Tress MacNeille
Tress MacNeille in 2007
Born	(1951-06-20) June 20, 1951 (age 61) California, United States
Occupation	Voice actress
Years active	1979–present

Tress MacNeille (born June 20, 1951) is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated series The Simpsons, Futurama, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Disney's House of Mouse, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, All Grown Up!, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Dave the Barbarian.

Early life[link]

MacNeille was born in California. She loved cartoons as a child and wanted to be a voice actress from the age of eight, but instead chose a "practical" career, feeling she would never be able to realize her ambition. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and attended broadcasting school, becoming a disc jockey.^[1]

Career[link]

MacNeille worked in a variety of jobs and had numerous minor voiceover roles before becoming a regular on an animated TV show. In her words, "I had been doing radio spots, some TV, demos, sound-alikes, industrial narrations -- anything that came my way for about two years."^[1] She was also a member of the improvisational comedy group The Groundlings for ten years.^[2] MacNeille took acting workshops and worked as a casting assistant for voice acting talent agent Bob Lloyd in what she calls "The University of Voice-over." Lloyd and fellow agent Rita Vennari got MacNeille her first role on an animated show: a part in a 1979 episode of Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo.^[1]

She sang and appeared in the music video (as Lucille Ball) for "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "Ricky" (1983), which was based on the I Love Lucy television show and parodied the song "Mickey" by Toni Basil.^[2] MacNeille also appeared on Yankovic's 1999 album Running with Scissors, on the track "Jerry Springer."

MacNeille was cast as Babs Bunny in Tiny Toon Adventures (1990–1995). Writer Paul Dini said that MacNeille was good for the role because she could do both Babs's voice and the voices of her impressions.^[3] MacNeille commented: "The best part of doing Babs is that she's a mimic, like me...In the show I do Babs doing Billie Burke, Hepburn, Bette Davis, Madonna and Cher. I even have her doing Jessica Rabbit."^[2] The success of Tiny Toon Adventures led to the series Animaniacs. MacNeille was brought in to voice Dot Warner, one of the show's three main characters, because Dot's character was very similar to Babs Bunny.^[4] Andrea Romano, the voice director and caster for Animaniacs, said that the casters had "no trouble" choosing the role of Dot: "Tress MacNeille was just hilarious (...) And yet [she had] that edge."^[5] MacNeille was nominated for an Annie Award for her performance on the show in 1995.^[6]

She has provided voices for numerous films, television shows, video games and commercials, garnering over 200 credits.^[1] MacNeille says "the characters that I do all come from people in my own life--as well as the material I've stolen from my friends!"^[1] Her TV roles include characters on The Simpsons, where she voices Agnes Skinner, Brandine Spuckler and Lindsey Naegle, and Futurama, in which her main role is the character Mom.^[1] MacNeille has provided voices on many other television shows and cartoons such as Rugrats (as Charlotte Pickles), Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (as Chip and Gadget),^[1] Histeria!, Hey Arnold!, as well as dubbing work on English language anime translations.

She is the current voice of Daisy Duck and Wilma Flintstone.^[1] MacNeille also appeared as an angry anchorwoman in Elvira, Mistress of the Dark and served as the voice of Elvira's Great-Aunt Morganna Talbot.

Characters voiced by Tress MacNeille[link]

[edit] Voices on The Simpsons

• Agnes Skinner, Seymour Skinner's elderly, neurotic mother
• Lindsey Naegle, generic businesswoman or television network executive in such episodes as "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show", "Girly Edition", and "You Kent Always Say What You Want"
• Dolph, one of the three bullies (along with Jimbo Jones and Kearney Zzyzwicz) (the character has red hair, cut asymmetrically, and wears a green shirt).
• Brandine Spuckler, Cletus Spuckler's wife/cousin/sister
• Cookie Kwan, a territorial Asian-American realtor with a heavy accent (despite growing up in Springfield), who threatens anyone who tries to sell houses on "the west side."
• Ms. Albright, the Sunday School Teacher seen in "Homer's Triple Bypass" and "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment".
• Mrs. Glick, the elderly shut-in lady (replacing original voice actress Cloris Leachman)
• Bernice Hibbert, the recovering alcoholic wife of Julius Hibbert
• Brunella Pommelhorst, the stern school gym teacher (first mentioned by name only in season six's "The PTA Disbands")
• Poor Violet, the Dickensian little orphan girl
• Crazy Cat Lady, the psychotic old woman surrounded by pet cats she frequently hurls
• Gino Terwilliger, Sideshow Bob's son seen in the season 17 episode, "The Italian Bob".
• Lunchlady Doris in the season 18 episode, "The Mook, the Chef, the Wife, and Her Homer" and the season 19 episode, "The Debarted", replacing Doris Grau.
• Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon, Apu's wife (only for the season 13 episode "The Sweetest Apu"; Manjula is usually voiced by Jan Hooks)
• Belle, the burlesque house Madam from "Bart After Dark"
• Mrs. Muntz, Nelson Muntz's mother (first heard in "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken", first seen in "'Tis the Fifteenth Season" and again in The Simpsons Movie)
• Colin, an Irish boy in The Simpsons Movie
• Various other characters

[edit] Voices on Futurama

• Mom, the owner of Mom's Friendly Robot Company and series antagonist.
• Linda, the cohost of Good Morning, Earth
• Hattie McDoogal, the crazy, old cat lady
• Tinny Tim, a Tiny Tim-esque child robot first seen in "Xmas Story"
• Munda, Turanga Leela's long-lost mother
• Fanny, wife of Donbot
• Deep Blue
• Monique, a fembot who appears in All My Circuits
• Ndnd, Lrrr's wife, from Omicron Persei VIII (pronounced nn-NN-da prior to season two, and nn-da NN-da in season three)
• Vyolet
• Petunia
• The Slurm Queen
• Guenter, the hyper-intelligent monkey from the episode "Mars University."
• Various one-shot characters

Disney character roles[link]

• Additional voices (Dinosaur Activity Center CD Rom)
• Anastasia Tremaine (Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, Cinderella III: A Twist in Time and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep)
• Aunt Sarah (Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure)
• Bee (WordWorld)
• Daisy Duck current voice
• Mother Penguin and Baby Penguin (The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea)
• Shenzi (Timon & Pumbaa, The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure, Kingdom Hearts II) (Shenzi is usually voiced by Whoopi Goldberg)
• Hoonah (Brother Bear 2)
• Female Ancestors and Villager Woman (Mulan II)
• Bonnie (Experiment 149), Gigi (a.k.a. Yapper, Experiment 007) and Topper (Experiment 025) (Lilo & Stitch: The Series)
• Chip, Gadget Hackwrench (Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers)
• Chip 'n Dale (Mickey Mouse Works, House of Mouse)
• The Fates on Hercules and House of Mouse
• Hyacinth Hippo (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?)
• Lady Bane, Marzipan (Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears)
• Madame Upanova (House of Mouse)
• Merryweather (Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams, Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep)
• Millionara Vanderbucks (Duck Tales)
• Margot Yale, District Attorney and Wife of Bradnon Yale (Gargoyles)
• Fang (Dave the Barbarian)
• Ros (Upin & Ipin) current voice
• Queen Liliana the Strigoi (American Dragon: Jake Long)

Other roles[link]

