28 Legendary Voice Actors Who Defined Characters

“Hey! I know that voice!” There are so many iconic voice actors, but often, they don’t receive as much recognition as their live-action counterparts, especially since, in recent years, more usually-live-action actors have started to take roles in animated films. While there are some voice roles in live-action films and voiceover narration, most roles from voice actors come from animated films, TV and animes. While some famous voice actors are also movie stars, many of the best voice actors are rarely seen in live-action roles. However, from Disney Princesses to Looney Toons to Adult Swim, the best voice actors bring their roles to life.

Notable Voice Actors

The history of voice acting starts with radio; however, the first instance of “modern” voice acting is Disney’s 1928 animated short “Steamboat Willie.” The short features Walt Disney as the voice of Mickey Mouse and is the first time synchronized voice was used for animated characters. While 1926’s “My Old Kentucky Home” by the Fleischer brothers was earlier, it used Vitaphone technology to make it seem like a cartoon character was singing and not “modern” synchronized sound. (Also it should be said, “My Old Kentucky Home” is very racially insensitive.)

Since then, the voice-acting industry has grown immensely, especially in animated TV. This list looks at both film and TV voice actors, as there is much overlap. While this list doesn’t focus on commercial acting, there are some notable actors in the commercial voice-acting field as well. This list focuses on acting instead of documentary voice-over roles (sorry to Morgan Freeman and David Attenborough). Some voice actors are immediately recognizable, while others show versatility by changing their voice for each role. This list seeks to celebrate both while showcasing veterans of the animation industry.

28. Rob Paulsen (1956-Present)

Rob Paulsen is a genuinely prolific voice actor who has acted in over 500 roles. He received an Emmy and three Annie Awards for his work on the Animaniacs franchise, where he voiced both Yakko and Pinky. He has also acted in A Goofy Movie, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, many of The Land Before Time films, The New Adventures of Jonny Quest, Tinker Bell and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.

Paulsen started voice acting in the 1980s. In 1983, he got his first role on the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series. He has also appeared in several live-action movies and shows but is more known for his animated works. He has also worked on commercials, notably a 1993 Got Milk advertisement directed by Michael Bay as the voice of a radio DJ who asks a Revolutionary War buff, “Who shot Alexander Hamilton?”

27. Tara Strong (1973-Present)

Tara Strong started acting in plays in her early teens but has become a fixture of animated TV. She has voiced characters on The New Batman Adventures, Teen Titans, Teen Titans Go!, Rugrats, The Powerpuff Girls, The Fairly OddParents, The Proud Family, Xiaolin Showdown, Ben 10, Family Guy and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. She has also worked on the English language dubs of Studio Ghibli films such as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke.

Strong was set to appear in the 2024 adult animated series Boxtown, but she was let go after making controversial pro-Israel tweets and liking Islamophobic posts online. The series’ creators wrote at the time, “We believe that our public platform gives us a duty to be careful when it comes to hateful messages and misinformation online. This extends to our cast and crew. This was not a difficult decision.”

26. Mae Questel (1908-1998)

Mae Questel was one of two women who provided the voice of Betty Boop in the 1930s and 1940s. Questel voiced the character from 1931 until 1938 (she also reprised the role in 1988 for Who Framed Roger Rabbit); she took over the role from Margie Hines, who returned to the role in 1938 when Questel took time off to start a family. The two women also shared the role of Olive Oyl in the Popeye cartoons.

Questel voiced several Max Fleischer cartoon characters but went largely uncredited at the time. She took a decades-long break from acting in the late 1930s but reemerged in the 1960s with primarily live-action roles in films such as It’s Only Money, Bells Are Ringing, Funny Girl, and New York Stories. Her final film was 1989’s National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

25. Don LaFontaine (1940-2008)

Don LaFontaine is an outlier on this list. While most voice actors are known for their work on TV and film, LaFontaine was mostly known for voice overs, especially in film trailers. Nicknamed “The Voice of God,” LaFontaine is most remembered for saying, “In a world …”

Over his career, LaFontaine lent his booming voice to 5,000 movie trailers and 350,000 commercials, programs and presentations. He even appeared as himself in a 2005 GEICO commercial where he is referred to as “that announcer guy from the movies.” While he isn’t necessarily an “actor,” his voice is essential in American media, and it seems wrong to exclude his legacy when it comes to the history of voice acting.

24. Phil Harris (1904-1995)

Like other voice-over greats such as Bill Thompson and Eleanor Audley, Phil Harris is mainly remembered for his work with Disney animated films. He voiced characters in The Jungle Book, The Aristocats and Robin Hood but also appeared in many other live-action roles.

Harris started his radio career in the 1930s. His final role was in 1991’s Rock-a-Doodle. He was also a musician and band leader. He sang the 1950s novelty song “The Thing” and performed with his band in Las Vegas in the 1970s and 1980s.

23. Jodi Benson (1961-Present)

Many voice actors are considered great due to their versatility. Jodi Benson is far from the most versatile, but she has a great niche, namely, playing princesses. Benson worked with lyricist Howard Ashman on the Broadway show Smile before auditioning for his film The Little Mermaid.

She has since voiced Barbie and Thumbelina and has taken over voicing several iconic Disney characters in sequels, spin-offs video games (including being the voice of many iterations of Belle, Anita in 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure, Lady in Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure and the A Bug’s Life videogame’s Princess Atta). She has also appeared in Disney’s Enchanted and the live-action version of The Little Mermaid in cameo roles.

22. Patrick Warburton (1964-Present)

Patrick Warburton is the type of character actor that most people have seen or heard in something. His voice is very deep and recognizable. He started acting in the 1980s but started to get notable roles in the 1990s, especially on TV. He appeared on Seinfeld, NewsRadio, Ellen and Dave’s World.

His voice acting picked up in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with roles such as Kronk in The Emperor’s New Groove, Walter Wolf in Hoodwinked! and Ken in Bee Movie. He has also voiced Joe Swanson on Family Guy since 1999. Since then, he has also voiced Buzz Lightyear in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and Brock Samson in The Venture Bros.

21. H. Jon Benjamin (1966-Present)

H. Jon Benjamin is a familiar voice for fans of adult animation. He is the voice of Bob on Bob’s Burgers and Archer on Archer. He has also performed voice-over roles in live-action films such as The Can of Vegetables in Wet Hot American Summer and The Inner Monologue in Boy Kills World.

Benjamin started his career as a comedian. He then became a writer and voice actor on the indie hit Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. He continued in cult comedy with guest roles on shows like Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Freak Show and The Venture Bros.

20. Casey Kasem (1932-2014)

Sometimes called “The Voice of NBC,” Casey Kasem might be most remembered for hosting American Top 40. However, he also voiced several iconic characters, such as Shaggy on Scooby-Doo and Batman’s Dick Grayson. He also voiced characters in Sesame Street, Transformers and Josie and the Pussycats.

Kasem started his career in radio in Michigan; however, he left to help tend his family’s grocery store. He really made a name for himself later on in broadcasting in Cleveland in the 1960s. Around the same time, he started to work as a voice actor. Kasem is also remembered for his activism. He supported animal rights, affordable housing, Palestinian Independence and rights for Arab Americans and the homeless. He was a dedicated vegan, even quitting voicing Shaggy after being asked to do a Burger King commercial in the 1990s.

19. Nancy Cartwright (1957-Present)

Nancy Cartwright will feel nostalgic for many millennials. She is most known for voicing Bart on The Simpsons, but she also voiced Mindy on Animaniacs, Rufus on Kim Possible and Chuckie Finster on Rugrats. Cartwright started in live-action films and TV shows but is more known for her voicework.

She has been nominated for three Emmys for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance, winning one. While Cartwright’s most famous role is Bart Simpson, she has voiced several other characters on the long-running animated sitcom, including Maggie Simpson, Ralph Wiggum and Todd Flanders. In 2024, she also made news by revealing that she is the aunt of pop star Sabrina Carpenter.

18. Mark Hamill (1951-Present)

Mark Hamill is probably most recognizable as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise but is also a noted voice actor. While his first voice-over role was in 1977’s Wizards, his career as a voice actor didn’t really take off until the 1990s when he started to voice the Joker in ​​Batman: The Animated Series.

Since then, he has lent his voice to roles in Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Avengers Assemble, multiple Scooby-Doo and Star Wars properties, Regular Show and Adventure Time.

