[3] Nash made a name for himself in the late 1920s as an impressionist for KHJ, a Los Angeles radio station, on their show, The Merrymakers.

Dubbed "Whistling Clarence, the Adohr Bird Man", Nash rode the streets with a team of miniature horses and gave treats to the children.

[4] In 1932, Nash happened by the Disney Studio with his team of horses, and decided to leave a copy of his Adohr publicity sheet with the receptionist.

[4] As it turns out, his name was recognized from a reprise appearance on The Merrymakers a few days previous, and Walt Disney had been impressed by Nash's vocal skills.

Disney declared Nash perfect for the role of a talking duck in their upcoming animated short, The Wise Little Hen.

[5] Nash's Donald Duck voice was achieved by what is called buccal speech: an alaryngeal form of vocalization which uses the inner cheek to produce sound rather than the larynx.

[citation needed] The voice is distinctive both for its ducklike quality and the fact that it is often very difficult for anybody to understand, especially when Donald flew into a rage (which happened fairly often).

In 1971, he retired from Disney and devoted himself to charity work, making personal visits to hospitals and homes and entertaining children with his Donald Duck voice.

[9][19] As he passed the age of 70, he found the harsh voice increasingly straining on his throat and so limited public performances to groups of children.

[citation needed] One of Nash's final performances was in Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983), which made Donald the only character in the film to be voiced by his original actor.

[9] The tombstone of the grave he now shares with his wife Margaret Nash depicts a carving of Donald and Daisy Duck holding hands.