• Art Collector (The Heart of No Place)
• Kala the Neutrino and Tempestra (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
• Lucy (Music video for "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Ricky")
• Stacy Renee (The Boondocks)
• Multiple female voices on the short-lived animated series Dilbert, including the secretary Carol.
• Hydia (My Little Pony 'n Friends)
• Flo's Mother, Lottie Johnstone (Germbusters: The Animated Series)
• Hoodsey Bishop (As Told by Ginger)
• Dot (Animaniacs)
• Hello Nurse (Animaniacs)
• Skater Kat (Muppet Babies)
• Wicked Witch of the West (The Wizard of Oz TV Series)
• Trish Johnson (Story Time with Gibbon and Luke)
• Marita the Hippo (Animaniacs)
• Ms. Devine (Zazoo U)
• Humphrey the Hippo (The Critic)
• Bab Prokofiev (How I Loved A Macho Boy)
• Babs Bunny, Rubella Rat (Tiny Toon Adventures)
• Penelope the Parrot (Reader Rabbit Math Adventures Ages 6–9)
• Soccer Mom (Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry)
• World's Oldest Woman, Pepper Mills, Toast, Cho-Cho, and Susanna Susquahanna (Histeria!)
• Ms. Banshee (The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper)
• Charlotte Pickles (Rugrats and All Grown Up!)
• Pookie/Grandma Gertie (Hey Arnold!)
• Mayor Dixie (Hey Arnold!)
• Jain (Fallout)
• Mrs. Hippopotamus (The New Woody Woodpecker Show)
• Tandi (Fallout 2)
• Girl (Kids' CBC)
• Suzi (Full Throttle)
• Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun (Toonstruck)
• Merla (Voltron)
• Deputy Mayor Callie Briggs (SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron)
• Colleen (Road Rovers)
• Mama Swimmer, Mama Flyer (The Land Before Time series)
• Dil and Ali's mom (The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists)
• Wizzy & Wigg (The Zula Patrol)
• Osono (Kiki's Delivery Service)
• Boss's Wife (Castle in the Sky)
• Red Gorilla (The Electric Company)
• Bertha/Lunchlady Irma/Miss Lemon (Recess)
• Housewife (The Animatrix)
• Mrs. Peenman, Stanley Ipkiss's grouchy landlady (The Mask: The Animated Series)
• Hama (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
• Jean-Pierre Orleans (El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera)
• The Mayor (Firehouse Tales)
• Obaba (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind)
• Shige Yamano (My Neighbors the Yamadas)
• Okiyo (English dub of the anime Pom Poko)
• Antonia Chillingsworth (The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury)
• Cobra Queen, Debbie Douglas, Dot (one episode) (Freakazoid)
• Sarah Ravencroft (Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost)
• Mary Todd Lincoln (Hard Drinkin' Lincoln)
• Twinkle/Diva Weed (Twinkle, the Dream Being)
• Queen Scowleen and Ursa Major (MoonDreamers)
• Doris, various characters (The Critic)
• Betty Boop (Commercials)
• Wubbzy's Grandma (Wow Wow Wubbzy)
• Laura Carrot and Madame Blueberry (Veggietales)
• Curious Camilla (Curious George)
• Prissy, Airplane Worker, Queen of the United Kingdom (Tweety's High-Flying Adventure)
• Mrs. Finster, Chicken #2, and Ma (Random! Cartoons)
• News reporter (Olive, the Other Reindeer)
• Penelope Pussycat (Carrotblanca)

Video game roles[link]

• Rise of the Dragon (1993) - Karyn Sommers
• Full Throttle (1995) - Suzi, Leader of the Vultures
• 9: The Last Resort (1996) - Guitar Muse, Tapestry Room Voice
• Toonstruck - (1996) - Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun/Ms. Fortune/Marge/'Mistress' Marge/Bouncer/Chipper/Sparky/Sam Shmaltz's secretary
• Mortimer and the Riddles of the Medallion (1996) - Baboon/Elephant/Elf Owl/Long-nosed bat
• Someone's in the Kitchen! (1996) - Mother Chill/Nuke/Ms. Dish
• The Simpsons: Virtual Springfield (1997) - Additional Voices
• Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (1997) - Additional Voices
• Fallout (1997) - Jain
• Clayfighter 63⅓ (1997) - Taffy, Lady Liberty of the Sculptor's Cut, High Five of the Sculptor's Cut
• 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue - Yvonne the Bat
• Animaniacs Game Pak (1998) - Dot Warner
• Fallout 2 (1998) - Tandi
• Animaniacs Splat Ball (1999) - Dot
• Donkey Kong 64 (1999) - Tiny Kong
• Villains' Revenge (1999) - Mrs. Jumbo, Queen Of Hearts
• Lego Island 2: The Brickster's Revenge (1999) - Pepper
• Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000) - Edwina/Royal High Priestess Senityili/ Lady Tiana
• Banjo-Kazooie - Blue Eggs (voice only)
• Escape from Monkey Island (2000) - Daisy/Mabel The Tourist
• Forgotten Realms: Icewind Dale (2000) - Additional Voices
• Mickey's Speedway USA (2000) - Daisy Duck
• Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour (2000) - Chip, Polly Roger, Otto Plugnut
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire CD-ROM: Sports Edition (2000) - Eleanor/Genny
• Disney Golf (2002) - Daisy
• Kingdom Hearts (English version) (2002) - Daisy Duck, Queen Of Hearts
• Run Like Hell (2002) - Scout
• Stitch Experiment 626 (2002) - voice
• The Simpsons: Hit & Run (2003) - Agnes Skinner/Others
• Futurama (2003) - Mom/Linda
• Toontown Online (2005) - Daisy Duck
• Kingdom Hearts II (English version) (2006) - Daisy Duck, Chip, Merryweather, Kanga, Shenzi
• The Simpsons Game (2007) - Various voices
• Bee Movie Game (2007) - Jeanette Chung
• Germbusters (2010) - Flo's Mother/Lottie Johnstone
• Germbusters 2: Germbusters Strike Again! (2010) - Flo's Mother/Lottie Johnstone
• Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (English version) (2010) - Daisy Duck, Chip, Merryweather, Anastasia
• Epic Mickey (2010) - Ortensia and animatronic Daisy Duck

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tress MacNeille at the Internet Movie Database

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2008)

Cheech Marin
Marin in Vancouver during the 2008 Light up Canada tour
Birth name	Richard Anthony Marin
Born	(1946-07-13) July 13, 1946 (age 65) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up
Nationality	American
Years active	1971–present
Genres	Latin comedy, stoner comedy
Subject(s)	Recreational drug use, drug culture
Influences	Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Mort Sahl, Bill Cosby, Jonathan Winters
Influenced	Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, George Lopez, Russell Peters, Mitch Hedberg, Ron White, Jackie Martling
Spouse	Darlene Morley (1975-1984), Patti Head (1986-?), Natasha Rubin (2009-present)

Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin (born July 13, 1946) is an American comedian, actor and writer who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as Don Johnson's partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez on Nash Bridges. He has also voiced characters in several Disney films, including Oliver and Company, The Lion King, Cars, its sequel and Beverly Hills Chihuahua.

Marin's trademark is his character's thickly Mexican-accented voice. This is part of a comic persona, rather than a natural accent (Marin was born and raised in the U.S.).

Early life[link]

Marin, a Mexican American,^[1][2] was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Elsa (née Meza), a secretary, and Oscar Marin, a policeman in the LAPD.^[3] Marin was born with a cleft lip, which has long since been repaired. Although he speaks Spanish and uses it in some of his movies, he is not particularly fluent.^[4]

Marin's nickname "Cheech" is short for "chicharron", a fried pork skin that is a popular snack in Mexican cuisine^[5] and a favorite of marijuana smokers afflicted with "the munchies", and the nickname's alliteration with Chong's surname made "Cheech and Chong" an obvious choice for the name of the duo. The name of this character gave rise to the popular term "cheeched", meaning "under the influence of marijuana, usually at a relatively high dose".

Marin graduated from Bishop Alemany High School, located in California's San Fernando Valley, as well as from California State University Northridge, where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa. Marin auditioned to sing for Frank Zappa in 1967, but moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in September to avoid the U.S. draft during the height of the Vietnam War.^[6] In Vancouver, Marin met his future comedic partner Tommy Chong.

Career[link]

Comedy albums and films[link]

As a part of the highly successful comedy duo Cheech & Chong, Marin participated in a number of comedy albums and feature film comedies in the 1970s and 1980s. Tommy Chong directed four of their films, while co-writing and starring in all seven with Cheech Marin.