17. Kevin Conroy (1955-2022)

Kevin Conroy is best remembered as the long-time voice of Batman. Conroy voiced Batman from 1992 in Batman: The Animated Series to 2024’s Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three, which was released posthumously and dedicated to his memory.

Some of Conroy’s earliest performances were Shakespearean with San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre and guest roles on live-action TV. However, he found that as a gay man, acting roles were limited, and he was removed from consideration for roles due to his sexuality. He found a niche in Batman. His frequent collaborator Mark Hamill (the longtime voice of the Joker) said of Conroy, “When they offer me roles now, I say, ‘Is Kevin doing it?’ … I don’t even have to read the script; if Kevin’s doing it, I’ll do it.” Hamill also chose to stop voicing the Joker after Conroy’s death, quoting his character, “Without Batman, crime has no punchline.”

16. Cree Summer (1969-Present)

Cree Summer is a prolific voice in cartoons. She is likely best known for voicing characters such as Susie Carmichael in Rugrats and Elmyra Duff in Tiny Toon Adventures, but she has also lent her voice to roles in Batman Beyond, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Codename: Kids Next Door, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Danny Phantom, Drawn Together and more.

Summer started her career as the voice of Penny in the first season of Inspector Gadget. She has appeared in live-action roles as well, including A Different World and Abbott Elementary. Summer is also a musician and released her album Street Faërie in 1999.

15. Kari Wahlgren (1977-Present)

Kari Wahlgren started her voice acting career in dubs for animes like FLCL and Witch Hunter Robin. While she is still working in dubbing, she has since worked on many American projects, including Young Justice, Gravity Falls, Winx Club, Rick and Morty, The Fairly OddParents, Infinity Train and Big Hero 6: The Series.

Walhgren also voices numerous video game characters. She is a very versatile voice actress who rarely appears in live-action roles.

14. Dan Castellaneta (1957-Present)

Dan Castellaneta is best known as the voice of Homer Simpson. However, he voices many other characters on The Simpsons, including Grampa Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby, Sideshow Mel, Itchy and Barney Gumble. Outside of The Simpsons, he has voiced characters on Hey Arnold!, Futurama, Olive, the Other Reindeer, and many others.

Castellaneta also took over the role of Genie from Robin Williams, starting with 1994’s The Return of Jafar. Outside of voice work, he often appears as a guest star on live-action TV. Castellaneta started his career as a comedian at Chicago’s Second City before landing a role on The Tracey Ullman Show, where he also first started voicing Homer Simpson in a series of shorts.

13. Robin Williams (1951-2014)

While Robin Williams voiced several animated characters, including Batty in FernGully: The Last Rainforest, Fender in Robots and Ramon in Happy Feet, he makes this mainly for his 1992 role as Genie in Aladdin. The role of Genie has been considered a watershed moment in the history of animation, especially when it comes to celebrities working as voice actors. Notably, much of the role was also improv.

Outside of voice acting, Williams is known for roles in films like Good Will Hunting, Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Birdcage and The Fisher King. Williams started his career as a stand-up comedian in the 1970s San Francisco Bay Area. In the late ‘70s, he appeared on multiple TV shows before starring in 1978’s Mork & Mindy. Williams was a beloved comedian and actor until his self-inflicted death with Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) in 2014.

12. Alan Tudyk (1971-Present)

In recent years, many celebrities have taken on voice-acting roles, but few really feel like voice actors. Alan Tudyk is a noted exception. Tudyk started with roles in films like Patch Adams, 28 Days and A Knight’s Tale. Early in his career, he also starred in the TV show Firefly. Since then, he has appeared in many TV shows and films, including Beautiful Boy, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Trumbo, Death at a Funeral, Santa Clarita Diet and Resident Alien.

Tudyk first started voice acting in 2002’s Ice Age and he has become a go-to voice actor. He is the voice of the Joker on the Harley Quinn show, the Flash on Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Chatsberry on Adventure Time and K-2SO in multiple Star Wars properties. However, maybe more notably, as of 2024, he has voiced a character in every Walt Disney Animation Studios film since 2012’s Wreck-It Ralph (where he voiced King Candy and Turbo). Notable roles from this run include Duke Weaselton in Zootopia, the Duke of Weselton in Frozen and most recently, Hei Hei the Rooster in Moana 2. He has also provided the noises for several animal characters.

