Editing Ross Bagdasarian

{{Short description|American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor (1919-1972)}}
{{for|his son|Ross Bagdasarian Jr.}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Ross S. Bagdasarian Sr.
| image              = File:Ross Bagdasarian  1972.jpg
| caption            = 
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1919|01|27}}
| birth_place        = [[Fresno, California]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1972|1|16|1919|1|27}}
| death_place        = [[Beverly Hills, California]], U.S.
| resting_place      = [[Chapel of the Pines Crematory]]
| other_names        = [[David Seville]] (stage name)
| occupation         = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|record producer| actor}}
| years_active       = 1939–1972
| notable_works      = [[Alvin and the Chipmunks]]
| style              = [[Novelty song|Novelty music]]<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lapka|first1=Larry|title=David Seville|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/david-seville-mn0000812428/biography|publisher=[[AllMusic]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807054941/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/david-seville-mn0000812428/biography |archive-date=7 August 2020}}</ref>
| television         = ''[[The Alvin Show]]'' (1961–62)
| spouse             = {{marriage|Armenouhi "Armen" Kulhanjian|1946}}{{sfn|Arnold|2019|p=25}}
| children           = 3, including [[Ross Bagdasarian Jr.|Ross Jr.]]
| relatives          = [[William Saroyan]] (cousin)<br>[[Janice Karman]] (daughter-in-law) 
| signature          = 
}}

'''Ross S. Bagdasarian'''{{efn|name=name}} ({{IPAc-en|b|æ|ɡ|d|ə|'|s|ɛər|i|ə|n}}; January 27, 1919 – January 16, 1972), known professionally by his stage name '''[[David "Dave" Seville]]''',<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Studwell |first1=William E. |author-link1=William Studwell |title=From "Jingle Bells" to "Jingle Bell Rock" |journal=Music Reference Services Quarterly |date=1996 |volume=5 |issue=1 |page=5 |quote=...for the pseudonym he used for the chipmunk enterprise, David Seville, is far better remembered than his real name.|doi=10.1300/J116v05n01_01 }}</ref> was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor best known for creating the [[virtual band|cartoon band]] [[Alvin and the Chipmunks]]. Initially a stage and film actor, he rose to prominence in 1958 with the songs "[[Witch Doctor (song)|Witch Doctor]]" and "[[The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)]]", which both became [[List of Billboard number-one singles of 1958|''Billboard'' number-one singles]]. He produced and directed ''[[The Alvin Show]]'', which aired on [[CBS]] in 1961–62.

==Early life==
Bagdasarian{{efn|name=name|Sometimes known as '''Bagdasarian Sr.''' to distinguish from his son, [[Ross Bagdasarian Jr.]]. He is listed as '''Ross S. Bagdasarian''' in the California Birth Index,<ref>"California Birth Index, 1905-1995," database, Ross S Bagdasarian, 27 Jan 1919; citing Fresno, California, United States, Department of Health Services, Vital Statistics Department, Sacramento.</ref> World War II Army Enlistment Records,<ref>"United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, Ross S Bagdasarian, enlisted 05 Jan 1942, Fresno, California, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.</ref> and in California Deaths and Burials.<ref>"California Deaths and Burials, 1776-2000", database, Ross S. Bagdasarian.</ref> <br> [[William Saroyan]], his cousin, gave his full name as '''Sipon Rostom Bagdasarian'''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Saroyan|first1=William|author-link1=William Saroyan|title=Obituaries|date=1979|publisher=Creative Arts Book Company|location=Berkeley, California|isbn=9780916870171|page=[https://archive.org/details/obituaries00saro/page/328 328]|quote=...my cousin Sipon Rostom Bagdasarian...|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/obituaries00saro/page/328}}</ref> [[Mark Arnold (historian)|Mark Arnold]] gives it as '''Rostom Sipan Bagdasarian'''.{{sfn|Arnold|2019|p=13}} }} was born on January 27, 1919, in [[Fresno, California]] to an [[Armenian-American]] family.{{sfn|Arnold|2019|p=13}} His father was a grape grower.<ref name=bronson /> He had two elder brothers: Richard Sirak (1910–1966) and Harry Sisvan (1915–1989).{{sfn|Arnold|2019|p=13}} The novelist [[William Saroyan]], with whom he was very close, was his first cousin.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=J. Y. |title=William Saroyan Dies at 72 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1981/05/19/william-saroyan-dies-at-72/5cad502d-8aca-478d-a53a-9d6156d841ab/ |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] |date=19 May 1981}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Studwell |first1=William E. |last2=Lonergan |first2=David |author-link1=William Studwell |title=The Classic Rock and Roll Reader: Rock Music from Its Beginnings to the Mid-1970s |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781317720683 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=D2ehAwAAQBAJ&dq=Bagdasarian+cousin+william+saroyan&pg=PA177 177]}}</ref>