Later films and television work[link]

After he and Tommy Chong went their separate ways in 1985, Marin starred in a number of films as a solo actor, most notably Born in East L.A., Tin Cup, and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

Marin made the transition to full-time television work when he co-starred on the short-lived The Golden Girls spin-off The Golden Palace (1992–1993), and later with Don Johnson, Jaime P. Gomez and Yasmine Bleeth in the police show Nash Bridges (1996–2001), in which they played San Francisco police-detective partners. In recent years he has been active in playing supporting roles in films and performing voice overs for animated features. After appearing in a supporting role in Judging Amy, playing an independently wealthy landscape designer, Marin starred in the CBS sitcom Rob, with Rob Schneider.

Marin is a favorite of director Robert Rodriguez, who has worked with Marin seven times; the last two installments of the Mexico trilogy, the Spy Kids trilogy, From Dusk Till Dawn and Machete. He provided his voice for several Disney animated films, most notably Tito in Oliver & Company (1988), Banzai in The Lion King (1994) and Ramone in Cars (2006) and Cars 2 (2011). He also reprised the Banzai role in Kingdom Hearts II. He made a small appearance as a dockworker in the movie Ghostbusters 2.

Children's music albums[link]

Marin has released two best-selling albums in the children's music genre, My Name is Cheech, the School Bus Driver (1992) and My Name is Cheech, The School Bus Driver "Coast to Coast" (1997). Both albums were released bilingually. In July 2007, Cheech Marin added children's book author to his list of accomplishments with the release of Cheech the School Bus Driver, illustrated by Orlando L. Ramirez (Published by HarperCollins).

Additional television appearances[link]

In late 2006, Marin participated in Simon Cowell's Celebrity Duets, having sung with Peter Frampton, Randy Travis, Clint Black, Aaron Neville, and Al Jarreau. He was the fourth to be eliminated. In that same year, he voiced as Gaspar Gomez in Scarface: The World Is Yours.

In recent years, Marin has had a recurring role in the hit television series Lost, playing David Reyes, Hurley's father.

He was a co-host for WWE Raw on March 1, 2010 with his comedy partner Tommy Chong, in Oklahoma City.

Cheech also sings on the hidden track "Earache My Eye" on Korn's album Follow the Leader.

On March 18, 2010, Marin beat journalist Anderson Cooper and actress Aisha Tyler on Celebrity Jeopardy!'s Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational. Cooper admitted he was "crushed" by Marin.^[7] Marin also won his semifinal round early May but lost in the May 6-7 final to Michael McKean. He had previously won the first Celebrity Jeopardy! tournament in 1992.^[8]

In January 2012, he was one of eight celebrities participating in the Food Network reality series Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off. He was eliminated on the third week of the competition.^[9]

Other interests[link]

Marin is one of the foremost collectors of Chicano art in the United States, and his private collection is claimed^{[by whom?]} as the most renowned. Two national touring exhibitions have featured works from his collection.

Marin is also an avid golfer, although he initially disliked the sport until he co-starred in Tin Cup.

Personal life[link]

Marin was married in 1975 to Darlene Morley, who co-produced Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers and also played minor roles in earlier Cheech & Chong films under the name Rikki Marin. The couple had one child and divorced in 1984.^[10] Marin married Patti Heid in 1986; they had two children and have since divorced.^[11] Marin married his longtime girlfriend, Russian pianist Natasha Rubin^[12] on August 8, 2009, in a sunset ceremony at their home.

Marin resides in California.^[13]

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

Television credits[link]

• Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (TV) (1990) ... Carnival Barkera
• Great Performances (TV) ... El Cosmico (1 episode, 1991)
• Ring of the Musketeers (TV)(1992) .... Burt Aramis
• The Golden Palace (TV)...Chuy Castillos (24 episodes, 1992–1993)
• Tales from the Crypt (TV)... Dr. Beneloy (1 episode, 1993)
• The Cisco Kid (TV)(1994) ... Pancho
• Married with Children (3 episodes, 1991–1994)...Buck's Voice
• Dream On (1994)... Waiter (1 episode, 1994)
• Santo Bugito (1995) TV Series .... Lencho the Flea (unknown episodes)
• The Courtyard (TV) (1995)... Angel Steiner
• Latino Laugh Festival (TV) (1996)... Host
• Happily Ever After: Fairytales For Every Child (TV) Character- "Hansel and Gretel"
• Tracey Takes On... (1996–1998).... Carlos (starred in only 2 episodes)
• Funny Flubs & Screw-Ups V (TV) (2000)...Host
• The 26th Annual People's Choice Awards (TV) (2000)...Host
• Resurrection Blvd. (TV) (2000)...as Hector Archuletta
• South Park (TV) (2000)...voiced as Carlos Ramirez (voiced in 1 episode \"Cherokee Hair Tampons\")
• Nash Bridges (TV) (2001)...as Inspector Joe Dominguez (1996–2001)
• Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales (TV) (2003)...as Himself
• George Lopez (TV) (2003)...as Lalo (Starred in the episode titled Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Honey)
• Lost (TV) (2007–2009)...as David Reyes (Hurley's Dad in the episodes Tricia Tanaka Is Dead, There's no Place Like Home and The Lie)
• Mind of Mencia (2008)...Gay man's father
• Grey's Anatomy (2008)...Otis (episode "Where the Wild Things Are")
• MADtv (2009) Himself
• WWE Raw (TV) (2010)...as Himself (Guest Host)
• Off the Map (TV) (2011)...as Papa
• The Simpsons (2011)...as Himself (Guest voice)
• Lopez Tonight (TV) (2011)...as Himself, George's celebrity father
• Rob (2012)...as Fernando
• LEGO Hero Factory (2012) as XT4
• Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off (2012)...as Himself (celebrity contestant)

Cheech and Chong comedy albums[link]

• Cheech and Chong (1971)
• Big Bambu (1972)
• Los Cochinos (1973)
• Cheech & Chong's Wedding Album (1974)
• Sleeping Beauty (1976)
• Up In Smoke (1978)
• Let's Make Another Dope Deal (1980)
• Get Out Of My Room (1985)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cheech Marin

• Official website
• Cheech Marin at the Internet Movie Database

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2011)

Jonathan Harris (born Jonathan Charasuchin; November 6, 1914 – November 3, 2002) was an American stage and film character actor. Two of his best-known roles were as the timid accountant Bradford Webster in the TV version of The Third Man, and the comic villain Dr. Zachary Smith, in the 1960s sci-fi television series, Lost in Space. Near the end of his career, he provided the voice of "Manny", a praying mantis in the animated feature A Bug's Life.^[1]

Early life[link]

The second of three children, Harris was born to a poor family in The Bronx, New York. His parents were Sam and Jennie Charasuchin, Russian immigrants who eked out a living in Manhattan's garment district. His family resided in a six-tenant apartment complex. To raise money, his mother took in boarders, some of whom were given Jonathan's bed, forcing Jonathan to sleep in the dining room. From the age of 12, he worked as a pharmacy clerk. While there was little money for luxuries, Jonathan's father took efforts to expand his son's cultural horizons. This included trips to the Yiddish Theatre, where he was encouraged by his father to listen to opera. Young Jonathan was enthralled. He discarded his Bronx accent and began to cultivate more sophisticated English tones.

Although he could seldom afford tickets, Broadway plays were also an interest. Before graduation from James Monroe High School in 1931 (at age 16), he had also become interested in archeology, Latin, romantic poetry and, inevitably, Shakespeare. He didn't fit amongst his peers (especially Estelle Reiner — mother of future actor/director, Rob Reiner, who was one of his classmates) with the exception of his girlfriend, Gertrude Bregman, whom he subsequently married.

In 1932, aged 17, he legally changed his named from "Charasuchin" to "Harris", apparently without informing his parents. That same year, Harris's work at the pharmacy led him to attending Fordham University in New York, where he majored in pharmacology. He graduated in 1936, and worked in several drugstores (chemists).

Career[link]

Stage[link]

Acting was Harris's first love. At 24, he prepared a fake résumé and tried out a repertory company at the Millpond Playhouse in Long Island, New York and appeared in several of this troupe's plays, prior to landing a spot in The Red Company. In 1942, Jonathan won the leading role of a Polish officer in the Broadway play The Heart of a City. Adopting a Polish accent, he advised the producers that his parents were originally from Poland. In 1946, he starred in A Flag Is Born, opposite Quentin Reynolds and Marlon Brando.

Television[link]

Harris became a popular character actor for 30 years on television, making his first guest appearance on an episode of The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre in 1949. The part led to other roles in such shows as: The Web, Lights Out, Goodyear Television Playhouse, Sanford and Son, 2 episodes of Hallmark Hall of Fame, Armstrong Circle Theatre, 3 episodes of Studio One, Telephone Time, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Climax!, The Outlaws, The Twilight Zone, Bonanza, The Rogues, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, among many others.

Harris returned to television, where he landed a co-starring role opposite Michael Rennie in The Third Man, from 1959-65. He played Bradford Webster, an eccentric, cowardly assistant. Half the episodes were shot in London, England; the rest were filmed in Hollywood. Harris' teenaged son would visit the set at this time, and Harris did whatever he could to bridge the gap between father and son and tried to make up for lost time.

From 1963-65, Harris co-starred in the sitcom The Bill Dana Show. He played Mr. Phillips, the pompous manager of a posh hotel who is constantly at odds with his bumbling Bolivian bellhop, "José Jiménez" (Bill Dana). This formula presaged the popular John Cleese hotel comedy, Fawlty Towers.

Don Adams rounded out the cast as an inept house detective — his character, dialog, and other comedy bits would soon carry over into his "Maxwell Smart" role on Get Smart. In similar fashion, several of Harris' one-liners from the show (such as "Oh, the pain!"), along with many character mannerisms, became part of the Dr. Zachary Smith character on Lost in Space. In an apparent homage to his earlier role, Harris played a similarly pompous diplomat on Get Smart in 1970. His female assistant is named "Zachary". He also guest-starred on The Ghost & Mrs. Muir. His last series guest-starring role was on an episode of Fantasy Island.

[edit] As Doctor Zachary Smith in Lost in Space

Harris beat out two other actors for the role of conniving, cowardly agent Dr. Zachary Smith on Lost In Space for CBS. The character did not appear in the original 1965 pilot episode (nor did The Robot). The series was already in production when he joined the cast and the starring/co-starring billings had already been contractually assigned, so Harris received a "Special Guest Star" credit on every episode. Also starring on the show were several popular actors including: Guy Williams as Prof. John Robinson, June Lockhart as John's wife, Maureen Robinson, Mark Goddard as Dr. Smith's long-suffering/handsome space adversary, Maj. Don West, and Angela Cartwright as middle child, Penny Robinson, including a couple unfamiliar stars such as: Marta Kristen as John's and Maureen's older child, Judy Robinson and Bill Mumy as John's and Maureen's younger child and friend of Dr. Smith, Will Robinson.

A strong bond developed between Harris, Mumy, and some of the rest of the cast during the show's three-year tenure, and all thanks to Harris's contribution. From its debut, it was successful, even though midway through the first season, it had competition from another newcomer, Batman, which dominated the ratings. The show continued the tradition of such successful 1960s sci-fi series such as Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Midway through the first season, due to Harris' popularity on the show, he began to rewrite the dialogue. Allen approved his changes and gave him carte blanche to become a writer. Harris stole the show, mainly via a list of alliterative insults that soon worked their way into popular speech. When the show was renewed for its third and final season, it remained focused on Harris's character, Dr. Smith. While the series was still solidly placed in the middle of the ratings pack, the writers appeared to run out of fresh ideas, and the show was unexpectedly canceled in 1968, after 83 episodes.

One of Harris's co-stars, Mark Goddard, said of the show's eventual shift toward Harris's character, "I guess it was because they felt that the people wanted to see more of the Robot and Jonathan. Originally, when it was more science fiction, Irwin can really do those things so beautifully. So he really took those away from himself when he wanted to deal with the Robot and Jonathan playing games, cooking soufflés, or whatever else."^{[citation needed]} Goddard was also asked if he had gotten along well with other castmates, other than Harris & Mumy:

No. There was a lot of tension on the set for the three years it was filmed. There was always a lot of tension, because the shows started going more toward the Robot and Smith. There were hard feelings from especially Guy and June, and also myself, but not as heavy as them, because they were originally sold as being the stars of the show when it began. It ended up that Harris became the star of the show," the last thing that he said, "I was friendly with everyone, pretty much. I think there was a period for a couple of months when I was angry at Jonathan Harris, for the same reasons, feeling that he was getting too many shows thrown his way. But we talk today. I see him, and there's no animosity between us. But I also had my disagreements with Guy Williams. When they started taking shows away from Guy, giving more to Jonathan, then Guy would come in and demand whatever I had in the show: any confrontations with Smith, or to save the kid, or anything. He'd end up doing all of that and I was the one that got squeezed out; I was doing almost nothing. There was one time where I went in to do a bit and had learned my lines, and was all ready to do my scene, when Guy started reading my lines. I said 'What's going on?' and he said 'This is my scene now.' They had given the lines to him. And that's where I got angry and walked off.

After a reunion of the entire surviving cast on June 14, 1995, Goddard continued to stay in touch with Harris until his friend's death, late in 2002.

Bill Mumy said about Harris' guest role that in his first episode, "It was actually implied that this villainous character that sabotaged the mission and ended up with us, was going to be killed off after a while." Mumy added, "Jonathan played him as written, which was this really dark, straight-ahead villain, who was trying to murder women and children."^{[citation needed]} Mumy also said of Harris's work on Space, "And we'd start working on a scene together, and he'd have a line, and then in the script I'd have my reply, and he'd say, 'No, no, no, dear boy. No, no, no. Before you say that, The Robot will say this, this, this, this, this, this, and this, and then, you'll deliver your line.'" Bill also said of Harris' portrayal, "He truly, truly singlehandedly created the character of Dr. Zachary Smith that we know — this man, we love-to-hate, coward who would cower behind the little boy, 'Oh, the pain! Save me, William!' That's all him!" About the show's cancellation, Mumy said, "I don't know what happened. All I know is that we were all told we're coming back. Then, you know we got a call that we weren't." The death of Harris' father in 1977 drew Harris and Mumy closer. The two kept in touch for almost 35 years until Harris' death. On June 14, 1995, Mumy and the rest of the crew paid tribute to series' creator Irwin Allen, who died late in 1991. In 1996, Mumy was reunited with Harris alongside Leonard Nimoy (of Star Trek fame), at a Disney World convention. It was also reported in 1997 that Mumy, Harris and the rest of the surviving cast appeared on the inside cover of TV Guide to promote the new movie, while the Sci-Fi Channel would feature a Lost in Space marathon. In the actual 1965 television premiere of Lost in Space, the blast-off of the Jupiter 2 is set in the future on October 16, 1997. The Sci-Fi Channel began the Lost in Space marathon in real-time 32 years later on October 16, 1997.

Typecasting[link]

Although he is considered something of a cult icon for this role, Harris became typecast as the fey villain. Allen cast him as a villainous "Pied Piper" in an episode of Land of the Giants. Approached by Irwin Allen, a second time, to star in a children's series, Jumbalina and the Teeners, Harris turned it down. In 1970, Harris played the role of another not-so-likeable villain, when he guest starred as the Bulmanian Ambassador in the Get Smart episode, "How Green Was My Valet." A more favorable guest role of Harris' was his portrayal of Charles Dickens in a 1963 episode of Bonanza. He also appeared in two 1961 episodes of The Twilight Zone.

Premier voice-over actor and guest starring roles[link]

Harris spent most of the remainder of his career as a voice actor, heard in television commercials as well as cartoons such as Channel Umptee-3, The Banana Splits, My Favorite Martians, Rainbow Brite, Darkwing Duck, Happily Ever After, Problem Child, Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light (giving a master class in sycophancy as lackey to the main villain), Freakazoid! (reprising the Smith character and dialogue under the name "Professor Jones,") A Bug's Life, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and Toy Story 2. He also had several cameo and guest appearances, including Zorro, Bewitched, Fantasy Island, Sanford and Son and Uncle Croc's Block. Harris also provided the voiceover of the Cylon character "Lucifer" on the original Battlestar Galactica series.

