Cartoon voice actors
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| cartoon voice actors |
Their names might not ring any bells, but everyone recognizes their voices. Meet the actors who provide the pipes for Homer Simpson, SpongeBob and dozens of other cartoon characters. Plus, watch these amazing talents behind the scenes.
Eric Cartman's voice
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| Eric Cartman |
Voices: Stan Marsh and Eric Cartman as well as many minor speaking roles on South Park.
He proposed to his wife at an Italian villa owned by a movie star. Their wedding was officiated by a scion of classic 1970's television comedy.
Homer Simpson's voice
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| Homer Simpson |
Voices: Homer Simpson , Krusty the Clown and several other "Simpsons" characters.
The actor is an alumnus of a famed comedy troupe, who landed a role in 1987 on "The Tracey Ullman Show" and helped voice the program's cartoon shorts, which grew into "The Simpsons." For Homer, he drew inspiration from this late great actor.
Marge Simpson's voice
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| Marge Simpson |
Voices: Marge Simpson and her older twin sisters.
As a college student, Kavner joined a classic girl-in-the-city sitcom as the star's schlubby kid sister The role led to several Woody Allen films and, eventually, the voice of Marge, often described by a word for small stones.
Bart Simpson's voice
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| Bart Simpson |
Voices: Bart Simpson Nelson Muntz, plus creator Matt Groening's favorite "Simpsons" character.
A disciple of cartoon-voice legend Daws Butler, Cartwright intended to audition for this female Simpson. So, why did she want to play Bart? Cartwright, 52, poked fun at her unusual career path in her cleverly titled autobiography.
Lisa Simpson's voice
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| Lisa Simpson |
Voices: Lisa Simpson
Unlike other "Simpsons" actors, Smith voices only one character . As you can hear in interviews, the actress naturally speaks a lot like Lisa. Smith has recently published a children's novel and produced an indie film.
Mr. Burns' voice
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| Mr. Burns |
Voices: Mr. Burns and his assistant, Ned Flanders and several other "Simpsons" roles.
Known pre-"Simpsons" for his work on "Saturday Night Live" and "This Is Spinal Tap" , Shearer also hosts public radio's "Le Show" and has appeared in such films as "For Your Consideration." What legendary politician and famous actor both inspired Mr. Burns' voice?
Stewie Griffin's voice
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| Stewie Griffin |
Voices: Peter, Stewie and Brian Griffin of "Family Guy" Stan Smith and Roger on "American Dad!" .
The voice began cartooning as a tot and published a comic in the local newspaper at a young age. After working at a famous animation studio, he created "Family Guy" and "American Dad!" How much is the producer-actor's empire worth? Recently he made headlines when this character considered abortion.
Lois Griffin's voice
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| Lois Griffin |
Voices: Lois Griffin on "Family Guy"
As a young comedian, Borstein wrote for "Pinky and the Brain" and a ghostly cartoon show. She found more fame acting on "MADtv," where she played manicurist Ms. Swan . In addition to voicing Lois, Borstein holds these jobs on "Family Guy."
Chris Griffin's voice
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| Neil Goldman |
Voices: Chris Griffin and Neil Goldman on "Family Guy"
You know Green as the son of a Mike Myers character, plus other roles, including this "Weird Al" Yankovic video. In the animation world, Green is co-creator and a voice actor on a stop-motion show. He recently got married
Francine Smith's voice
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| Francine Smith |
Voices: Francine Smith on "American Dad!".
This actress has extensive TV credits ranging from bit parts on "Little House on the Prairie" to "Friends" . On film, the actress appeared with Tom Hanks in "The 'Burbs"
Huey Freeman's voice
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| Huey Freeman |
Voices: Huey and Riley Freeman on "The Boondocks".
After her big break on this Marla Gibbs sitcom, King scored with a small, star-making role in "Jerry Maguire" In addition to 10-year-old Huey, named for this '60s activist, King plays a detective on the live-action drama "Southland" .
Robert Freeman's voice
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| Robert Freeman |
Voices: Robert Freeman, aka Grandad, on "The Boondocks"
You might not know the name, but you know the face from shows like "The Wayans Brothers" and such hip-hop videos as Jay-Z's "I Just Wanna Love You." He is pals with David Letterman, who has a special relationship with the actor's son.
SpongeBob's voice
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| SpongeBob |
Voices: SpongeBob SquarePants , plus many other voices on shows from "The Batman" to "The Powerpuff Girls."
"I play a lot of sweet, kind of stupid yellow characters," he says. He is also a sometime comedian. He appears as a newlywed in a 1996 "Smashing Pumpkins" video alongside real-life wife Jill Talley.
Patrick's voice from 'SpongeBob'
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| Patrick on 'SpongeBob' |
Voices: Patrick on "SpongeBob SquarePants"
Many voice actors are stand-up comics, but this voice had acting credits began with dramatic roles. Before "SpongeBob," the actor played Dauber Dybinski on the '90s sitcom "Coach" he also had a small role in 2007 on "Heroes"
Joe Swanson's voice
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| Joe Swanson |
Voices: Joe Swanson on "Family Guy"
Deep-voiced, he currently stars on the sitcom "Rules of Engagement" and appeared on "Seinfeld" as Elaine's mechanic beau, Puddy . He played a car guy again in this Brad Paisley video and was once a PC.
Philip Fry's voice
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| Philip Fry |
Voices: Philip Fry and Dr. Zoidberg on "Futurama" and Stimpy on "The Ren & Stimpy Show" .
Dubbed "the new Mel Blanc" for his skills mimicking the late voice actor's iconic characters, notably Bugs Bunny , this actor has also created his own distinctive characters. A voice actor's voice actor, he opposes this cartoon trend.
Bugs Bunny's voice
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| Bugs Bunny |
Voices: Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker and Barney Rubble
"The man of 1,000 voices" spoke for 90 percent of Warner Bros. cartoons, from Road Runner's iconic "beep beep" to Sylvester's lisp. He began improvising voices as a '30s radio actor for economic reasons. When this actor, who coined Bugs Bunny's catchphrase, died in 1989, Looney Tunes released a touching tribute image.
Rocky the Flying Squirrel's voice
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| Rocky the Flying Squirrel |
Voices: Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Natasha Fatale on "Rocky & Bullwinkle" .
Often called "the female Mel Blanc," though animator Chuck Jones disagreed, she began as a radio actress before moving to 'toons in the '40s. She played this character to Blanc's Tweety and still works in her '90s.
Yogi Bear's voice
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| Yogi Bear |
Voices: Yogi Bear, Snagglepuss and this cereal character
Famous for dozens of quirky, often drawled voices , this actor may have had a greater legacy: his teaching. His students included a "Simpsons" voice actor and an NPR contributor.
Wilma Flintstone's voice
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| Wilma Flinstone |
Voices: Wilma and Pebbles Flintstone Rosie the Robot on "The Jetsons."
"All she'd have to do was go, 'Fr-ed,'" to light up a room, Vander Pyl's son recalled after her death in 1999. Although the actress had a cameo in the 1994 "Flintstones" film , she did not reap big bucks from the TV show's wide syndication. Why not?
Fred Flinstone's voice
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| Fred Flinstone |
Voices: Fred Flintstone; he sounds like Flintstone in this "Beverly Hillbillies"
Thirty-three years after his death, the sound bites survive: "Wilmaaaaa!" and "Yabba-dabba doo!" . The actor, who resembled and sounded like Flinstone, worked in radio shows, including this influential classic.