Bagdasarian graduated from [[Fresno High School]] in 1937.{{sfn|Arnold|2019|p=13}} He went to New York to work with his cousin Saroyan with the intention of becoming an actor.<ref name=bronson>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RVFLAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA36 |title=The Billboard Book of Number One Hits |first= Fred |last=Bronson |date= 1997|isbn=9780823076413 |publisher=Billboard Books|page=36}}</ref> When [[World War II]] started, he enlisted and served four years as a control tower operator{{sfn|Arnold|2019|p=17}} and rose to the rank of a [[staff Sergeant#U.S. Air Force|staff sergeant]] (SSgt) in the [[United States Army Air Forces|Army Air Forces]].<ref name="agbu"/> He spent time in England, France and Spain;<ref name=bronson /> his later stage name "David Seville" originated from the fact that he was stationed in the city of [[Seville]] in Spain and he liked the city.<ref name=bronson /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Blevins |first1=Joe |title=The Dark, Angry Father of 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' |url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/11/the-dark-angry-father-of-alvin-and-the-chipmunks.html |work=[[New York (magazine)|New York Magazine]] |agency=Vulture.com |date=10 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130193449/https://www.vulture.com/2015/11/the-dark-angry-father-of-alvin-and-the-chipmunks.html |archive-date=30 November 2018}}</ref>

After the war, he returned to Fresno and married Armenouhi "Armen" Kulhanjian, and they tried for a time to be grape growers. They were unsuccessful and they moved to Los Angeles where he started a career as a songwriter.<ref name=bronson />

==Career==
===Acting===
Bagdasarian's [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut was in 1939 when he played the newsboy in ''[[The Time of Your Life]]'' by [[William Saroyan]], his cousin.<ref name="nyt"/> He also appeared in minor roles in several films, such as ''[[Viva Zapata!]]'' (1952), ''[[Stalag 17]]'' (1953), ''[[Destination Gobi]]'' (1953), and ''[[The Proud and Profane]]'' (1956).<ref name="Talevski"/><ref name="nyt"/> In [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Rear Window]]'' (1954), he is the lonely composer at the piano.<ref name="Pearson"/> 