11. James Earl Jones (1931-2024)

While most of the entries on this list are actors known specifically for their voiceover work, James Earl Jones is an actor known for his voice. Jones is more widely known as a live-action actor, having played roles in films like Coming to America, The Sandlot and Field of Dreams. However, he is behind one of the most iconic voice performances of all time, Darth Vader, in the Star Wars films. He also played Mufasa in The Lion King. While those are his two most famous voice roles, he also lent his voice to 2005’s Robots, The Simpsons and many narration roles.

Jones started his acting career as a Shakespearean stage actor. In 1964, he played his first part in a film, Dr. Strangelove. He continued working in film and TV until 2021 when his final film was Coming 2 America. Technically, his final role was Darth Vader on the TV show Obi-Wan Kenobi, but that performance was generated via Respeecher. During his impressive career, he received two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, a Grammy Award, a Golden Globe Award, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award and an Academy Honorary Award.

10. Sterling Holloway (1905-1992)

Sterling Holloway appeared in over 140 films and TV shows over his nearly 50-year career. However, he is probably best remembered for his work with The Walt Disney Company. While he was considered for a role in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, he didn’t start working on Disney films until he voiced Mr. Stork in 1941’s Dumbo. He went on to be the voice of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland, Adult Flower in Bambi and the long-time voice of Winnie the Pooh.

Holloway got his start in touring theater companies and silent films. He went on to have a prolific career in radio, TV, and film (both live-action and animated). Holloway had a very distinctive, almost falsetto voice that should have made character differentiation hard; however, his characters feel fully realized and separate.

9. Verna Felton (1890-1966)

Verna Felton started as a vaudevillian child performer at the turn of the century, but by the 1930s, she was working in radio. Her first film role was in the 1917 silent film The Chosen Prince, or the Friendship of David and Jonathan. She was a popular live-action character actor in the 1940s and early 1950s. The 1940s also saw her first voice acting role in 1941’s Dumbo.

She continued working with Walt Disney on iconic roles, including the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, Aunt Sarah in Lady and the Tramp, Flora in Sleeping Beauty, and maybe most notably, the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella. Her final role (which was released posthumously) was Winnifred in 1967’s The Jungle Book.

8. Jim Cummings (1973-Present)

Jim Cummings has voice-acted in over 400 roles, often with the Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. He has been the voice of Winnie the Pooh since 1988 (and Pooh’s pal Tigger since 1989) and the Tasmanian Devil since 1991. He has also voiced characters on Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, The Jungle Book 2, CatDog, The Princess and the Frog, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Shrek and many more TV shows, video games and films.

Cummings started his career at Disney, specifically on Dumbo’s Circus. He quickly became Sterling Holloway’s replacement for Winnie the Pooh. He made a place for himself at the company for his spot-on impressions of past stars, including Holloway and J. Pat O’Malley. He also stepped in for Jeremy Irons as the singing voice for Scar in The Lion King on the track “Be Prepared” after Irons developed vocal problems while recording. In 2019, he started a podcast, Toon’d In! with Jim Cummings.

7. Grey DeLisle (1973-Present)

Sometimes credited at Grey Griffin, Grey DeLisle has reportedly voiced over 2000 roles in over 500 projects. Some of her notable roles include Scooby-Do’s Daphne (starting in 2001), Mandy (and others) in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Padme in Star Wars: Clone Wars and Azula in Avatar: The Last Airbender. She has also performed multiple voices on Rugrats, The Powerpuff Girls, The Fairly OddParents, Samurai Jack, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, and Johnny Bravo.

Her resume is shockingly long, and one of her most notable skills is being able to play multiple characters in the same show without them sounding similar. She has also released several music albums

6. Tom Kenny (1962-Present)

Tom Kenny is probably most recognizable as the voice of Spongebob Squarepants, but he has been working in cartoon voice overs since 1993’s Rocko’s Modern Life. He has won two Emmy Awards for his voice work on Spongebob. He also has won two Annie Awards (one for Spongebob and one for voicing the Ice King on Adventure Time.)

