Off Screen: The Voices Behind the Characters

What is it that gives an animated character personality?  What is it that brings that character to life?  It is the VOICE!  The pitch, the inflection, the tone, and the quality of the voice makes that character who he or she is.  You can recognize that character without even looking.  Some cartoon voices and phrases have even made it into popular culture.  Granted not every cartoon adds voice (Tom and Jerry and Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner come to mind).  But there sure are plenty of notable cartoon characters with famous voices.  I would like to examine some of the more gifted voice artists.

Mel Blanc is perhaps the most talented and famous of the voice actors. He earned the nickname “The Man of a Thousand Voices” having provided the voices for such cartoon icons as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester and Tweetie, Foghorn Leghorn, Yosemite Sam, Barney Rubble, and Mr. Spacely. In the late 30’s and 40’s voice artists were not even included in the credits for a cartoon. But Mel Blanc insisted that he received credit for his work. He was involved in providing voices for cartoon characters from 1936 until his death in 1989. I would dare say he is the Founding Father of all Voice Artists.

Dan Castellaneta is most famous for being the voice of Homer Simpson. He also provided voices for other characters on the series including “Grandpa” Simpson, Barney, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, and Mayor Quimby. The Simpsons received their start on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987. Dan Castellaneta was asked to provide a voice for Homer Simpson, and the rest is history. He has won three Primetime Emmy Awards for his voice work on the animated series. Bart Simpson’s voice is provided by Nancy Cartwright. It is not atypical for young male adolescent characters to be voiced by female artists. She has also received a Primetime Emmy Award.

Tom Kenny is best known for his work as SpongeBob SquarePants. He also provides voices for the narrator of the show and for SpongeBob’s pet snail, Gary. SpongeBob SquarePants is Nickelodeon’s second longest running animated series after Rugrats

Another well known voice and character performer was Jim Henson. Although not truly animated, the Muppets are no less famous or important in entertainment. Jim Henson performed such well-known characters as Kermit the Frog, Rowlf the Dog, The Swedish Chef, and Dr. Teeth. Frank Oz also has played notable characters including Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam the American Bald Eagle, and Animal.

I was truly amazed by the number of voice artists, but when you think about it, there have been lots of animated shows and feature films. The advent of cable and programming directed at children has led to a proliferation of cartoon series. The need for talent voice artists is great. To see the Wikipedia list of voice artists, click here.