===Singing and songwriting===
Bagdasarian's first major success with songwriting came with "[[Come On-a My House]]", which he co-wrote with William Saroyan in 1939. The song was rejected by many record companies as being "too ethnic", and it was not recorded until 1950 (by [[Kay Armen]]). The songwriters themselves recorded it as a duet in 1951. [[Mitch Miller]] of [[Columbia Records]] came across the song and persuaded [[Rosemary Clooney]] to record it.<ref name=bronson /> It became a million-selling hit.<ref name="Talevski"/> It is an adaptation of an Armenian folk song Bagdasarian wrote with his cousin [[William Saroyan]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Holden |first1=Stephen |author-link1=Stephen Holden |title=Pop/Jazz; Clooney and Bennett, Old-School Professionals |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/09/arts/pop-jazz-clooney-and-bennett-old-school-professionals.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 9, 1986}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Tyler|first1=Don|title=Music of the Postwar Era|date=2008|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780313341915|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=2dgJVseZAlsC&dq=Bagdasarian&pg=PA60 60]}}</ref><ref name="Bentley09"/> The song was originally composed for their [[off-Broadway]] musical ''The Son''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gentry |first1=Philip |title=Whiteness and Sex in the Music of Rosemary Clooney |journal=American Music Review |publisher=The H. Wiley Hitchcock Institute for Studies in American Music, Conservatory of Music, [[Brooklyn College]] of the [[City University of New York]] |date=2014 |volume=43 |issue=2 |url=http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/aca_centers_hitchcock/AMR_43-2_Gentry.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923100756/http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/aca_centers_hitchcock/AMR_43-2_Gentry.pdf |archive-date=September 23, 2020 }}</ref> It launched Clooney's career, reaching number one on [[List of Billboard number-one singles of 1951|''Billboard'' charts]] and was number four on 
[[Billboard year-end top 30 singles of 1951|''Billboard'' year-end top 30 singles of 1951]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Orozco|first1=Ron|title=Fresno Art Museum show marks 100th anniversary of Armenian Genocide|url=http://www.fresnobee.com/entertainment/performing-arts/article19531635.html|work=[[The Fresno Bee]]|date=22 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020194934/http://www.fresnobee.com/entertainment/performing-arts/article19531635.html|archive-date=20 October 2017}}</ref> The song sold some 750,000 records in a month.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Ross |first1=Lillian |last2=Gill |first2=Brendan |author-link1=Lillian Ross (journalist) |author-link2=Brendan Gill |title=Everything A Song Ross |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1951/09/08/everything-a-song-ross |magazine=[[The New Yorker|New Yorker]] |date=8 September 1951}}</ref> In 1954, Bagdasarian wrote "[[Hey, Brother, Pour the Wine]]", a hit for [[Dean Martin]].<ref name="Talevski"/>

In 1955 Bagdasarian signed with the then newly established [[Liberty Records]]. In early 1956 he had a transcontinental hit with the novelty record "The Trouble with Harry" (inspired by the [[The Trouble with Harry|homonymous Hitchcock film]]) credited to Alfi & Harry,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lewis |first1=Uncle Dave |title=Alfi & Harry |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/alfi-harry-mn0000992997 |website=allmusic.com |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819181542/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/alfi-harry-mn0000992997/biography |archive-date=19 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=McClement |first1=Ron |title=Ross Bagdasarian, a.k.a. David Seville |url=http://www.rockabilly.nl/artists/dseville.htm |website=rockabilly.nl |publisher=BlackCat Rockabilly Europe |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317015645/http://www.rockabilly.nl/artists/dseville.htm |archive-date=17 March 2020 |date=2001}}</ref> although Alfi & Harry was just one person, Bagdasarian himself.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SyUJAQAAMAAJ |title= Liberty Records: A History of the Recording Company and Its Stars, 1955-1971 |first= Michael Bryan |last=Kelly |date=1993|page=19 |isbn=9780899507408 |publisher=McFarland }}</ref> It reached No. 44 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' chart]]<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Top 100 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=February 4, 1956 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=vB4EAAAAMBAJ&q=The+Trouble+with+Harry%22+Alfi+%26+Harry+billboard&pg=PA40 40]}}</ref> and was a bigger hit in the United Kingdom reaching No. 15.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Trouble With Harry |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/the-trouble-with-harry/ |website=officialcharts.com |publisher=[[Official Charts Company|The Official UK Charts Company]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813114837/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/the-trouble-with-harry/ |archive-date=13 August 2020}}</ref>