Harris taught drama and gave voice lessons to Chuck Norris where Norris credited him in Good Guys Wear Black.^[2]

He starred in the Saturday morning children's series Space Academy and Uncle Croc's Block in the mid-seventies, and was a well-known TV spokesman for the International House of Pancakes. In 2009 his final performance was finally released. He had done a recording session in 2001 for a short animated film titled The Bolt Who Screwed Christmas in which he plays the Narrator and "The Bolt". He died about a year after his recording session, long before the independent film was completed. The film also features voiceover work by Bill Mumy, Angela Cartwright and Marta Kristen, their parts added to the film after his death as a small tribute with the film dedicated in his memory.

Later career[link]

In 1990, Harris reunited with the cast of Lost In Space to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show's debut, an event attended by more than 30,000 fans. Harris (alongside June Lockhart, Mark Goddard, Marta Kristen, Bill Mumy and Angela Cartwright) also appeared in a 1995 television tribute to Irwin Allen, who had died four years prior.

Harris reprised his role as Dr. Smith in the one-hour TV special Lost in Space Forever in 1998, and again in The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen. However, unlike his costars in the original show (June Lockhart, Mark Goddard, Marta Kristen and Angela Cartwright) he refused to make a cameo appearance in the motion picture version of Lost in Space later that year. He announced, "I've never played a bit part in my life and I'm not going to start now!" (Bill Mumy also did not appear in the feature film.) Gary Oldman played the part of Dr. Smith in the film, but as a more genuinely menacing and less likeable character than Harris' on TV. An episode of The Simpsons has a cameo of "Dr. Smith" along with The Robot; multiple episodes of Freakazoid had a character of a cowardly "Professor Jones"; in both "Professor Jones" utters his catchphrase "Oh, the pain!" In case there was any question about the parody, numerous characters would ask him, "Weren't you on a TV show with a robot?"

During the months leading up to the film's release, the Sci-Fi Channel aired Lost In Space marathons in many markets, in which each of the actors were interviewed. On April 9, 1998, Harris appeared as a guest on the talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien, where Harris fondly reminisced about his Lost In Space days, admitting he would stay up nights thinking of new insults for The Robot ("bellicose bumpkin", "bubble-headed booby") because he enjoyed the interaction so much. Host O'Brien brought one of his characters, Pimp-Bot 5000 (a "robot pimp"), onto the set, and Harris went into character as Dr. Smith and proceeded to insult Pimp-Bot. Shying away from his usual dry, sarcastic, and often self-deprecating style, Conan confessed to Harris that he brought him on the show just to have him insult Pimp-Bot, and that the moment made his day.

Hobbies[link]

Throughout his long life, Jonathan had a number of hobbies: cooking, watching movies, reading, traveling, painting, magic, playing piano (he played a piano teacher in a 1968 episode of Bewitched), listening to opera, spending time with children, gardening and knitting. He also did some dancing in his spare time. According to the A&E Biography, on one episode of Lost In Space, Jonathan's character, Dr. Smith, did a groovy 1960s dance with Penny and Will Robinson (Angela Cartwright and Bill Mumy).

Personal life[link]

Jonathan was married to his high school sweetheart, Gertrude Bregman, from 1938 until his death. They have a son, Richard (born 1942).^[3]

Harris' father, Sam Charasuchin, was struck and killed in a car accident in New York City in 1977. He was 83 years old at the time of his death.^[4]

In late 2002, Harris and the rest of the surviving cast of the TV series were preparing for a two-hour movie entitled Lost In Space: The Journey Back Home.^[5] However, just before the movie was about to film, he was taken to the hospital where he had a back problem, which led to his suffering heart failure.

Harris was a mentor, and a close personal friend to writer/producer/director William Winckler.

Death[link]

Jonathan Harris died on November 3, 2002, in Encino, California of a blood clot to the heart, just three days before his 88th birthday. He was survived by his wife Gertrude and his son Richard, along with two sisters and two grandchildren.^[6] Among his eulogists was castmate and decades-long friend Bill Mumy. His widow, Gertrude (Bregman) Harris, died of natural causes, on August 28, 2007, at the age of 93.

Quotes[link]

• Jonathan on his characteristic accent: "I'm not British, just affected". (Source: biography.com)

• On receiving a guest-starring role for every episode of Lost In Space: "That was the first time ever in history that anybody got Special Guest Star. I started that whole nonsense". (Source: brainyquote.com)

• On the cancellation of Lost in Space: "When the curtain comes down, you're disappointed. Always, the curtain comes down. I've done so much work, and then the curtain comes down and you go on to something else". (Source: biography.com)

• When his father finally arrived at the theatre to see his son: "He came to the dressing room, gave me a hug and a kiss and said, 'You belong here.' I never forgot it". (Source: biography.com)

• Jonathan on trying his hand on being a leading man of the 1940s: "I thought I was Cary Grant. Oh, I looked into the mirror, and said, 'Yes, Yes. It's Cary Grant'. And then, I pulled myself together and said, 'Are you kidding?' You're a character man". (Source: biography.com)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jonathan Harris at the Internet Movie Database
• Jonathan Harris at the Internet Broadway Database
• Jonathan Harris, the man, the myth, the legend
• The Bolt Who Screwed Christmas, Final Film of Jonathan Harris

Charles Michael "Charlie" Adler (born October 2, 1956) is an American voice actor and voice director. His most famous voice credits include The Smurfs, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, Tiny Toon Adventures, SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, Cow and Chicken, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, I Am Weasel and Rocko's Modern Life. He is also best known as the voice of the Decepticon Starscream in the Transformers film series.

Life & career[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2012)

Adler is originally from New Jersey. He has recently achieved fame for starring in Michael Bay's live-action film Transformers film series, providing the voice of Starscream, after having voiced the characters of Silverbolt and Triggerhappy in The Transformers. Just as Chris Latta voiced both Starscream and Cobra Commander in the Sunbow/Marvel cartoons, and also Michael Dobson, Adler is the current voice of Cobra Commander in G.I. Joe: Resolute and G.I. Joe: Renegades, as well as voicing the character in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, with Faran Tahir potraying him physically in the role.

In 1984 and 1985, Adler starred in Torch Song Trilogy, in New York, before moving to California in 1986.^[1]

Notable roles[link]

Animated roles[link]

