Nicole Jaffe

Nicole Jaffe
Born
Nicole Cowgill Jaffe

(1941-05-23) May 23, 1941 (age 83)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
OccupationActress
Years active1968–1986, 2002–2004
Known forOriginal voice actress for Velma Dinkley in the Scooby-Doo franchise
Spouses
  • Brad David
    (m. 1969; div. 1979)
  • Brian Braff
    (m. 1982)

Nicole Cowgill Jaffe David (born May 23, 1941) is a retired Canadian talent agent, businesswoman, and former actress.

As a performer, billed under her maiden name of Nicole Jaffe, she is best known as the original voice actress for Velma Dinkley in Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo Saturday morning cartoon series from 1969 to 1973. After retiring from acting in 1973, she became a prominent talent agent for entertainers such as Whitney Houston, Rihanna, and Elijah Wood under her married name of Nicole David. [1]

Biography

In 1969, Jaffe married Actors Studio[2] classmate Brad David at the age of 28.

Under her maiden name, Nicole Jaffe, she appeared in The Trouble with Girls (1969) with Elvis Presley and Scooby-Doo voice actor Frank Welker, and in Disney's The Love Bug (1968). She also starred in a stage production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown as Patty,[3] where she was seen by Hanna-Barbera recording director Gordon Hunt, who auditioned her for and eventually cast her as Velma on Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

During the second season of Scooby-Doo, in 1970, after Indira Stefanianna, who voiced Daphne on Scooby-Doo, left the show, Jaffe recommended her roommate Heather North as a replacement;[3] North voiced Daphne in various Scooby productions for the next three decades. Velma was Jaffe's only voice role, which she reprised in the spin-off series The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972–74). During this time, Nicole also appeared in a starring role in the Room 222 second season episode "What Would We Do Without Bobbie?" in 1970.

Jaffe retired from acting in 1973 and went into talent representation. Under her married name - Nicole David – she and Arnold Rifkin formed the Rifkin/David agency in 1982, which was merged two years later into the Triad Artists agency.[4] Triad was sold to the larger William Morris Agency in 1992 for over $20 million.[4][5] David worked as a senior agent and senior vice president at William Morris and its successor William Morris Endeavor until 2013; her clients over the years have included John Travolta, Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill, and Elijah Wood.[5][6]

She occasionally returned to the Scooby-Doo franchise from 1977 through 2003, concluding with two direct-to-video movies: Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire and Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico.

Nicole David was divorced from Brad David in 1979 (she kept her married name). She then married L.A. photographer Brian Braff in 1982. Subsequently, Braff founded the charity group for teens and young adults who have cancer, High School Yearbook: A Teen & Young Adult Cancer Community.[7] David served on the charity's board of directors.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1968 The Love Bug Girl In Dune-buggy
1969 The Trouble with Girls Betty Co-starred with fellow Scooby-Doo voice actor Frank Welker who played the character Rutgers
Marlowe Lilly Uncredited
1969–1970 Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! Velma Dinkley (voice) 25 episodes
Room 222 Bobbie Walstone, Student in Pete's Class 2 episodes
1971 The Bold Ones: The New Doctors Hot Pants Episode: "Broken Melody"
1972–1973 The New Scooby-Doo Movies Velma Dinkley (voice) 24 episodes
1976 Dynomutt, Dog Wonder Damsel Woman In Distress (voice) Episode: "The Wizard of Ooze"
1977–1980 Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels Additional voices 38 episodes
1978 The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour Episode: "The Creepy Case of Old Iron Face"
1979–1982 Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo 3 episodes
1983 The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries Additional voices Episode: "The Mark Of Scooby/The Crazy Carnival Caper"
The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show Episode: "Wedding Bell Boos!"
1986 Scooby's Mystery Funhouse 1 episode
2002 Scooby-Doo! Winter Wonderdog Velma Dinkley (voice) Direct-to-video
2003 Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire
Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico

References

  1. ^ Nicole David Exits WME; Top Talent Agent Who Voiced ‘Scooby-Doo’s Velma Eyes Next Chapte
  2. ^ Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 278. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
  3. ^ a b "Super '70s and '80s: "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!"—Nicole David (Jaffe) (Velma 1, 1969-74)". Noblemania.com.
  4. ^ a b "Morris Agency engulfs Triad". 19 October 1992.
  5. ^ a b "Nicole David Exits WME; Top Talent Agent Who Voiced 'Scooby-Doo's Velma Eyes Next Chapter". 5 February 2013.
  6. ^ Jeffreys, Daniel (January 13, 1996). "'Hello? Cher? Whitney? Oh, Emma, Hi'". The Independent. London.
  7. ^ "High School Yearbook: A Young Adult Cancer Community".
Preceded by
None
Voice of Velma Dinkley
1969–1973, 2003
Succeeded by