In 1956, he wrote an instrumental "Armen's Theme" named after his wife.  The executives at Liberty Records suggested that he adopt a pseudonym as they thought his name too difficult to pronounce.<ref name=bronson /> In December 1956, he charted with his first record credited to his David Seville pseudonym, and "Armen's Theme" reached  No. 42 on the ''Billboard'' chart.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Drake |first1=Howard |title=Armen's Theme By: David Seville |url=https://www.musicvf.com/song.php?title=Armen%27s+Theme+by+David+Seville&id=10937 |website=musicvf.com |publisher=Music VF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819184321/https://www.musicvf.com/song.php?title=Armen%2527s+Theme+by+David+Seville&id=10937 |archive-date=19 August 2021}}</ref>

====Dave Seville and the Chipmunks====
[[File:Ross Bagdasarian Sr.jpg|thumb|right|Bagdasarian pictured in the 1950s]]
Bagdasarian's rise to prominence came with the song "[[Witch Doctor (song)|Witch Doctor]]" in 1958,<ref name="Bill63"/> which was created after he experimented with the speed control on a [[tape recorder]] bought with $200 ({{Inflation|US|200|1958|r=-2|fmt=eq}}) from the family savings.<ref name="people"/> [[Liberty Records]] released this [[novelty record]] under the David Seville name. It is a duet between his real voice and accelerated version.<ref name="Talevski"/> The record went on to become a [[List of Billboard number-one singles of 1958|''Billboard'' number-one single]] by April 28, 1958, and further established him as a songwriter.<ref name="Bentley09"/> It sold 1.5 million copies.<ref name="Adams"/>

Bagdasarian went on to create his trio of Chipmunks named after the executives of Liberty Records: Simon, Theodore, and Alvin, named for [[Simon Waronker|Simon "Si" Waronker]], [[Theodore Keep|Theodore "Ted" Keep]], and Alvin Bennett.<ref name="Talevski"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/chipmunk-song-turns-60-secrets-a-holiday-classic-1169762/|website=The Hollywood Reporter|title="The Chipmunk Song" Turns 60: Secrets of a Holiday Novelty Smash|first=Stephen|last=Cox|date=December 21, 2018|accessdate=December 11, 2021}}</ref> Their debut song, "[[The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)]]" was released on November 17, 1958, and became a number one hit by New Years Day.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Beck |first1=Jerry |author-link1=Jerry Beck |title=The Animated Movie Guide |date=2005 |publisher=Chicago Review Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/animatedmoviegui0000beck/page/53 <!-- quote=Bagdasarian cousin william saroyan. --> 53]}}</ref> The song sold 4 million records in the first few months.<ref name="nyt"/> It topped ''Billboard'' charts the two weeks before and two weeks after New Years and won three Grammy Awards at the [[1st Annual Grammy Awards]] on May 4, 1959: [[Grammy Award for Best Album for Children|Best Recording for Children]], [[Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album|Best Comedy Performance]], and [[Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical#1950s|Best Non-Classical Engineered Song]].<ref name="latimes"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Dessem |first1=Matthew |title=A Look Back at the Most Legendary Grammy Wins of All Time |url=https://slate.com/culture/2017/02/a-look-back-at-the-greatest-grammy-winners-ever.html |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |date=12 February 2017}}</ref> Bagdasarian won the first two as David Seville. The song was the 23rd most performed Christmas song of the 20th century.<ref>According to the [[American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers]]. {{cite book |last1=Crump |first1=William D. |title=The Christmas Encyclopedia |date=2013 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9781476605739 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=OSuXAAAAQBAJ&dq=David+Seville+bagdasarian&pg=PA71 71] |edition=3rd}}</ref>

