Michael Winslow

"Human sound-effects machine" Michael Winslow first achieved prominence on the standup comedy circuit in the early '80s. The African-American Winslow went on to a few TV guest spots, including an impressive "straight" role as an emotionally disturbed student on The White Shadow. His greatest fame lay not in dramatics, however, but in his awesome ability to create remarkably convincing sound effects -- police sirens, helicopters, machine gun fire, to name a few -- using nothing more than his voice. This singular skill was one of the few saving graces of the many Police Academy movie raunchfests of the 1980s, wherein Michael Winslow was cast as Sgt. Lavel Jones.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide