Top 10 Actors Who Became Surprisingly Good Voice Actors
You recognize their voices and you'd probably recognize their faces too. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we'll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Actors Who Became Surprisingly Good Voice Actors.
For this list, we're taking a look at actors who started out primarily taking on live-action roles, but eventually became prominent voiceover performers. We've excluded actors who have only experimented with voiceover work on one occasion.
#10: Matthew Lillard
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After breaking out in films like “Scream,” Matthew Lillard landed the role of Shaggy Rogers in the live-action “Scooby-Doo” movie. Later in “Looney Tunes: Back in Action,” Lillard meets up with an animated Shaggy, voiced by Casey Kasem. This was far from Kasem’s first performance as Shaggy, as he had been voicing the character since 1969. Although Shaggy criticizes Lillard for his portrayal, this scene could actually be seen as one actor passing the torch to another. Kasem voiced Shaggy for the last time in 2009, five years before his death. Since then, Lillard has delivered his spot-on Shaggy impression in several animated shows and movies. Like, isn’t it groovy how things come full circle?
#9: Will Friedle
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Will Friedle is perhaps best known for playing Eric Matthews on “Boy Meets World.” In a 1999 episode, Eric tries to impress a girl by claiming to be Batman. What makes this especially funny is that he really IS Batman! The same year that episode aired, Friedle took on the role of Terry McGinnis in “Batman Beyond.” As the Batman of the future, Friedle began a highly successful career as a voice actor. Over the years, Friedle has voiced several other superheroes, including Deadpool in “Ultimate Spider-Man” and Star-Lord in the animated “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Of course Friedle has also voiced his fair share of sidekicks, most notably Ron Stoppable in “Kim Possible.”
#8: Sean Astin
Making his big screen debut at age 13 as Mikey in “The Goonies,” Sean Astin went on to play the titular character in “Rudy” and Samwise Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. In the 21st century, Astin has also branched out with several voiceover roles. In multiple DC projects, he’s lent his voice to Billy Batson, aka Shazam. His most notable voiceover role, though, would have to be Raphael in the 2012 version of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Since many of Astin’s live-action characters have been humble underdogs, you wouldn’t think he’d be the ideal choice to play the turtle with the most attitude, but his take on Raphael was nothing short of badass.
#7: Freddie Prinze Jr.
Through films like “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “She’s All That,” Freddie Prince Jr. solidified his place as one of the ‘90s’ definitive heartthrobs. While Prinze might not be an A-lister nowadays, he’s managed to remain relevant through several memorable roles in animation. Prinze has lent his voice to a few BioWare games, notably playing James Vega in “Mass Effect 3.” In “Star Wars Rebels,” Prinze turned in what might be the most compelling performance of his career as Jedi Master Kanan Jarrus. After playing a live-action Fred in 2002’s “Scooby-Doo” and its 2004 follow-up, Prinze went on to voice the character in a “Robot Chicken” sketch, reuniting with co-star Matthew Lillard.
#6: Howie Mandel
Howie Mandel is a well-known television host and standup comedian, but his voiceover résumé might take some people by surprise. That’s largely because his characters sound nothing like the Canadian actor. Believe it or not, Mandel started out voicing the lovable Gizmo in “Gremlins.” Demonstrating a unique gift for creature voices, Mandel landed a gig on “Muppet Babies,” voicing Skeeter, Animal, and Bunsen Honeydew for the first two seasons. Adopting a similar voice to the one he used for Skeeter, Mandel played the titular character on “Bobby’s World,” an animated series he also created. To think, Mandel accidentally created this voice at age eleven while choking on birthday cake! Much like Bobby, his talents are anything but generic.
#5: Scarlett Johansson
Having played the resilient Black Widow in the MCU and a seductive alien in “Under the Skin,” Scarlett Johansson has proven herself to be a very gifted physical actress. Even when you take her body out of the equation, though, Johansson can deliver a powerful performance with her voice alone. As Samantha in “Her,” she evolved an operating system into a three-dimension, fleshed out character. Some argued that Johansson deserved serious award consideration for her groundbreaking voiceover work. Since then, she’s lent her distinctive voice to Kaa in “The Jungle Book,” Ash in “Sing,” and Nutmeg in “Isle of Dogs.” In terms of voiceovers, she’s certainly come a long way since “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.”
#4: J. K. Simmons
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This Oscar-winning character actor can do little wrong, portraying a variety of colorful personalities in both live-action and animation. On the big screen, Simmons voiced Mayor Leodore Lionheart in “Zootopia” and the villainous Kai in “Kung Fu Panda 3.” Some of Simmons’ most beloved voiceover roles have been on the small screen, however. He’s acted as the wise airbender Tenzin in “The Legend of Korra” and the mysterious Ford Pines in “Gravity Falls.” Simmons has even reprised his role as J. Jonah Jameson in various Marvel shows and also satirized the character on “The Simpsons.” Simmons has additionally branched out with video games, voicing Cave Jonson in “Portal 2,” and commercials, voicing the Yellow M&M.
#3: Keith David
This charismatic actor can dominate the screen, as demonstrated in films like “Armageddon.” It’s Mr. David’s deep, booming voice that makes him one-of-a-kind, however. He was perfectly tailored to voice the commanding Goliath in “Gargoyles,” getting the audience pumped with every word that came out of his mouth. David brought a similar magnetism to characters like Spawn and Dr. Facilier in “The Princess and the Frog.” His powerful voice has also made him the go-to guy to play authority figures, whether it’s the U.S. President in “Rick and Morty” or the Flame King in “Adventure Time.” The recipient of three Primetime Emmys for narration and voiceovers, he’s one of the best in the business.
#2: Patrick Warburton
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As David Puddy on “Seinfeld,” Patrick Warburton proved that nobody can play a meathead better than him. With a deep voice that’s both laidback and passionate at the same time, Warburton was born for animation. Voicing Superman, he reunited with Jerry Seinfeld for a series of American Express advertisements. His more mainstream voiceover roles include Joe Swanson on “Family Guy,” Brock Samson on “The Venture Bros.,” and Kronk in “The Emperor's New Groove.” Warburton might not have a vast array of different voices in his repertoire, but the signature voice he brings to all of his characters couldn’t be better suited to the medium. He’s simply the best at what he does. Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: Mae Whitman Brad Garrett Jaleel White
#1: Mark Hamill
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It’s funny. .. as Luke Skywalker, Mark Hamill portrayed what might be the most iconic hero in cinematic history. In animation, however, Hamill has primarily specialized in voicing villains. While Hamill’s played a few heroic characters like Skips on “Regular Show,” his more sinister roles include The Hobgoblin in “Spider-Man,” Colonel Muska in the English dub of “Castle in the Sky,” and Fire Lord Ozai in “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” He’s even returned to a galaxy far, far away, tapping into his dark side as Darth Bane. Of course Hamill’s most acclaimed voiceover role would have to be the Joker in various DC properties. When it comes to evil cackling, Hamill always gets the last laugh.
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