Michael Winslow is an American actor, comedian and performer from the United States, best known for vocal sound effects and human beatboxing. He is often described as the “Man of 10,000 Sound Effects” because he creates realistic effects using only his voice.

Early life and training

Winslow is born in Spokane, Washington, and is the son of Robert and Verdie Winslow. He attends the Lisa Maile School of Acting, Modeling, and Imaging.

Career

His first television appearance is on The Gong Show, where he performs sound-alike impressions including Benji the movie dog, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song”. He is best known for playing Sgt. Larvelle “Motor Mouth” Jones in the Police Academy series of films and television shows.

In 1985, Island releases a 12-inch record titled I Am My Own Walkman under his name. Winslow also works as a motivational speaker and continues to perform stand-up comedy internationally.

Other work

Since the fall of 2008, he hosts the film series Way Back Wednesday with Winslow on WGN America, focusing mainly on films from the 1980s. In 2010, he releases iPhone and iPod Touch apps that feature his sound effects and comedy, including ThatsKungFu, which produces kung fu fight sounds when the device is swung, and NoizeyMan, which includes video, ringtones, sound effects and mini games.

Associations

Winslow has been associated with Ronnie Lee Cunningham, the former keyboardist and lead vocalist of the funk rock group LAW, as well as actor David DeLuise.