The 8 Most Iconic Voice Actors of All Time
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
Since the genesis of radio entertainment in the early 20th century, voice acting has remained an indispensable component of animation, radio plays, television, commercials, and even video games. Sorely underappreciated in contemporary pop culture, voice actors are counted on to imbue media with all the emotion, nuance, and gravitas expected of actors without the use of their bodies. Though early voice actors worked in relative anonymity, vocal performance has rightfully garnered far more prestige as the industry has evolved, in part leading to establishments of the Annie Awards and addition of voice acting categories to prestigious award shows like the Primetime Emmys, BAFTAs, and Critics’ Choice Awards. While some actors on our list may not be household names, their career-defining performances are sure to never be forgotten.
Tom Kenny
The voice of Spongebob Squarepants’ lovable sea sponge hero, Kenny is an American voice actor and comedian who has also voiced characters on shows like Adventure Time (as the hilarious Ice King), and Johnny Bravo since the 1990s. After college, the Syracuse native performed standup for nearly a decade before landing his debut film role in the 1989 romcom How I Got Into College. Kenny continued live-action and voice Benjamin continued to land voice acting roles in Adult Swim shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force and The Venture Bros. before assuming the leading roles in both Archer and Bob’s Burgers in 2010 and 2011 respectively. throughout the early to mid-1990s, before being approached by animator and marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg about providing the main character's voice in Hillenburg’s new cartoon series for Nickelodeon. Kenny still plays the role brilliantly to this day.
H. Jon Benjamin
Best known for his voice work in shows like Archer and Bob’s Burgers, Benjamin is an actor, writer, and musician whose earlier film credits include the 2001 cult classics Wet Hot American Summer and Not Another Teen Movie. Born Harry Jon Benjamin, the Massachusetts native began his comedy career in the late 1980s, primarily performing as part of a comedic duo with actor and political pundit Sam Seder. Benjamin’s illustrious voice acting career began in 1999 after being cast in a guest role in Adult Swim's animated series Space Ghost Coast to Coast, building a great relationship with the network and showing up in tons of their shows. Benjamin is great as the main character, but has also been a frequent guest actor on beloved animated comedies like Family Guy and American Dad! and you can instantly recognize his voice when it shows up narrating a commercial or as a goofy character.
Seth MacFarlane
The Family Guy creator got his start in animation when he was hired as a writer and animator for Hanna-Barbera after being recruited by the studio during his senior year at the Rhode Island School of Design. MacFarlane eventually grew tired of Hanna-Barbera’s formulaic model and turned his attention toward developing a primetime animation series based on his short films Larry & Steve and The Life of Larry, creating a rudimentary animated pilot for Fox on a shoestring budget of just $50,000. Fox executives loved MacFarlane’s pilot and ordered Family Guy a series in 1998, making MacFarlane the industry’s youngest television executive producer at just 24 years old. Not only does he write and produce, but MacFarlane of course voices main characters Stewie, Brian, and Peter Griffin and supporting characters like Glenn Quagmire and Tom Tucker.
Mark Hamill
While still best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movies, Hamill has forged an impressive voice acting career for himself following the success of George Lucas’s beloved space opera. After wrapping the Star Wars trilogy, Hamill feared being typecast and primarily focused on television and stage acting throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, taking roles in Broadway productions like The Elephant Man and Amadeus. Beginning in 1992, Hamill provided the voice for Batman’s arch nemesis, the Joker, in innumerable DC Comics productions including television shows, movies, and the acclaimed Arkham video game series. Hamill revealed in a 2023 Fan Expo San Francisco appearance that following the death of Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy, he would be retiring from voicing the Joker, ending his more than 30-year tenure as the voice of Gotham’s favorite supervillain. Alongside his work as the Joker, Hamill also provided the voice for Fire Lord Ozai in Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender series and Skips in Cartoon Network’s Regular Show.
Patrick Warburton
The Seinfeld actor has lent his booming baritone to a plethora of beloved cartoon characters like Kronk in The Emperor’s New Groove and Joe Swanson in Family Guy since his breakout role as Elaine Bene’s stoic on-and-off boyfriend David Puddy in the acclaimed sitcom. The New Jersey native would later reunite with Jerry Seinfeld for the 2007 animated feature Bee Movie, where he voices Ken, the human boyfriend of Vanessa, who forms a friendship with the protagonist, an anthropomorphic bee named Barry of course. Outside of his work in film and television, Warburton has also provided voiceovers for Disney’s Soarin’ Around the World rides in their Parks and has starred in commercials for companies like Apple, Honda, and M&Ms.
Tara Strong
The Emmy Award nominee has lent her child-like falsetto to roles like Bubbles from Powerpuff Girls, Timmy Turner in Fairly OddParents, and Raven in Teen Titans since moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career in 1994. Outside of her work in film and television, Strong has done extensive voice work for video game franchises like Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy. Though much of Strong’s extensive filmography is comprised of animated voice work, she’s appeared in a myriad of live-action roles for shows like Nickelodeon’s Big Time Rush and two Sabrina the Teenage Witch television movies: Sabrina Goes to Rome and Sabrina Down Under.
James Earl Jones
Serving as the voice for pop culture totems like Darth Vader and Mufasa, Jones’s booming bravado has earned him widespread critical acclaim and even nabbed him a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album in 1977. One of the few entertainers in history to have been awarded the EGOT (a prestigious designation for entertainers who’ve won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award), Jones’s career has spanned both decades and mediums, establishing him as one of the most adaptable and accomplished actors of our time. The multi-talented actor’s unforgettable voice even led then-President George W. Bush to joke at Jones’s 2002 Kennedy Center Honors, “People say that the voice of the president is the most easily recognized voice in America. Well, I’m not going to make that claim in the presence of James Earl Jones.”
Kristen Schaal
After moving to New York City in the mid 2000s to pursue comedy, the Colorado-born comic began her career performing in festivals like the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and appearing on shows like Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham before attracting more mainstream success through her roles in films and television. Known for her distinctive, child-like voice, Schaal has worked extensively as a voice actor - most notably in her roles as precocious prankster Louise Belcher in Fox’s Bob’s Burgers and tragicomic pop starlet Sarah Lynn in Netflix’s BoJack Horseman, the latter of which earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance in 2017. Alongside voice work for film and television, Schaal has also appeared in a myriad of on-screen parts like her starring role in the post-apocalyptic comedy series The Last Man on Earth and guest appearances on shows like Mad Men and Glee.
You Might Also Like