Kenny started as a stand-up comedian and sketch performer before becoming a voice actor. Kenny is especially notable for TV voice acting with roles in The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, CatDog, The Fairly OddParents, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Frog and Toad and Rick and Morty. While he is far more noted for his voice work, he was a cast member on the live-action Mr. Show (and appeared on its “reboot,” W/ Bob and David). Kenny frequently collaborates with his wife, Jill Talley, who is also a noted voice actor.

5. Keith David (1956-Present)

While Keith David is known for his live-action roles in films like Platoon, Requiem for a Dream, American Fiction and Barbershop, he also has an extensive resume as a voice actor. David started his career in the 1980s in theater before quickly acting in films like The Thing and TV shows like Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.

He has voiced characters in the English dub of Princess Mononoke, Hercules, Coraline, The Princess and the Frog, Gargoyles, Adventure Time and Hazbin Hotel. He also narrated documentaries like Ken Burns’s Jazz, Muhammad Ali and Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson. He has several upcoming projects, including voicing Masego in Mufasa: The Lion King.

4. Billy West (1952-Present)

Billy West started his career in radio in the 1980s. However, he is most known for voicing many of the characters on Futurama, the titular characters on Doug and The Ren & Stimpy Show and Bugs Bunny in 1996’s Space Jam. He also notably took over voicing characters like Elmer Fudd, Popeye, Shaggy Rogers, Rocket Raccoon and Woody Woodpecker. West is a great impressionist who often showed his skills on The Howard Stern Show.

He has also done commercial work. He took over the role of the Red M&M from Jon Lovitz in 1996. He also voiced the Honey Nut Cheerios mascot, Buzz, from 1990-2004. Some of West’s most impressive work is on Futurama. Given that he voices multiple characters, including Philip J. Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg and Zapp Brannigan, there are scenes in the show where he plays every character. His voice for Fry is also how his own voice sounded at 25, meaning he is doing an impression of his younger self when he returned to voice the character.

3. Phil LaMarr (1967-Present)

Screen Rant called Phil LaMar one of the “best voice actors ever,” and he has a wildly impressive resume. He started his career as a voice actor in 1983 on the animated show Mister T. While has appeared in films like Pulp Fiction and Step Brothers, he has always been more prolific on TV shows. Some will recognize LaMarr as one of the original MadTV cast members. He was a noted impressionist and writer on the show.

He has voiced characters on shows like Family Guy, King of the Hill, Futurama, The Proud Family, Harley Quinn and many others. However, some of his most famous roles include Samurai Jack on Samurai Jack, Static on Static Shock and John Stewart on Justice League. LaMarr has become especially synonymous with superhero projects. He has played both Marvel and DC heroes across properties.

2. June Foray (1917-2017)

June Foray earned the title of “First Lady of Animated Voicing.” While she was also sometimes called “the female Mel Blanc,” Chuck Jones once quipped, “June Foray is not the female Mel Blanc. Mel Blanc was the male June Foray.” Like many greats, Foray started her career in radio. She went on to voice iconic cartoon characters, including Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Looney Tunes’ Granny, Rocky J. Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, and even Lucifer, the cat in Cinderella.

Foray wasn’t only notable for her onscreen contributions; she was also an advocate for animation as a medium. She is credited with establishing the Annie Awards and was involved in creating the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2001.

1. Mel Blanc (1908-1989)

Sometimes called “The Man of a Thousand Voices,” Mel Blanc was a hugely influential figure in the Golden Age of American Animation. Blanc started his career in radio in the late 1920s, but he is most remembered for his cartoon voice work. He voiced characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Sylvester the Cat, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn and the Tasmanian Devil.

Blanc was the first voice actor to receive on-screen credit for 1944’s Little Red Riding Rabbit. Blanc also worked for Hana Barbara in the 1960s, where he voiced characters like Barney Rubble, Cosmo Spacely, Dino the Dinosaur, Secret Squirrel, Speed Buggy, and Captain Caveman. Blanc notably infrequently worked with Disney after being cut as the voice of Gideon the cat in Pinocchio (the character is mostly silent; however, Blanc’s hiccup made the final cut). However, he reprised several of his Warner Bros. character voices for 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit. His final film was 1990’s Jetsons: The Movie, which was released the year after his death. Blanc smoked from age nine to 77 when he had to stop due to emphysema.

Bottom Line

That’s all, folks! There are so many fantastic voice actors who haven’t gotten their due, and this list just scratches the surface of a booming industry with historic roots.