Chicago actor and studio owner who voiced Pillsbury Doughboy dies at 78

JoBe Cerny died on October 30. He was 78 years old. The voice actor spent decades working in American advertising, but he is best known for providing the voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy. He took over the role in 2014, following voice actors Paul Frees and Jeff Bergman. Rich Orlow now holds the position.

Cerny was born in Cicero, Illinois. He studied speech and drama at Valparaiso University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree. He later received a master’s degree in theater from Northwestern University. In the 1970s, he began his performance career with The Second City in Chicago. He performed with both the Mainstage and the National Touring Company. This early work in improvisation shaped his approach to commercial voice acting.

Before the Doughboy, Cerny voiced the Silent Demonstrator for Cheer Detergent. That character became a classic in its own right. His career extended beyond commercials. He appeared in small parts in films such as Road to Perdition, Legally Blonde 2, My Best Friend’s Wedding, and Somewhere in Time. He also worked in television series and live theater.

Cerny was an entrepreneur as well as an actor. He owned Cerny/American Creative Recording Studio in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. He operated the studio for more than 30 years. There, he completed thousands of projects. These included standard commercials, audiobooks, and full feature film productions.

Outside of his professional work, Cerny enjoyed racing go-karts into his 60s. He also collected model trains. Friends and family described him as friendly and gregarious. They noted that he often ran into acquaintances in unexpected places.

Cerny is survived by his wife of 56 years, Eileen Cerny. He is also survived by their two sons, Tim Cerny and Patrick Cerny, and their grandchildren, Archer and Cleo. Cerny once described his work as allowing him to be someone different every day. He called his career an irresponsible decision to have fun, which allowed him to live happily ever after.