[[Shana Alexander]], writing for ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine in 1959, noted that Bagdasarian was the first case in the "annals of popular music that one man has served as writer, composer, publisher, conductor and multiple vocalist of a hit record, thereby directing all possible revenues from the song back into his pocket." Alexander also found it remarkable that Bagdasarian "can neither read nor write music nor play any musical instrument in the accepted sense of the word."<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Alexander |first1=Shana |title=Alvin! Composer's yells at son inspire another chipmunk hit |magazine=[[Life (magazine)|Life]] |date=23 March 1959 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=EFIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA43 43-44]|author-link=Shana Alexander}} 23 March 1959</ref> Bagdasarian owned Chipmunk Enterprises, which sponsored Chipmunk-related sales. By 1963, some 15 companies were using or planned to use Alvin figures. By that year, ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine estimated the total income from the Chipmunks' record sales (including overseas sales) and record club sales to be around $20 million (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|20,000,000|1963|r=-6}}}} adjusted for inflation in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}} dollars).<ref name="Bill63">{{cite magazine |title=Alvin Plunges Into Side Lines |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=6 April 1963 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=MQoEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Bagdasarian&pg=PA16 16]}}</ref>

In the following years, the Chipmunks released several hit songs: "Alvin's Harmonica" (1959), "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" (1959), "Alvin's Orchestra" (1960), "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" (1960), "The Alvin Twist" (1962), and the album ''[[The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits]]'' in 1964 during the [[British Invasion]].<ref name="Talevski"/>

Bagdasarian produced ''[[The Alvin Show]]'', a half-hour TV cartoon show broadcast on [[CBS]] from October 1961 to September 1962.<ref name="nyt"/>

In 1968, Alvin and the Chipmunks recorded a version of "The Chipmunk Song" with the rock band [[Canned Heat]], who also recorded for Liberty Records.

==Personal life==
Bagdasarian married Armenouhi "Armen" Kulhanjian (1927–1991) in 1946.{{sfn|Arnold|2019|p=25}}{{efn|She was widely referred to, including by Bagdasarian,{{sfn|Arnold|2019|p=18}} as "Armen".<ref name="people"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Ryon |first1=Ruth |author1-link=Ruth Ryon |title=Arnolds Seek More Space |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-01-re-52672-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=May 1, 1994 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829163420/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-01-re-52672-story.html |archive-date=29 August 2021 |quote=The home had been owned by the late Armen Bagdasarian, widow of songwriter Ross S. Bagdasarian Sr....}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Lawrence |last2=Gifford |first2=Barry |author2-link=Barry Gifford |title=Saroyan: A Biography |date=1998 |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |isbn=9780520213999 |page=250 |quote=At the second wedding, left to right, Ross and Armen Bagdasarian...}}</ref>}} They had three children: Carol Askine (b. 1947), an actress; [[Ross Bagdasarian Jr.|Ross Jr.]] (b. 1949); and Adam Serak (b. 1954), a fiction writer.{{sfn|Arnold|2019|p=25}}<ref name="people"/><ref name="Pearson"/> They lived in Los Angeles from 1950.<ref name="Bentley09"/><ref name="Talevski"/> As of 1963, [[List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards|he owned a grape ranch]] in California called the Chipmunk Ranch.<ref name="Bill63"/> In the mid-1960s, he bought Sierra Wine Corp., a winery that supplied product, among others, to [[E & J Gallo Winery]].<ref name="Pearson"/>

== Death and legacy==
Bagdasarian died of a heart attack at his home in [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]] on January 16, 1972, eleven days before his 53rd birthday.<ref name="nyt" /><ref name="Talevski" /> He was cremated and inurned at the [[Chapel of the Pines Crematory]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Scott |title=Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons |date=2016 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]] |isbn=9781476625997 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=FOHgDAAAQBAJ&dq=Chapel+of+the+Pines+Crematory+Bagdasarian&pg=PA36 36] |edition=3rd}}</ref>

Bagdasarian willed the Chipmunks franchise to his wife and three children.<ref name="people"/> Ross Jr. said in an interview that he "worshipped" his father and felt a need to continue his work.<ref name="people"/> He resumed the franchise with his wife [[Janice Karman]] in the late 1970s, after finishing law school,<ref name="Bentley09"/> and became the complete owner when he bought the rights from his siblings in the mid-1990s.<ref name="Pearson"/>

