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Cree Summer
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Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969), best known as Cree Summer, is a Canadian-American actress, musician, and Emmy Award-nominated voice actress. She has followed a Native American spiritual lifestyle for most of her adult life.
er was born in Los Angeles, California in 1969, but grew up on the Red Pheasant Reserve in Saskatchewan. She is the daughter of Canadian actor Don Francks and Canadian Lili Red Eagle, a member of the Plains Cree First Nations.

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Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969), best known as Cree Summer, is a Canadian-American actress, musician, and Emmy Award-nominated voice actress. She has followed a Native American spiritual lifestyle for most of her adult life.
Early life and family
Summer was born in Los Angeles, California in 1969, but grew up on the Red Pheasant Reserve in Saskatchewan. She is the daughter of Canadian actor Don Francks and Canadian Lili Red Eagle, a member of the Plains Cree First Nations. Her brother, Rainbow Sun Francks, is a former MuchMusic VJ and former cast member of the television show Stargate Atlantis. Summer is well known as a close personal friend of actress Lisa Bonet.
Acting and voice acting career
Summer's career began in 1983 when she was cast as the voice of niece Penny on the original cartoon version of Inspector Gadget. Her unique, throaty voice was instantly recognizable to casting agents (as well as viewers even today), who began frequently casting her in animated programs. Many of these were part of cult franchises, like The Care Bears Movie (1985) and Ewoks (1985, part of the Star Wars franchise).
Audiences finally had a chance to put Summer's voice to a face when she was cast as the Afrocentric Winifred "Freddie" Brooks in The Cosby Show spin-off A Different World. Summer, a multiracial woman (of Black, Native American, and white descent) who wears her hair in a large afro-style, proved to have an appearance as unique as her voice. She remained a regular cast member of the show from 1988 through its end in 1993. During the run of the series she was romantically linked with co-star Kadeem Hardison.
During the run of A Different World, Summer continued working in voice acting. She was cast in the short-lived television series Sweet Justice in 1994 until its cancellation in 1995. Barring guest appearances on other live-action television shows such as Living Single and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Summer's professional work since has been limited to voice acting.
In all, Summer has voiced over 100 animated characters between 1983 and 2006, many of them African-American girls. These have spanned the realm of video games, cartoon television series, animated films and commercials. Among her most famous roles was in Tiny Toon Adventures (1990) as Elmyra Duff (which she reprised for Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain) and Mary Melody, Aka Pella in Histeria!, Susie Carmichael in Rugrats and its spin-off All Grown Up!, Foxxy Love in Drawn Together, Dulcy the dragon in Sonic the Hedgehog, Princess 'Kida' Kidagakash for Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Valerie Gray in Danny Phantom (2004), Numbuh 5 and Cree Lincoln in Codename: Kids Next Door, Penelope in Barbie As Rapunzel and Miranda from As Told by Ginger,
Blackarachnia in Transformers Animated (2008).
In the first season Drawn Together DVD commentary she stated that she was originally hired to do the voice of Meg Griffin on FOX's animated series Family Guy, but was fired as she was "too black".
Music career
Summer has been singing since an early age and joined her first band at 13. In 1990, she sang background vocals on two tracks for fellow A Different World cast member Jasmine Guy's self titled LP. In 1993 she released an album (as lead singer) with her band Subject to Change. The album was not officially released by Capitol Records because of creative differences; the records that were produced were distributed as promotions and are considered a rarity. The band, with an aggressive political message and rock-soul fusion sound, remained popular as a co-headlining act with other performers. In 1999, Summer released her solo album Street Faërie produced by and featuring guest artist (and friend) Lenny Kravitz, but the album was not hugely successful. Although Summer toured as Kravitz's opening act, her label dropped her and a planned spot with Lilith Fair was canceled. The label continued to promote the album, however, sending out a four-track sampler to radio and issuing remix singles of the track "Revelation Sunshine" in Europe, with a special single specifically for Austria.
Summer recorded a song entitled "Savior Self" for which she directed a music video co-starring Lisa Bonet. The video was screened online but the track was never made available commercially nor was it distributed to radio.
A number of Summer's portrayed characters (animated or otherwise) are singers, or sing songs within the soundtrack of a show. The character of Susie in All Grown Up! was portrayed as a "singer with real talent", allowing Summer to sing in the role . The character of Foxxy Love in Drawn Together was a singer, with songs like "La-La-Labia". She co-performed lead vocals in the song "Cool Kitty," with Tara Strong which accompanied a cartoon called "Class of 3000" directed/written for The Cartoon Network by André 3000.