• 2 Stupid Dogs – Greg
• Aaahh!!! Real Monsters – Ickis
• Aladdin – Mechanicles
• Bonkers – Mr. Doodles, Additional Voices
• Brandy & Mr. Whiskers – Mr. Whiskers
• Beavis and Butt-head – Mr. Adler
• BraveStarr – Deputy Fuzz and Tex Hex
• Camp Lazlo! – Bear
• Capitol Critters – Jammett
• Channel Umptee-3 – Additional Voices
• Cow and Chicken – Cow, Chicken, Cousin Boneless Chicken, The Red Guy
• Cro – Earle, Mojo, Steamer
• Darkwing Duck – Andy Ape, Major Trenchrot, cute little lost bunny
• Dino-Riders – Rasp, Rulon Hammerhead
• Droopy, Master Detective – Dripple, Screwball Squirrel, Lightning Bolt the Super Squirrel
• Duckman – Additional Voices
• Earthworm Jim – Professor Monkey-For-A-Head
• Eek! The Cat – J.B., Granny, Professor Wiggly, Jasper, President Ross Perot, Additional Voices
• G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Low-Light
• G.I. Joe: Resolute – Cobra Commander, Stalker, Flint, Gung-Ho, The Hard Master, Cop
• G.I. Joe: Renegades – Cobra Commander, Buzzer, Monkeywrench, additional voices
• I Am Weasel – I.R. Baboon, The Red Guy, Additional Voices
• Jem – Eric Raymond, Zipper, Techrat
• Klutter! – Additional Voices
• LEGO Hero Factory – Corroder, Chief Drax, Speeda Demon
• Little Clowns of Happytown – Pranky
• Loonatics Unleashed – Optimatus
• Mad Jack the Pirate – Additional Voices
• Mickey Mouse: The Prince and the Pauper - Weasels, pig driver, peasant, man on street
• Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures – Bruce Vein the Bat-Bat
• My Little Pony – Spike
• Once Upon a Forest – Waggs
• Ozzy & Drix – General Malaise
• Paddington Bear – Paddington Bear
• Pet Alien – Dinko, Flip, Dr. Daffodil, Gepetto
• The Pound Puppies- Flack
• Pound Puppies- Shadow Monster(uncredited)
• Project G.e.e.K.e.R. – Dr. Maston
• Random! Cartoons – Bossy LeCow, Raging Bullfrog, Finister #2, Pilot #2, Evil Leader, and Space Thug
• Rocko's Modern Life – Ed Bighead, Bev Bighead, Mr. and Mrs. Fathead, Gladys the Big Hippo Lady, George Wolfe, Grandpa Wolfe, Mr. Dupette
• Sonic the Hedgehog – Snively Kintobor
• Space Goofs – Candy Caramella
• SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron – T-Bone (Chance Furlong), Murray, Fango, Various others
• TaleSpin – Mad Dog, Hacksaw, Howard Huge
• Tales from the Crypt – Smokey the Pig
• The Flintstone Kids – Cavey Jr.
• The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy – Additional Voices
• The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound - News Anchorman, Pig, Pinky Dalton
• The Mask: The Animated Series – Pete
• The Mighty Ducks – Dr. Droid
• The Pound Puppies- Flack
• The Schnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show – Chafe
• The Smurfs – Natural Smurf/Nat Smurfling
• The Super Hero Squad Show – Captain Britain, Doctor Doom, Doombots, Melter, Sabretooth, Wrecker, Super-Skrull, Cynthia Von Doom
• The Terrible Thunderlizards – Bill, Biff, Dr. Steggy
• The Tick - Sacastro
• The Transformers – Triggerhappy, Silverbolt, Duros, Vorath, Dirk Manus
• The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat – Felix the Cat (2nd Time) and Felix's vacuum cleaner
• Timon & Pumbaa – The Pink Rabbit
• Tiny Toon Adventures – Buster Bunny, Roderick Rat
• Tom and Jerry Kids – Dripple
• Toonsylvania – Additional Voices
• Wolverine and the X-Men – Mojo

Live-action roles[link]

• Wizards of Waverly Place – Voice of Report Card (in "Report Card")
• G.I. Joe: Retaliation – Voice of Cobra Commander

Film roles[link]

• Aladdin – Gazeem, melon merchant, nuts merchant
• Cool World – Nails the Spider
• Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby – Rocky
• Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation - Buster Bunny
• The haunted world of El Superbeasto -krongar, Mooney McMoon, Albino Singer
• The Little Troll Prince – Stav
• Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry – Grammy
• Transformers – Starscream
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – Starscream
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Starscream

Video game roles[link]

• Atomic Bomberman – Additional Voices
• Blazing Dragons – Mervin, The Piper, Brute, Sir Juicealot, Policeman
• Cartoon Network Racing - Chicken, Cow, Red Guy, I.R. Baboon
• ClayFighter 63⅓ – T. Hoppy, Dr. Kiln
• Fallout – Harold
• Fallout 2 – Harold
• MadWorld – Jude the Dude, Frank, Killseeker A
• Marvel Super Hero Squad – Doctor Doom, Doombots, Sabretooth
• Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds – Super-Skrull
• Planescape: Torment – Ignus
• Psychonauts – Coach Oleander
• Tiny Toon Adventures: Defenders of the Universe - Buster Bunny
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – Starscream
• Toy Story 3: The Video Game - Wheezy
• Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3: Night of the Quinkan – Redback Jack
• Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 - Super-Skrull

Crew work[link]

• All Grown Up - Voice Director
• Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic - Voice Director
• Dead Space: Downfall - Voice Director
• Holly Hobbie and Friends: Christmas Wishes - Voice Director
• Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet - Voice Director
• The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack - Voice Director
• Me, Eloise - Voice Director
• The Replacements - Voice Director
• Rocket Power - Voice Director
• Rugrats Go Wild! - Voice Director
• The Rugrats Movie - Voice Director
• Stressed Eric - Voice Director
• Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald - Voice Director
• The Wild Thornberrys Movie - Voice Director
• The Wild Thornberrys - Voice Director

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Charlie Adler at the Internet Movie Database

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2011)

Rob Paulsen
Paulsen at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con International.
Born	Robert Fredrick Paulsen III (1956-03-11) March 11, 1956 (age 56) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation	Voice actor, singer
Years active	1981–present
Spouse	Parrish Todd
Children	Ashton Paulsen

Robert Fredrick "Rob" Paulsen III (born March 11, 1956), sometimes credited as Rob Paulson, is an American voice actor and singer, best known as the voice behind Raphael from the 1987 cartoon of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Yakko Warner and Dr. Otto Scratchansniff from Animaniacs, Pinky from Pinky and the Brain and Animaniacs, Rev Runner from Loonatics Unleashed, and Throttle from the 1990s and 2006 versions of Biker Mice From Mars.^[1] His role as Pinky won him a Daytime Emmy Award for male vocal performance.

In total, Paulsen has been the voice of over 250 different animated characters and performed in over 1000 commercials. He continues to play minor parts in dozens of cartoons as well as supporting characters in animated movies.

Personal life[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2011)

Paulsen was born in Detroit, Michigan. He is married to Parrish Todd and has one son, Ashton. In an interview with a Chicago TV station, Paulsen described himself as "a singer who decided to become an actor." Growing up in Grand Blanc, Michigan, Paulsen sang in choir throughout his youth and adolescence and began performing in plays in grammar school. However, his idol growing up was Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings; he considered the arts to be a secondary career choice, primarily interested in becoming a professional hockey player.

Paulsen has long supported charity organizations, and donated considerably for cancer research. He has worked a lot for GOALmodels, a program for adolescents, and is a sponsor of Camp Will-A-Way, a camp for mentally and physically disabled children. Paulsen also donates funds from autographs to the Wounded Warrior Project and Operation Smile.

Career[link]

Early career[link]

He began his voice over career at Hanna-Barbera on The Smurfs animated television show as an extra in 1981. A few years later, his career launched into more substantial roles such as Tripwire, Cobra Slavemaster, and Snow Job on G.I. Joe, Corky on The Snorks, Boober on the animated version of Fraggle Rock, and the villain "Jesse Blue" on Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs.

During the 1980s Paulsen also explored the field of live action cinema. His first movie was Eyes of Fire in 1983. He played supporting roles in Body Double, Stewardess School, Mutant on the Bounty, and Warlock. He appeared in television shows during this time as well, such as MacGyver and St. Elsewhere. He mentioned in an interview, regarding his role in Body Double, that he would not want his child (who was very young at the time of the interview) to see the movie, so he could not really be proud of his work.

Paulsen's first major role was in 1987, as "Raphael" in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series.

Advertising[link]

Paulsen became more prevalent in the world of advertising as well. In the 1980s he had been the announcer for the sitcom Cheers and continued to secure roles as an announcer. He appeared as the voice of "Mr. Opportunity", spokesman of Honda commercials on TV and radio, the announcer for Buffalo Dick's Radio Ranch, and the spokesman for Lucky Stores, a West-coast grocery store chain, before it was acquired by Albertsons in 1998. He provided the voice of "Dog" in the Taco Bell kids meal commercials from 1996 to mid-1997, with Eddie Deezen as the voice of "Nacho" the cat.

However Paulsen's most famous advertising role was in the original commercial of the now ubiquitous Got Milk? campaign. The famous commercial, Who Shot Alexander Hamilton?, aired in 1993, and launched the Got Milk? campaign into a monstrously successful enterprise. Paulsen continues to be one of the most sought-after commercial voice actors in the industry.

He can be currently heard as the voice of singing Mini-Wheat in the Mini-Wheats commercials in Canada.