==Discography==
{{See also|Alvin and the Chipmunks discography}}
===Albums===
*''The Music of David Seville'' (1957 Liberty 3073)
*''The Witch Doctor Presents: David Seville...and his Friends'' (1958 Liberty 3092)
*''[[Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks]]'' (1959 Liberty 3132)
*''[[Sing Again with the Chipmunks]]'' (1960 Liberty)
*''[[Around the World with the Chipmunks]]'' (1960 Liberty Records)
*''[[The Alvin Show (album)|The Alvin Show]]'' (1961 Liberty Records/Capitol)
*''[[The Chipmunk Songbook]]'' (1962 Capitol/Liberty)
*''[[Christmas with the Chipmunks]]'' (1962 Liberty)
*''[[Christmas with the Chipmunks|Christmas with the Chipmunks Vol. 2]]'' (1963 Liberty Records)
*''[[The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits]]'' (1964 Sunset/Liberty; as Alvin and the Chipmunks with David Seville)
*''[[Chipmunks à Go-Go]]'' (1965 Liberty 3424; as Alvin, Simon and Theodore with David Seville)
*''The Mixed-up World of Bagdasarian'' (1966 Liberty 7451; recorded under David Seville's real name, Ross Bagdasarian)

==Filmography==
* ''[[The Greatest Show on Earth (film)|The Greatest Show on Earth]]'' (1952) as Spectator (uncredited)
* ''[[Viva Zapata!]]'' (1952) as Officer (uncredited)
* ''[[The Stars Are Singing]]'' (1953) as Song Promoter (uncredited)
* ''[[Destination Gobi]]'' (1953) as Paul Sabatello 
* ''[[The Girls of Pleasure Island]]'' (1953) as Marine (uncredited)
* ''[[Stalag 17]]'' (1953) as Singing Prisoner of War (uncredited)
* ''[[Alaska Seas]]'' (1954) as Joe, Jim's crewman
* ''[[Rear Window]]'' (1954) as Songwriter/pianist
* ''[[Kismet (1955 film)|Kismet]]'' (1955) as Fevvol (uncredited)
* ''[[Hot Blood]]'' (1956) as Gas Station Attendant (uncredited)
* ''[[The Proud and Profane]]'' (1956) as Louie
* ''[[Three Violent People]]'' (1956) as Asuncion Ortega
* ''[[The Devil's Hairpin]]'' (1957) as Tani Ritter
* ''[[The Deep Six]]'' (1958) as Pvt. Aaron Slobodjian
* ''[[The Alvin Show]]'' (1961–1962, TV Series) as Alvin, Simon, Theodore and David Seville (voice, final appearance)

==See also==
* [[Armenian Americans in Los Angeles]]

==References==
;Notes
{{notelist}}

;Citations
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name="nyt">{{cite news|title=Ross Bagdasarian, Actor, Song Writer|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/01/19/archives/ross-bagdasarian-i-actor-song-writer.html?_r=0|work=[[The New York Times]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=19 January 1972|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<ref name="agbu">{{cite book|author1=Our Boys Committee|title=Armenian-American Veterans of World War II|date=1951|publisher=[[Armenian General Benevolent Union]] of America|location=New York|page=[https://i.imgur.com/3HENs84.jpg 173]|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015029136465;view=1up;seq=188}}</ref>

<ref name="Talevski">{{cite book|last1=Talevski|first1=Nick|title=Rock Obituaries: Knocking On Heaven's Door|date=2010|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|isbn=9780857121172|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DykffzkFALoC&dq=Ross+Bagdasarian+armenian+fresno+1919&pg=PA582 582]|chapter=David Seville}}</ref>

<ref name="Pearson">{{cite news|last1=Pearson|first1=Ryan|title=Chipmunks legacy is a family affair|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-dec-21-et-chipmunks21-story.html|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=21 December 2007 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180922151746/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/dec/21/entertainment/et-chipmunks21 |archive-date=22 September 2018}}</ref>

