In recent years Voice actors have begun to get the recognition they so richly deserve thanks to long-running series like The Simpsons, Family Guy, and South Park giving credibility and longevity to animated television. For every famous voice actor like Seth McFarlane gaining praise for their commitment to their craft, they pay homage to esteemed predecessors from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s like Mel Blanc, Frank Welker, and Peter Cullen in classic series like Looney Tunes, G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Scooby-Doo.
Even some film actors like Mark Hamill, who has become almost as well-known for voicing Batman’s arch-nemesis The Joker as he is for playing sci-fi icon Luke Skywalker, have had more distinction with voice-over work than anywhere else. As more animated series debut, there are many voice actors who have been quietly making careers for decades, their cheerful, sonorous, and distinct diction going unnoticed. Whether they manipulate their voice to create amazingly distinct sounding characters like Hank Azaria, or simply apply their highly recognizable speaking voice to perfect parts like Kristen Schaal, they all deserve more credit.
10 Keith David (Spawn, Gargoyles, Adventure Time)
Keith David’s distinct, rumbling baritone voice can be heard throughout a number of animated series over the last several decades, including as Goliath in the much-revered Gargoyles cartoon in the ’90s, and as recently as voicing Flame King on Adventure Time.
From popular series like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Rick and Morty to more niche offerings like BoJack Horseman, David adds gravitas to whatever project he’s working on. Additionally, Keith David’s work as Spawn in the darkly cinematic adult cartoon Spawn: The Animated Series on HBO remains one of his most groundbreaking achievements, both for the thematic content and his hand in bringing it to stirring life.
9 Hank Azaria (The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, Spider-Man: The Animated Series)
Hank Azaria has been voicing characters on The Simpsons for over twenty years, and while he’s mostly known for voicing the controversial character of Apu (which Azaria has apologized for playing), there are several other characters in Springfield he’s responsible for after having stepped down from that part, including Moe, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Dr. Nick Riviera, Snake Jailbird, and many more.
Beyond The Simpsons cohort, he’s also had parts in The Cleveland Show, and in the ’90s he lent his vocal talents to Spider-Man: The Animated Series as both Eddie Brock and Venom.
8 Nick Kroll (Big Mouth, The Kroll Show)
Nick Kroll has been making waves in comedy for some time, but the recent popularity of his Netflix coming-of-age cartoon Big Mouth has introduced new fans to all of the ways he’s able to manipulate his voice. At this point, he’s practically half of the important characters on the series, including Nick (a version of himself), Maurice the Hormone Monster, and the irrepressible Lola.
Some of these characters (like Lola) he developed when he had his sketch series The Kroll Show, which was a pastiche of comedy skits that unbeknownst to him, would later become material he could mine for Big Mouth when it ended.
7 Tara Strong (The Fairly OddParents, Teen Titans Go!, The Powerpuff Girls)
With credits going back decades, it’s hard to believe that the cherubic actor behind Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls has been voice acting since she was in her teens. Tara Strong has been going strong since The Care Bears and The Garbage Pail Kids in the ’80s, but today she’s best known for being Dil Pickles in Rugrats, Timmy in The Fairly OddParents, and Twilight Sparkle in various My Little Pony series.
With the rise of superhero series, she’s been Barbara Gordon across multiple Batman spin-offs, and most recently Raven in Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go!. At nearly 50, her most celebrated range is playing pre-pubescents and teenagers, a credit to her impressive vocal abilities.
6 H. Jon Benjamin (Bob’s Burgers, Archer, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist)
H. Jon Benjamin may not alter his voice that wildly to portray the two characters he’s become so associated with, but the impressive performances he gives makes fans believe that a petulant, over-sexed spy like Sterling Archer and an overworked family man like Bob Belcher are two distinct people – even when Archer and Bob’s Burgers have crossovers!
Benjamin’s droll intonations go all the way back to the ’90s when he starred in Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, about a laidback middle-aged therapist whose practice involves helping celebrity clients (including famous actors and comedians of the time) and, indirectly, his childish adult son.
5 Grey Delisle-Griffin (Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Fairly OddParents, Batman: The Brave and the Bold)
What do Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Daphne from the Scooby-Doo franchise, and Vicki, Mrs. Claus, Chad, Tooth Fairy, and Principal Waxelpax from The Fairly OddParents have in common? They’re all voiced by Grey Delisle-Griffin, a veteran of the voice-acting business who’s been lending her vocal talents to popular TV series since the ’90s.
Like the ubiquitous Nancy Cartwright, who’s long been known as the voice of Bart Simpson in The Simpsons, Griffin can voice male roles as well as female roles, like Bat Manga Robin on Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Chances are if fans of animated television have watched anything in the last twenty years they’ve been treated to one of Delisle-Griffin’s distinct characters.
4 Phil LaMarr (Samurai Jack, Justice League Unlimited, Star Trek: Lower Decks)
It’s common for a voice actor to become famous for a character that’s an indelible part of animated television week in and week out – such as Dan Castellaneta providing the voice of Homer Simpson – because they’re heard regularly. For someone like Phil LaMarr, who voiced Jack in the cult smash Samurai Jack, it was a much harder feat when the lines of dialogue were few and far between.
Jack only speaks a handful of times in every episode, but LaMarr manages to imbue him with a great deal of personality. After Jack, he would go on to voice Hermes on Futurama, the Green Lantern in Justice League Unlimited, and most recently Admiral Freeman on Star Trek: Lower Decks. Whether it’s voicing original characters or ones that fans have a very firm idea of what they should sound like, LaMarr reliably delivers memorable performances.
3 Kristen Schaal (Bob’s Burgers, Gravity Falls, BoJack Horseman)
Kristen Schaal might have been fired after working on South Park for only a month, but her career still began in the world of voice acting, and luckily for fans, she didn’t let these early setbacks stop her from embracing her gifts. She’s now primarily known for voicing Louise Belcher on Bob’s Burgers who, even in a cast full of other accomplished voice actors manages to stand out.
2 Jason Mantzoukas (Big Mouth, Invincible, Housebroken)
Jason Mantzoukas appears to be everywhere these days, bringing his manic freneticism to parts that require high energy and a snarky attitude. His rambunctious, nasally characters are often the ones causing trouble, earning him a reputation for playing wiseguys and sarcastic antiheroes.
He’s played mischievous, sex-crazed Jay on Big Mouth, The One-Eyed One in group pet therapy on Housebroken, and most recently as Rex Splode on Invincible about the son of the most powerful superhero on Earth.
1 Ikue Otani (Pokémon, Naruto, One Piece)
Those familiar with anime voice actors will recognize Ikue Otani as the vocal talent behind one of the most prominent faces in anime today — Pikachu from the Pokémon series. Like many voice actors who primarily work in anime, she regularly voices both male and female characters but has the distinction of making adorable creatures seem incredibly anthropomorphic.
Aside from being beloved Pikachu, she’s had roles in many popular anime franchises, including as Tony Tony Chopper from One Piece, Morgana in Persona 5 (and its game), Konohamaru Sarutobi from Naruto, and finally Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya in Detective Conan.
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