Tuning in to Spielberg[link]

Throughout the early 1990s, Paulsen continued to co-star in animated series, which allowed him to branch further into radio and television announcements and dropped live-action acting from his repertoire. In 1993, he voiced "Antoine D'Coolette" in ABC's series Sonic the Hedgehog, and "Arthur", an insecure accountant in a moth costume (wings included), in the superhero series The Tick in 1995.

In 1993, he starred as the title character in both Mighty Max and The Mask. Also at this time he starred in what became one of his most popular roles, "Yakko Warner" of Animaniacs. Paulsen also provided the voice of "Pinky" from Pinky and the Brain, a show which won him several Annie Awards and a Daytime Emmy in 1999.

He also did a number of characters in Tiny Toon Adventures, including "Fowlmouth", "Arnold the Pit Bull", and "Concord Condor". In the direct-to-video movie Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation, he did the voices for "Banjo Possum", "Mr. Hitcher" (who would also appear in other episodes), and "Johnny Pew".

Current roles[link]

Paulsen in June 2011

Animation[link]

Paulsen has provided voices for a great amount of characters, among which are Yakko Warner, Dr. Otto Scratchansniff and Pinky in Animaniacs; Steelbeak in Darkwing Duck; "Brick" and "Boomer" in The Powerpuff Girls; Atchan in Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi; Spooky the Tuff Little Ghost in The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper; Ogden Ostrich in Channel Umptee-3; "Reuben" in Lilo & Stitch: The Series; "Jack Fenton," "Box Ghost," "Technus", and "The Ghost Vultures" in Danny Phantom; "Carl Wheezer" and "Butch" in Jimmy Neutron; "Mark Chang", "Mr. Birkenbake" and "Peppy Happy Gary" in The Fairly OddParents; Peck the Rooster in Barnyard, and Back at the Barnyard; and "Gordon" in the Nickelodeon cartoon Catscratch. He was also the voice of "Rothchild" in the early episodes of Samurai Jack. Additionally, Paulsen provided the voice of "PJ" in Goof Troop, the animated series starring Goofy.

He also voiced "Zeek" and "Joshua" in K10C: Kids' Ten Commandments, Rude Dog in Rude Dog and the Dweebs, and Archie the Raccoon, A.K.A., Ze Archer in "Mask of the Raccoon" on The Penguins of Madagascar. He reprised his role as "Throttle" in the 2006 Biker Mice from Mars, and played a role in The Boondocks as an art teacher. He also provided the voices of 2T Fru-T, Mike Ellis, Dark Comet and Ronald in the 2001 cartoon series Butt-Ugly Martians. He also portrayed the voice of Chomper in The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure, Spike and Rinkus in The Land Before Time sequels and Spike in the TV series, but Spike was played anonymously in the original The Land Before Time. Paulsen also played Mo in The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water.

It was not long before Paulsen returned to Warner Bros. Animation, which had diverged into a new era of television serials (following what is sometimes referred to as the "Silver Age of Animation"). Paulsen appeared as "Rev Runner" of the new show Loonatics Unleashed and stars in Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island. He also voiced "The Source" in the Teen Titans episode "Employee of the Month." He was also the voice of the character "Squeeky" on the TV show Danger Rangers. Paulsen also provides the voice for the Honda character "Mr. Opportunity." In the Rob Zombie animated film, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, Paulsen voices the characters "El Gato" and "Commandant Hess", among some others. He also has a role as "Ditto", one of the alien forms on Ben 10.

Paulsen is also the current voice of classic Disney character "José Carioca". Rob became the new voice of "Prince Eric" of Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea since Christopher Daniel Barnes failed to reprise the role. in 2000. He is also the voice of Peck the rooster and other minor characters in the Nickelodeon computer-animated series Back at the Barnyard and various minor characters on the Disney Channel animated series, The Replacements. One of the newer titles he is voiced in is the Tinker Bell line as Bobble. He also did the voices of Boober Fraggle, Sprocket and Marjory the Trash Heap in the animated version of Fraggle Rock. As well as Gwizdo in the Dragon Hunters movie.

Paulsen was best known to Transformers fans as the voices of the Autobots Air Raid, Chase, Haywire, Fastlane, Slingshot in The Transformers.

Video games[link]

In video gaming, much voice talent has bled over from television and radio voice actors. Paulsen has appeared in video games such as Doom 3 and Clay Fighter 63¹⁄₃. He plays "Fluffy", the Chinese-crested dog, in 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue, an Irish-talking pubtender in the 1996 video game Toonstruck, and "Morte", a floating, talking skull, in Planescape: Torment, as well as "Anomen Delryn" in Baldur's Gate II and "Gray Fox" in Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes and Super Smash Bros. Brawl as an assist trophy. He provides the voice for Erik the Swift of the Lost Vikings in its second installment. He portrays "Tobli" and "Lian Ronso" in the English version of Square Enix's Final Fantasy X-2 and has played the lead character in Bubsy. Although an extremely minor role, Paulsen has also done the voice for the Greek soldiers in God of War. He voiced Jaq and the Grand Duke from the Cinderella world in Square Enix's and Disney's Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. In the video game The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge, he does the voice of "Igor". He also reprised his role as "Yakko Warner", "Dr. Scratchansniff", and "Pinky" in Animaniacs: The Great Edgar Hunt. Rob Paulsen voiced the lead character, Lazarus Jones, in the PS2 game Ghosthunter, and played The Duck Avenger in Disney's Donald Duck Pk out of the shadows. Rob also voiced Alfredo Fettuccini, Bob the Ghost Pirate, Lookout and Ghost Priest in The Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition. He voiced the Fox and the Mouse in the Green Eggs and Ham PC game. He also voiced "Tlaloc" in Tak and the Power of Juju.

Other[link]

Paulsen is also the off-camera voice of the syndicated television series Funniest Pets and People which is seen on Superstation WGN and other television stations throughout the United States and abroad.

Awards[link]

Rob Paulsen has been nominated for an Annie Award for his role of "Pinky" for 4 consecutive years, which he won in 1996, 1997, and 1999. In 2004 he was nominated for his role of "The Troubador" in The Three Musketeers, and in 2005 he was nominated for his role in The Happy Elf. In 1999 he also won the Daytime Emmy Award for the role of Pinky.

Public appearances[link]

Paulsen has been a regular industry guest and featured panelist at Comic-Con International over the past several years. He has also appeared at animation industry-related events such as the World Animation Celebration in 1998, among many others. He has also been a guest at several anime conventions, including JACON, Mikomicon, and Anime Overdose. Paulsen was a guest of honor at Anthrocon in 2007. He has recently started doing "Rob Paulsen Live" seminars across the U.S. to talk of his career, sign autographs, and talk with fans. Paulsen's first seminar was in Atlanta, Georgia. on July 30, 2011, and the next will be in Dallas, Texas on September 17, 2011.

Sometimes people in attendance would request him to sing the famous "Yakko's World" number, where he sings all the nations of the world with his "Yakko" voice in a fast-paced delivery without rehearsing.

In May 2011 working with social media and web producer Chris Pope, Rob rolled out a brand new website RobPaulsenLive.com as well as a weekly audio podcast called "Talkin' Toons with Rob Paulsen" which is managed and deployed by The Tech Jives Network.^[2]

June 2011 Rob made announcements that he was taking his show on the road with his "Lots of laughs and autographs" tour. Working closely with a team that included Chris Pope, his publicist and others he made his first successful tour in Atlanta, Georgia, which happened on July 30, 2011, and another in Dallas, Texas on September 17, 2011, that required two seminars, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, as they were so popular.^[3]

Filmography[link]

Rob Paulsen voices most of the characters with his original accent which is American, but he used a British accent to voice Strut in The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure and Brunch in Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf while using a Scottish accent to voice Bobble in the Tinker Bell films. In his role as Pinky, Paulsen used an exaggerated Cockney accent, especially in earlier episodes. He even used a Brooklyn accent for Reuben in Lilo & Stitch: The Series.