<ref name="Bentley09">{{cite news|last1=Bentley|first1=Rick|title=Fresno native's chipmunks charm 3 generations|url=http://www.fresnobee.com/living/article19502448.html|work=[[The Fresno Bee]]|date=21 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020090610/http://www.fresnobee.com/living/article19502448.html|archive-date=20 October 2017}}</ref>

<ref name="people">{{cite journal|last1=Dougherty|first1=Steve|first2=Craig|last2=Tomashoff|title=Squeak of Success|journal=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=22 February 1993|url=http://people.com/archive/squeak-of-success-vol-39-no-7/}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20171023143312/http://people.com/archive/squeak-of-success-vol-39-no-7/ archived])</ref>

<ref name="Adams">{{cite news|last1=Adams|first1=Cecil|author-link1=Cecil Adams|title=How were the high-pitched voices of the Chipmunks created?|url=http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/376/how-were-the-high-pitched-voices-of-the-chipmunks-created|work=[[Chicago Reader]]|agency=[[The Straight Dope]]|date=17 January 1986}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20171029111224/http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/376/how-were-the-high-pitched-voices-of-the-chipmunks-created archived])</ref>

<ref name="latimes">{{cite news|title=Today in 1959: First Grammy Awards handed out|url=http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2009/05/today-in-1959-first-grammy-awards-handed-out-.html|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=4 May 2009}}</ref>

}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last1=Arnold |first1=Mark |author1-link=Mark Arnold (historian) |title=Aaaaalllviiinnn!: The Story of Ross Bagdasarian Sr., Liberty Records, Format Films and The Alvin Show |date=2019 |publisher=BearManor Media |isbn=978-1-62933-432-5}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|46564|Ross Bagdasarian}}
*{{IBDB name|94029}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040803054054/http://thechipmunks.com/history.php History area on TheChipmunks.com] with some photos and stories about Ross Bagdasarian
*[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p227|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic Entry]
*{{discogs artist|Ross Bagdasarian}}
*[http://www.rockabilly.nl/artists/dseville.htm ''David Seville'' Review at Rockabilly]

{{s-start}}
{{s-bus}}
{{s-bef|rows=3|before=Created}}
{{s-ttl|title= President of [[Bagdasarian Productions]]|years= 1961–1972}}
{{s-aft|rows=3|after=[[Ross Bagdasarian Jr.]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Owner of [[Alvin and the Chipmunks]]|years=1958–1972}}
{{s-end}}

{{s-start}}
{{succession box | before = Created| title= [[David Seville|Voice of Dave Seville]] | years = 1958–1972| after=[[Ross Bagdasarian Jr.]]}}
{{succession box | before = Created | title = [[Alvin and the Chipmunks|Voice of Alvin & The Chipmunks]] | years= 1958–1972 | after= Ross Bagdasarian Jr.}}
{{succession box | before = Created| title= [[Alvin Seville|Voice of Alvin Seville]] | years = 1958–1972| after= Ross Bagdasarian Jr.}}
{{succession box | before = Created |title= [[Simon Seville|Voice of Simon Seville]] | years = 1958–1972| after=Ross Bagdasarian Jr.}}
{{succession box | before = Created| title= [[Theodore Seville|Voice of Theodore Seville]] | years = 1958–1972| after=Janice Karman}}
{{s-end}}

{{Alvin and the Chipmunks}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for Ross Bagdasarian
| list =
{{Grammy Award for Best Children's Album}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album}}
}}

{{Portal bar|Biography}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagdasarian, Ross}}
[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:1972 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:20th-century American pianists]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from California]]
[[Category:American male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American novelty song performers]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Liberty Records artists]]
[[Category:American people of Armenian descent]]
[[Category:Alvin and the Chipmunks]]
[[Category:Record producers from California]]
[[Category:Male actors from Fresno, California]]
[[Category:Musicians from Fresno, California]]
[[Category:Writers from Fresno, California]]
[[Category:Burials at Chapel of the Pines Crematory]]
[[Category:Animation composers]]
[[Category:American male pianists]]
[[Category:United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Army Air Forces soldiers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]