Her voice is also in the t.v. show "My Life As a Teenage Robot"
Filmography
Animated series roles
- 101 Dalmatians: The Series: Princess
- As Told by Ginger: Miranda Killgallen
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire: Princess Kida
- The New Batman Adventures: Ice Maiden #2
- Batman Beyond: Maxine "Max" Gibson, Tigress
- Ben 10: Frightwig
- Bonkers (TV series): Alto, Young Toon Saxophone (one episode)
- Bratz': Aloncè
- Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: Savy SL2 (one episode)
- The Buzz on Maggie: Rayna Cartflight
- Camp Candy: Robin
- Captain Planet and the Planeteers Karen
- ChalkZone: Sonny
- Clifford the Big Red Dog: Cleo
- Codename: Kids Next Door: Numbuh Five, Cree Lincoln, DCFDTL
- Danny Phantom: Valerie Gray (starting from Shades of Grey)
- Drawn Together: Foxxy Love, Strawberry Sweetcake, Super Nanny, Ni-Pul, Xandir's Girlfriend, Captain She-Ro
- Freakazoid!: Jill (one episode)
- Garbage Pail Kids (TV series): Clogged Duane, Heartless Hal, Trashed Tracy, Squishy, Plain Jane
- Gargoyles (TV series): Hyena
- Horrible Histories: Mo, additional voices
- Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater: Catnip
- Histeria!: Aka Pella
- The Incredible Hulk (1996 TV series): She-Hulk (season 2)
- Inspector Gadget: Penny (season 1, Gadget's Greatest Gadgets)
- Johnny Bravo: Amy Elephant (one episode)
- Jungle Cubs: Louie (season 2)
- Justice League Unlimited: Female Singer (one episode)
- The Land Before Time (TV series): Tippy
- The New Woody Woodpecker Show: additional voice
- Lilo & Stitch: The Series: Lana (one episode)
- Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm: Princess Kitana
- Mummies Alive!: Nefer-Tina
- My Gym Partner's a Monkey: Mrs. Tusk, Kerry, Mrs. Loon, Latanya Hippo, Eddie Panther
- My Life as a Teenage Robot: Stephanie (one episode), Tiff, Queen Vexus (one episode), Vicky, and QT2
- Pepper Ann: Tessa James, Vanessa James
- Peter Pan and the Pirates: Tiger Lily
- Pinky and the Brain: Bunny, Receptionist
- Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain: Elmyra Duff
- Problem Child (TV series): Spencer
- Project G.e.e.K.e.R.: Lady MacBeth
- The Proud Family: Peabo
- Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters: Chilly Cooper
- Robot Chicken: Penny, Evil Little Girl (one episode) (a reprisal of her original role in Inspect Gadget)
- Rocket Power: Crystal Bianca (one episode)
- Rugrats and All Grown Up!: Susie Carmichael
- Sabrina, the Animated Series: Chloe Flan
- Sonic the Hedgehog (TV series): Dulcy the Dragon
- The Spectacular Spider-Man: Glory Grant
- Spider-Man: The New Animated Series: Professor Williams
- Static Shock: Candide
- Superman: The Animated Series: Rainsong, Natasha Irons
- Star Wars: Ewoks: Kneesaa (season one)
- Star Wars: Clone Wars: Luminara Unduli
- Tiny Toon Adventures: Elmyra Duff, Mary Melody
- Transformers: Animated: Decepticon Blackarachnia
- Wayside: Bebe Gunn
- The Weekenders: Penny DeCartes, Todd DeCartes, Carver's Mom
- W.I.T.C.H. (TV series): Ember
- Word Girl: Granny May
- The Zeta Project: Skye Hoaps
Film roles
Live-action TV show roles
- A Different World : Winifred "Freddie" Brooks
- The Fresh Prince of Bel Air : Lisa Adams (one episode)
- Living Single : Summer (one episode)
- Night Heat : Karen Simmons (one episode)
Video game roles
Discography
Albums
- Appeared on the Juno Award-nominated album I Lost My Pet Lizard (1979)
- Appeared as Debbie in the Canadian Sesame Street album Big Bird & Oscar the Grouch: Camping in Canada (1981)
- Womb Amnesia – (1993) (with her band Subject to Change)
- Street Faërie – (1999)
Singles
External links
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