TV roles[link]

• 2 Stupid Dogs - Anteater, Cubby, Announcer
• Ace Ventura: Pet Detective - Spike, Additional Voices
• Animaniacs – Yakko Warner, Dr. Otto von Scratchansniff, Pinky
• Batman: The Animated Series - one of Penguin's goons (episode 20)
• Back at the Barnyard – Peck the Rooster
• Ben 10 – Ditto
• Ben 10: Alien Force - Baz-El, Rhomboid Vreedle
• Ben 10: Ultimate Alien - Baz-El
• Big Time Rush C.A.L (Big Time Job) and Superparrot (Big Time Guru)
• Biker Mice from Mars – Throttle, Fred the Mutant, Hairball
• Bump in the Night - Squishington
• Casper - Spooky
• CatDog - Hotdog, Hamburger (Meat, Dog's Friends)
• Catscratch – Gordon
• Channel Umptee-3 – Ogden Ostrich
• ChalkZone - Vinnie Raton, Walrus, Craniac
• Cheers - Announcer
• Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers - Flash
• Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island – Coconut Fred
• Dan Dare: Pilot of The Future - The Mekon
• Danger Rangers – Squeeky
• Danny Phantom – Box Ghost, Technus, & Jack Fenton
• Darkwing Duck - Steelbeak
• Dave the Barbarian – Malsquando
• Dexter's Laboratory – Major Glory, Puppet Pal Mitch
• Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears – Gusto Gummi
• Disney's House of Mouse - Jose Carioca
• Duck Dodgers - Martian Gopher #1, Porko
• Ducktales – Gladstone Gander
• Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends - Yakko Warner, Additional Voices
• Fraggle Rock – Boober Fraggle, Sprocket and Marjory the Trash Heap
• Freakazoid = additional voices
• Funniest Pets & People – Announcer
• Gargoyles- Helios (One Episode)
• Gary the Rat – additional voices
• G.I. Joe – Snow Job, Tripwire
• Goof Troop - P.J.
• Handy Manny – Fast Eddie
• Hercules = additional voices
• Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi - Atchan, additional voices
• Histeria! – Mr. Smartypants and Sammy Melman
• House of Mouse - Danny, Pirates, Rusty, additional voices
• Jungle Cubs - Hathi / Akela
• Justice League - Lightray
• K10C: Kids' Ten Commandments - Zeek & Joshua
• Kids Next Door – Robert Puttkin /Lenny Puttinsky, additional voices
• Kim Possible - Prince Wally, King Walus
• Kipper the Dog – Tiger, Pig, Jake, Various Voices
• Lilo & Stitch: The Series - Reuben/Experiment 625
• Loonatics Unleashed – Rev Runner
• The Looney Tunes Show - Mac Gopher, Chuck Berost
• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - Toodles
• Mighty Max – Mighty Max
• Phineas and Ferb - additional voices
• Pinky and the Brain – Pinky
• Pound Puppies- King (AKA No-Name) (Uncredited)
• Planet Sheen - Doppy
• Power Eons: Super Legends – Demeon (Ninja Storm)
• Saber Rider & the Star Sheriffs - Jesse Blue
• Samurai Jack - Rothchild
• Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters - Robby, additional voices
• Spider-Man – Morris Bench/Hydro-Man
• Sonic the Hedgehog – Antoine D'Coolette
• SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron – Hard Drive, Al
• Tak and the Power of Juju - Party Juju, Judge Juju, Gillbert
• Taz-Mania - Digeri Dingo
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) – Raphael, Zach the "Fifth Turtle", Wingnut, HiTech, The Grybyx, Mr. Ogg, Professor Sopho, Tokka additional voices
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) - Donatello
• Teen Titans – The Source
• The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron – Carl Wheezer, Mrs. Wheezer, Mr. Wheezer, Butch, additional voices
• The Boondocks – An Art Teacher
• The Fairly OddParents – Mark Chang, Happy Peppy Gary, King Grippulon, Bucky McBadbat, additional voices
• The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange - Commander Broccoli
• The Land Before Time – Spike (2–present), Kosh, Strut (2), Chomper (2), Guido (12), Mo (9), Rinkus and Stegosaurus leader
• The Magician - Cosmos,Sonny Boy
• The Mask: The Animated Series – Stanley Ipkiss/The Mask
• The New Woody Woodpecker Show – additional voices
• The Penguins of Madagascar – Archie the Raccoon, A.K.A. The Archer in "Mask of the Raccoon", Kid Kazoo/Stockbroker (Kid Kazoo grown up) in "An Elephant Never Forgets", Lobster #1 in "Dr. Blowhole's Revenge" Ad Exec #1, and Technician in "Fit to Print".
• The Powerpuff Girls – Brick, Boomer, Major Glory ("Members Only")
• A Pup Named Scooby Doo - Professor Digby/Were-Doo
• The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest – Hadji, additional voices
• The Replacements – Fabian Le'Tool, Master Craig, Hiram Smeck, Mr. Vanderbosh
• The Smurfs – Marco Smurf, additional voices
• The Snorks – Corky
• The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper – Spooky
• The Super Hero Squad Show - Werewolf by Night, Baron Strucker
• The Tick – Arthur
• The Tom and Jerry Show - The Runaway Zebra
• The Transformers – Air Raid, Chase, Fastlane, Slingshot
• Tiny Toon Adventures - Fowlmouth, Arnold the Pit Bull, & Concord Condor, Porky Pig (in one episode)
• Time Squad – Buck Tuddrussel.
• T.U.F.F. Puppy - Bird Brain
• City Trams – Eric
• Random! Cartoons – Solomon Fix, Danny, Tickle Monster, Handycat, Drillbit, and Flavio
• Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated - Winslow Fleach, Radio Newsman
• What's New, Scooby Doo? - Jamison Steven Ripley,
• Yo Yogi - Dick 'Dickie' Dastardly, Chuck Toupee, Super Snooper, Robin Hood, Waiter, Wee Willie the Gorilla, additional voices
• The New Yogi Bear Show - La Bamba Bear

Movie roles[link]

• Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman - Mr. Rochelle
• Bambi II – Friend Bear
• Barnyard – Peck the Rooster
• Batman: Gotham Knight – Sal Maroni
• Bat Thumb - No Face, Commissioner
• Body Double - Supporting Role
• Eyes of Fire
• Cinderella II: Dreams Come True – Jaq, the Grand Duke, the Baker, Sir Hugh, Bert and Flower Vendor
• Cinderella III: A Twist in Time – Jaq, the Grand Duke and the Bishop
• Charlotte's Web 2 - Farley the Fox
• Cranberry Christmas - Mr. Whiskers
• Dragon Hunters - Gwizdo
• Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home – Dakar Crew Member #2
• FernGully 2: The Magical Rescue – additional voice
• The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends – additional voice
• Lone Wolf McQuade – Man at festival
• Mannequin – Cop #4
• Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse - Prince Eric and Additional voices
• Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers – The Troubadour
• Mickey's House of Villains - Hades (singing only)
• Mulan II – Prince Jeeki
• 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure - Danny
• Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer – additional voice
• Return to Neverland - Pirates Rusty
• Rockin' with Judy Jetson - Sky Rocker
• Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf – Brunch
• Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers - Shreako
• Steel Magnolias – Delivery guy
• Stewardess School - Larry Falkwell
• The Emperor's New Groove – Pink Cow (uncredited)
• The Fox and the Hound 2 – Chief, Additional Voices (uncredited)
• The GodThumb - Mickey, Toll Booth Guard
• The Happy Elf
• The Haunted World of El Superbeasto – El Gato and Commandant Hess
• The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea – Prince Eric
• The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning – Ink Spot & Swifty
• The Little Troll Prince – Borch #1
• Tinker Bell – Bobble
• Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue – Bobble
• Pixie Hollow Games – Bobble
• Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure – Bobble, Tall Troll, Owl
• Secret of the Wings – Bobble
• Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation - Banjo Possom, Mr. Hitcher, & Johnny Pew
• Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz - Hickory/Tin Man
• Tweety's High-Flying Adventure – Sphinx, Ship Crewman and Casino Cat
• Wakko's Wish – Yakko Warner / Dr. Otto Scratchansniff / Pinky
• Warlock - Supporting Role