7 Actors Who Voice More Than One of Your Favorite Characters
Unlike the many onscreen actors that you know and love, voice actors in the world of animation can occasionally fly under the radar with the work that they do. Many, even from the most popular of animated programs, such as The Simpsons and Bob’s Burgers, take on several projects at once or throughout their career, and yet fans of theirs don’t always make the audible connection without being able to put a face to the name.
Some of our most beloved voices of TV and film have been by the same notable actor or performer, so we decided to make a list of some of these talented stars who lent a hand to more of your favorite characters than you may have realized.
Tom Kenny
As the voice of the one and only SpongeBob SquarePants, Tom Kenny has been a household voice, but not necessarily name, for the last two-plus decades. The voice actor is known for his role of the legendary yellow sponge on Nickelodeon and takes part in all of the specials for the children’s franchise. Tom Kenny does a lot outside of SpongeBob, though, including a fantastic role as the Ice King (AKA Simon) on Adventure Time and the terrifying and lovable Squanchy on Rick and Morty. These are some of the biggest shows in animation and Kenny has played a huge part in that for the fans of him, fans of these shows and fans of quintessential modern animation.
Kristen Schaal
For many, Kristen Schaal’s voice is one so clear and so obvious that it is hard to not notice when she’s playing a new character. Best known for her iconic role as Louise Belcher on Bob’s Burgers, Schaal has also lent her vocal talents to Mabel on Gravity Falls and Trixie in Toy Story 3, Toy Story 4 and much of the Toy Story TV and film franchise after joining the animated family in 2010. It might be obvious, as well, but all these characters are Schaal’s signature: a youthful, edgy and wholly their own person, even among an ensemble.
Jenny Slate
Jenny Slate is an actress, comedian, writer and voice actor who has an abundance of credits to her name. Some of her most notable are Tammy from Bob’s Burgers and the Huntress Wizard from Adventure Time. For the first three seasons of Big Mouth on Netflix, Slate voiced Missy as well. The stand-up stepped down from voicing the biracial character in the upcoming Season 4; the overalls-clad middle schooler will be voiced by Ayo Edebiri, a writer on the series.
John Goodman
You might know him from Roseanne or The Connors, but John Goodman is so much more than his Golden Globe award-winning role of Dan Conner. Goodman has played some of the most iconic characters in animation, from Frosty the Snowman in Frosty Returns, just one of the many Frosty TV specials that people whip out during the holiday season, to Sully in Monsters, Inc. and the entire Monsters, Inc. franchise, from Monsters University to the upcoming Disney series, Monsters at Work. He also had another memorable holiday role as the hysterical, dangerous and unforgettable Robot Santa in Futurama. Talk about a wide range of characters!
Nancy Cartwright
From Bart Simpson to Chuckie Finster, Nancy Cartwright has been a soundtrack of our childhood, adolescence and adulthood. The actress has never just dabbled in her craft, but instead threw herself full force into the world of animated television and film, voicing some of our favorite characters. The skateboarding son of Homer on The Simpsons, the redheaded troublemaker from Rugrats, and even the whimsical Mindy from the original Animaniacs series have all been portrayed by Cartwright herself. The voice actress has proved that she has no voice acting niche, just pure talent.
Jim Cummings
One of the biggest names in Hollywood voice acting is Jim Cummings. He has played more beloved characters in animation since the beginning of his career four decades ago than one can even imagine. Just a small handful of his critically acclaimed and globally recognized voice acting work includes the likes of both Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes, and Shredder from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. His work also has taken him to CatDog, The Mickey Mouse Playhouse, DuckTales, Curious George and more! (A lot more: 400 or more roles level more.)
Kristen Bell
Princess Anna of Arendelle is one of the 21st century’s most well-known characters in the animation world. In Frozen and Frozen II, as well as every Frozen themed spin-off show, short or film, Anna is voiced by none other than Kristen Bell. Some know her from The Good Place and others from Veronica Mars, but Bell is also an accomplished voice actress. She does the voice of Jade Wilson in Teen Titans Go! and formerly voiced Molly on the animated series Central Park. (Central Park is a musical cartoon sitcom that came to Apple TV+ this year created by Loren Bouchard of Bob’s Burgers. Similar to Slate, Bell stepped down from her position on the show: her character, Molly, was a biracial woman.)
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