The Case of Voice Acting
From radio broadcasts to the first cartoons, voice acting has been a part of popular culture for over a hundred years. Listen in as Adam, Marci, and Robin discuss the history of this art form, popular voices of today, and the pros and cons of celebrity voice work.
A Brief History
Emile Berliner invented the microphone in 1876
The first voiceover was in 1900 when a Canadian inventor, Reginald Fessenden, wanted to communicate without wires
His first broadcast was a recording of himself reporting the weather
In 1906 near Christmas time he recorded Bible texts, Christmas messages, and a music program to ships out at sea
In 1928, Walt Disney provided the voice of Mickey Mouse. This was a turning point for voice-overs and animation
In the years following, radio dramas became a major source of entertainment. Though many voice artists at the time were not credited for their work, this is how many pioneers in the industry got their start
Voice Artists Mentioned:
Mel Blanc
“The Man of 1000 Voices”
Over a thousand screen credits
Nearly 400 voices
Began with Warner Bros until 1960 when his contract ended
Still worked there but began working for other studios as well
Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Barney Rubble, vocal effects for Tom and Jerry, Wile E. Coyote, Toucan Sam
June Foray
Started in the voice field at age 12
She voiced an elderly woman on a radio show
Played Rocky the Squirrel up until her death at age 99, including her last credit: Rocky and Bullwinkle (2014)
We learned a lot about her by reading her obituary which we linked to Here.
Oldest person to win Emmy at age 94
Don LaFontaine
Known for the phrase “In a world….” in movie trailers
Began recording trailers in 1962
Performed voice overs for over 40 years and reportedly recorded over 5000 film trailers
We found a youtube playlist of his movie trailers here.
Tom Kenny
Prolific voice actor known for his work as many animated characters such as: Spongebob Squarepants, Ice King (Adventure Time), Heffer (Rocko’s Modern Life), Mayor and Narrator (The Power Puff Girls), Dog (Catdog)
*Also a hero to Robin and Adam and probably kids everywhere
Tara Strong
Another prolific voice actor with over 500 acting credits listed on IMDB
She is known for characters such as: Timmy Turner (The Fairly Odd Parents),Bubbles (Power Puff Girls), and Sunny Baudelaire (A Series of Unfortunate Events, 2017), Raven (Teen Titans)
John DiMaggio
Known for characters such as: Jake the Dog (Adventure Time), and Bender (Futurama)
In the episode, we mention that he produced the documentary, I know That Voice (2013). It is a available to watch online with an Amazon Prime membership. It’s also available on youtube, google play, and iTunes (for a fee). Otherwise we’re sure you can find it at a local library!
Phil Lamarr
Known for both animation and video game voice acting
Some acting credits include: Samurai Jack (Samurai Jack), Hermes Conrad (Futurama), Vamp (Metal Gear Solid 2 & 4), Vulgrim (Darksiders 1, 2, 3)
Correction: An earlier version of the episode credits Phil Lamarr as the voice of Kratos in God of War. This is incorrect. Kratos has been voiced by Terrence C. Carson and now Christopher Judge
Dee Bradley Baker
One of his earliest credits is as Olmec on Legends of the Hidden Temple
For all the Hidden Temple fans out there, we linked to a cool Buzzfeed here
Known for voicing animals like Perry the Platypus (Phineas and Ferb); Momo and Appa (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Daffy Duck (Space Jam)
Has a personal blog about voice acting at iwanttobeavoiceactor.com
Dan Castellaneta
Credits include: Grandpa (Hey Arnold), Homer Simpson (The Simpsons), and The Robot Devil (Futurama)
In 2002 his trademark “d’oh” as Homer Simpson was approved and put into the Oxford English Dictionary
Mark Hamill
Well-known as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, though he started voice work in the early 70s
Has voiced the Joker in many video games and in eight different series starting with Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1994)
He is also the voice of Firelord Ozai (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
H. Jon Benjamin
Most famous for his roles as Bob Belcher (Bob’s Burgers) and Sterling Archer (Archer)
Many of his characters speak with a monotone voice and deadpan humor
Alan Tudyk
Known well for his part as “Wash” on the cult favorite Firefly
Well-known voice roles include: Hei-Hei (Moana), K-2SO (Rogue One), King Candy (Wreck-it Ralph), and Alistair Krei (Big Hero 6)
Kath Soucie
An Ohio native (woo!)
Well-known as Phil and Lil (Rugrats), Lola Bunny (Space Jam), Dexter’s Mom (Dexter’s Lab)
Movies talked about:
Trolls (2016)
Frozen (2013)
Tangled (2010)
Aladdin (1992)
Home (2015)
Isle Of Dogs (2018)
UglyDolls (2019)
Features famous singers such as Blake Shelton, Janelle Monae, Carrie Underwood, Nick Jonas, Bebe Rexha, and Pitbull