The Voice

Mel Blanc and "friends"

You may not have heard his name -- but you've definitely heard him. Voice actor and comedian Mel Blanc provided the voices for nearly the entire cast of the original Looney Toons cartoons, including such characters as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Tweety Bird, the Tasmanian Devil, and even the Road Runner.

Born on May 30 (it would have been his 106th birthday), Blanc is fondly remembered to this day as "the Man of a Thousand Voices." In celebration of his birthday, we're taking a look at a few other actors whose faces may be unknown -- but whose voices have been entertaining us for decades.



Frank Welker

In some ways, it's odd that his name's not better known. After all, in terms of box office sales, Frank Welker held the highest career box office gross of any actor in Hollywood -- meaning that his movies had made more money than any other actor's. As of 2011, films in which Welker has played a role have made a combined $6.42 billion -- and still counting.

In the last 25 years, Welker has lent his voice to characters in more than 90 films, including such box-office hits as The Grinch, The Lion King, Shrek, Toy Story 3, 2010's Alice in Wonderland, and the Transformers film franchise. He's also voiced Fred Jones in the Hanna-Barbera series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! since the show's inception in 1969.

-- Click here to request Transformers on DVD



Frank Oz

He's the original voice behind Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear -- but he's also an accomplished actor, puppeteer, and even director.

Frank Oz performed with Jim Henson's Muppets for many years. In addition to voicing Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear on The Muppet Show (as well as Animal and Sam the Eagle), Oz was also the original voice behind the Sesame Street characters of Grover, Cookie Monster, and Bert. His experiences with puppeteering also made him an ideal choice for voicing and operating Master Yoda in three of the Star Wars films (as well as voicing Yoda in two additional films, when puppeteering had been replaced by CGI animation).

It's arguable if Oz is better known as a voice actor or a director. Oz has directed such films as Little Shop of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, What About Bob?, Death at a Funeral, and the remake of The Stepford Wives.

-- Click here to request The Muppet Show on DVD



Dan Castellaneta

One doesn't need to look much farther than Fox's The Simpsons (now in its 25th season) to see the evidence of Castellaneta's wide range of voices. In addition to voicing lovable schlub Homer Simpson, Castellaneta also lends his voice to Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, Itchy, Mayor Quimby, and Grampa Simpson -- roles which have earned him four Primetime Emmy Awards.

Beyond The Simpsons, however, Castellaneta has played a wide variety of roles, appearing in such animated series as Batman Beyond, Justice League, Rugrats, and Scooby-Doo. He also has done plenty of work for Disney, even stepping in to replace Robin Williams as the voice of the Genie in spin-offs from the 1992 hit movie Aladdin.

Castellaneta often makes the occasional live-action appearance, guest-starring in shows like Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends, That '70s Show, Parks and Recreation, Castle, and How I Met Your Mother.

-- Click here to request The Simpsons on DVD



Mark Hamill

Mark Hamill breaks the typical voice acting role in a unique way: you know his face. His first film role is also the role he'll always be primarily associated with: Star War's Luke Skywalker. But in addition to his film roles (and some acclaimed theater work), Hamill has also become a superstar in the world of voice acting.

Among comic book fans, he's best-loved for his iconic take on the role of the Joker in the 1992 show Batman: The Animated Series. Citing such references as Hannibal Lecter, Jerry Lewis, and the Blue Meanies from Yellow Submarine, Hamill created a version of the Joker that was wholly unique -- no mean feat coming as it did just a scant three years after Jack Nicholson had put his own iconic stamp on the character.

Hamill went on to voice the Joker for two decades, with the character appearing in six different animated series, as well as several animated films, video games, and even an episode of the live-action series Birds of Prey. The enthusiasm of critics and fans alike for his performance led to a plethora of other voice acting roles for Hamill -- many the complete antithesis of his heroic turn as Luke Skywalker.

-- Click here to request Batman: The Animated Series on DVD



-- Post by Ms. B