat*, *Empty Nest* (as Simba Katzman), *Married... with Children* (as Heather), *ALF* (as the Matinee Lady), *Hotel*, *The Twilight Zone*, *Mr. Belvedere*, and *Coach*, and she played Bobbi Jo Bobb, Bill Paxton's wife, in the 1986 [Carol Burnett](https://www.edgepedia.org/carol-burnett) miniseries *Fresno*.[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ganzel-teresa-1957) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/) • [8](https://www.metacritic.com/person/teresa-ganzel/)
## Film roles
Ganzel's film career began in the early 1980s with comic, often risqué parts in blue-humored comedies: Lisa Foster in *C.O.D.* (1981), Dumpling in *My Favorite Year* (1982), Diana in *National Lampoon's Movie Madness* (1982), and Fancy Bates in *The Toy* (1982), the French-farce remake starring [Richard Pryor](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-pryor) and [Jackie Gleason](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackie-gleason).[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ganzel-teresa-1957) • [3](https://www.nndb.com/people/749/000352690/) She played Elizabeth Ellison in the horror send-up *Transylvania 6-5000* (1985), and later appeared in *Hexed* (1993), *The Granny* (1995), *Good Burger* (1997) as a woman customer, *Billboard Dad* (1998) as Woman #3, and *Clifford's Really Big Movie* (2004) as the voice of Liza.[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ganzel-teresa-1957) • [3](https://www.nndb.com/people/749/000352690/)
## Voice acting and Pixar
After her short-lived role on *The Duck Factory*, Ganzel focused increasingly on voice work.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/teresa_ganzel) Her main niche in voice-over was radio commercials, of which she voiced well over 100.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/) Her first voice-over credit was Gertrude Vandergelt in the [Hanna-Barbera](https://www.edgepedia.org/hanna-barbera) television movie *Top Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats* (1987), and she described Hanna-Barbera, where she also voiced Miss Vavoom on *Tom & Jerry Kids* and *Droopy: Master Detective*, as treating its voice cast like a sitcom ensemble with full table reads.[4](https://popgeeks.com/pop-geeks-flashback-interview-teresa-ganzel/) Other animation credits include *Rugrats* (Colleen McNulty), *Darkwing Duck* (Preena Lot and Flygirl), *Cow and Chicken* (Loulabelle), *Duckman*, *Goof Troop*, *The Emperor's New School* (Princess Lalala), and *Bruno the Kid*.[8](https://www.metacritic.com/person/teresa-ganzel/) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ganzel-teresa-1957)
**Pixar.** In 2001 she contributed additional voices to *Monsters, Inc.*, beginning what Rotten Tomatoes describes as a successful partnership with Pixar Animation Studios.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/teresa_ganzel) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0198781/fullcredits/) She went on to perform ADR and additional voices on *Cars* (2006), *WALL-E* (2008), *Up* (2009), *Toy Story 3* (2010), *Monsters University* (2013), and *Despicable Me 3* (2017).[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/) • [10](https://watch.plex.tv/pl/person/teresa-ganzel) In a 2014 interview she credited a recommendation from voice actor [Frank Welker](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-welker) with casting director Micki McGowan for opening the door to Pixar, and described the studio's improvisational sessions in which several actors try lines at the microphone.[4](https://popgeeks.com/pop-geeks-flashback-interview-teresa-ganzel/)
## Stage career and later work
On stage, Ganzel played the female lead in the three-character comedy *Viagara Falls*, which toured for several years with a stint at the Little Shubert in New York, co-starring [Bernie Kopell](https://www.edgepedia.org/bernie-kopell), Harold Gould, Lou Cutell, and [Robert Pine](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-pine).[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/) Her theater awards include Stage Scene LA's Best Comedy Ensemble for revivals of *Heartbreak Hotel* and *Meet and Greet*, and a Robby Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for *The House of Blue Leaves*, directed by Gordon Hunt.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/)
Her screen work continued into the 2010s and 2020s with roles in *The Shickles* (2016), *Chicanery* (2017), *Rent-an-Elf* (2018), *Black Monday* (2019), *Home Economics* (2021, as Georgia), and *Side Hustle* (2022, as Gladys).[10](https://watch.plex.tv/pl/person/teresa-ganzel) • [11](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/164971/teresa-ganzel) She remains active in live appearances, performing at a Toluca Lake Story Slam in Los Angeles in October 2026.[12](https://wisevoter.com/world/us/ca/los-angeles/2026/10/10/teresa-ganzel-performs-los-angeles)
## Personal life
Ganzel is the younger sister of the late Mark Ganzel, a sitcom writer and producer.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/) • [13](https://www.biographies.net/people/en/teresa_ganzel) Sources record a marriage to Richard Davis in 2004[3](https://www.nndb.com/people/749/000352690/) • [13](https://www.biographies.net/people/en/teresa_ganzel) and, per IMDb, a marriage to writer [Billy Van Zandt](https://www.edgepedia.org/billy-van-zandt) on September 12, 2021, with one child, William Dalton Van Zandt.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/)
## References
1. [Teresa Ganzel Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/teresa_ganzel)
2. [Ganzel, Teresa 1957–, Encyclopedia.com (Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ganzel-teresa-1957)
3. [Teresa Ganzel, NNDB](https://www.nndb.com/people/749/000352690/)
4. [Pop Geeks' Flashback Interview: Teresa Ganzel (June 11, 2014)](https://popgeeks.com/pop-geeks-flashback-interview-teresa-ganzel/)
5. [Teresa Ganzel, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304679/)
6. [Teresa Ganzel, Voice123 profile](https://voice123.com/voice-actor/teresaganzel)
7. [Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts Magazine (2018), University of Nebraska–Lincoln](https://arts.unl.edu/sites/unl.edu.hixson-lied/files/media/file/2018-magazine.pdf)
8. [Teresa Ganzel, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/teresa-ganzel/)
9. [Monsters, Inc. (2001) full cast and crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0198781/fullcredits/)
10. [Teresa Ganzel movies and TV shows, Plex](https://watch.plex.tv/pl/person/teresa-ganzel)
11. [Teresa Ganzel, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/164971/teresa-ganzel)
12. [Teresa Ganzel Performed at Toluca Lake Story Slam, Wisevoter (October 10, 2026)](https://wisevoter.com/world/us/ca/los-angeles/2026/10/10/teresa-ganzel-performs-los-angeles)
13. [Biography of Teresa Ganzel, Biographies.net](https://www.biographies.net/people/en/teresa_ganzel)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames G to Go*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license