Most famous voice actors and artists

Famous Voice Actors in Cartoons and Videogames: Who voices who?

Voiceover Guy’s run down of some of the world’s most famous voiceover artists and voice actors

If you’ve found your way to this page, it’s because you want to find out more about the best voiceover artists and voice actors in the world. As a voiceover artist myself, I’m always watching (and listening) to the best professionals in the industry; I’m never done learning and growing as a voiceover artist and the best way to improve is to keep a watchful eye (and ear) on my peers. Keep reading to find out more about the top voice actors and please check out my commercial voiceover and my explainer video voiceover pages if you’d like to see a little more of my work!

In a world… Don LaFontaine was the movie trailer guy!

In a world… where movie trailers needed a deep, epic voice to introduce their film trailers, Don LaFontaine became one of the most iconic voiceover artists in history. The whole ‘In a world…’ intro, with the deep, gravelly voice, was LaFontaine’s invention and it’s something that has really stuck. In fact, even when a movie trailer doesn’t start with ‘In a world…’ the voiceover artist has still probably been asked by the producers to imitate LaFontaine’s deep, manly baritone. LaFontaine voiced over five thousand movie trailers and advertisements, making him a true icon of the voiceover industry. Check out my own versions of LaFontain’s movie trailer voice as well as other, more original movie trailer voiceovers. I’ve also voiced quite a few game trailers too, but we’ll talk about games later…

Famous voice actors in cartoons

Cartoons are amazing and they’re one of the best outlets for any voiceover actor’s skills and expertise. I have voiced Santa (a lot), and I even voiced him in the GoJetters Christmas special. I’d love to voice more cartoons in the future. Here are a few of the biggest names in the cartoon voiceover industry. Chances are you’ve heard their voices many times and just not known it was them!

Walt Disney was a voice actor

On top of creating the biggest production company in the world and being directly responsible for many of the most beloved cartoon characters ever created, Walt Disney was also a voice actor! Disney provided the voice of Micky and Minnie Mouse from the characters’ inception in the 1928, up until 1958. It’s difficult to think of a character with a more iconic voice than Micky Mouse, and we have Disney to thank for this. A good voice actor really can bring a cartoon character to life!

Mark Hamill’s career as a voice actor

While Mark Hamill is most famous for playing Star War’s hero, Luke Skywalker, he has spent much more of his career as a voice actor! Hamill is famous for voicing DC’s Joker, along with a huge roster of DC and Marvel comic characters, such as Red Skull, Swamp Thing, Gargoyle, Hobgoblin, and so many more. He has also provided a few voiceovers for Studio Ghibli – voicing Muska in Castle in the Sky and the Mayor of Pejite in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

Rob Paulsen: one of the biggest cartoon voice actors of the 80s and 90s

Rob Paulsen will be a familiar name to anyone who works in the cartoon or voice acting industry. He was perhaps the biggest name in voice acting in the 80s and 90s and he’s responsible for many of the era’s most iconic characters, such as Raphael & Donatello (the ninja turtles), Pinky (the sidekick of the Brain), and Stanley Ipkiss in the cartoon iteration of The Mask. It’s impossible to imagine cartoons in the 80s and 90s without Rob Paulsen.

Hank Azaria has voiced so many great Simpsons characters

Hank Azaria is a famous actor in his own right, known for his performances in The Birdcage, Run Fatboy Run, Night at the Museum, Godzilla, and so many more films. However, lots of people don’t know that the backbone of Azaria’s career has been the voice acting work he’s done on The Simpsons, America’s most-loved cartoon family show. Azaria has an incredible talent for voicing different characters; in fact, Azaria has voiced 32 Simpsons characters so far. Here are just a few of Hank Azaria’s more famous Simpson’s characters: Moe Syzlak, Apu, Carl (and Lou), Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Professor Frink, Snake, Superintendent Chalmers, and Duffman…

Tara Strong: the voice of so many great cartoon characters

Tara Strong is as successful and prolific as any voice actress! You’ve probably met several of her characters over the years. She was the voice of Dil in Rugrats, Bubbles (Powerpuff Girls), Hello Kitty, Twilight Sparkle in Hello Kitty, and several comic book characters, such as Batgirl, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn. Strong has also voiced some beloved videogame characters, which leads us on neatly to the next part of this article…

Famous voice actors in video games

Video games are becoming one of the best ways to tell stories and have fun. And, in a way, they aren’t any different to cartoons when it comes to voice acting. There are some incredible stories to be told/played, and good video games are starting to be appreciated for their cinematics and the acting abilities of their voice actors. I have voiced countless computer game trailers over the years, but my favourite video game claim to fame is that I provided the voice of all of the worms in Worms W.M.D.! I know so many people who love the Worms games and who quote my own voiceovers back at me. Here are a few of the biggest, most surprising actors who have worked as voice actors in the videogame industry…

Gary Oldman provided voiceover for the Spyro games and Call of Duty!

It’s a sign of how legitimate video games have become that oscar-winner Gary Oldman has voiced a few computer games characters over the years. Oldman voiced Ignitus in the Spyro Trilogy, and he voiced Daniel Clarke and Sergeant Viktor Reznov in the Call of Duty games!

Samuel L. Jackson voiced Officer Tenpenny in San Andreas

San Andreas was a huge game and Officer Tenpenny is often cited as one of the best villains in videogame history. It should be no surprise, then, that a great actor helped bring the character to life. Samuel L. Jackson’s voice is a perfect fit for this wicked villain and it’s great to see one of America’s biggest actors trying his hand as voice acting in video games.

Liam Neeson’s voiceover work in Bethesda’s Fallout 3

The Fallout games are set in post-apocalyptic America, all with a kind of 50s cold-war aesthetic. The stories in all the games are good, but most gamers consider Fallout 3 to be the series’ best game, and most agree that a good part of this is due to the game’s story. Neeson had the main voiceover role in Fallout 3 and he brought a certain drama and gravitas that you only get from the truly great actors and actresses!

Patrick Stewart and Sean Bean in Elder Scrolls: Oblivion

Before Skyrim, there was Oblivion, and it was an incredible game for its time. The storytelling was epic and the voice acting was ground-breaking. Patrick Stewart (X-Men, Star Trek The Next Generation) played Emperor Uriel Septim VII and his son was played by Sean Bean (Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings). It’s testament to the respect Bethesda commands in the industry that it could attract two such huge actors.

Christopher Judge: the voice of God of War’s Kratos

2018’s God of War took the world by storm, winning countless awards and 10/10s from critics and gamers alike. One of the best things about the game is the quality voice acting by the whole cast. While all voice actors who worked on God of War did a great job, Christopher Judge’s performance as the lead character is easily the best. Fans of the TV Show Stargate SG1 will already know that Judge was the show’s resident strong and silent Goa'uld, Teal’c. Judge is such a perfect choice for Kratos and players of the game have been doing impressions of him ever since the game came out. No one shouts “BOY!” as well as Christopher Judge!

There are so many other voiceover actors and actresses that I haven’t time to mention. I wanted to talk about some of the bigger names and to highlight a few people you perhaps didn’t know had worked as voiceover artists. Perhaps I’ll come back at a later date and add in a list of voice actors, IMDB-style. If you need a voiceover artist for your next project and you’d like to work with me, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

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