THOSE YOU SHOULD KNOW

KEITH DAVID

“It is the nature of humans to fear what they do not understand.” - Goliath (Gargoyles)

There is no chance that you’ve ever watched a movie, played a video game, enjoyed a cartoon, or gone an entire year without somehow hearing the deeply sultry voice of David. Everything about him oozes cool, from his walk to his devilish smirk to his always dressed-to-a-tee fits. That’s how he’s able to go toe-to-toe with superstars like Kurt Russell in The Thing. However, it’s his voice that enters deep into your soul and stays there well past his screen time. If you need a powerful entity, whether it’s the noble leader of the Gargoyles, Goliath; the slick-tongued Dr. Facilier in The Princess and the Frog; or the mysterious and mighty Arbiter from the Halo video game series; there isn’t anyone better. The man has over 300 voice credits in every genre of entertainment you could think of, and for very good reason. One word from his lips and you already know the scene has been stolen from whoever you think is leading the show.

Other Notable Credits: The Cat (Coraline); Spawn (Spawn); Apollo (Hercules)

HANK AZARIA

“Thank you, come again.” – Apu Nahasapeemapetilon (The Simpsons)

Even if you decide to lambast his most famous role in The Simpsons, over half the citizens of Springfield owes their existence to Azaria’s biting tongue. Even in his live-action roles, there’s something missing if Azaria isn’t putting on a voice to go with his multitude of animated expressions. His smarmy pitch is perfect for any bully, outcast, smart-ass, or sassy diva, and that’s why his voice is a staple for the longest running American animated television show. His many, yellow-skinned characters’ voices have filled my childhood, your childhood, and your children’s childhood for 764 episodes and counting. You want a beer at Moe’s, ask Hank. You want Chief Wiggum to be as unhelpful as possible, ask Hank. You want a fact-check from the Comic Book Guy, ask Hank.

Other Notable Credits:  Eddie Brock/Venom (Spider-Man: The Animated Series); Abraham Lincoln (Night at The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian)

PATRICK WARBURTON

“Squeaky, uh, squeak, squeaker, squeakin’.” – Kronk (The Emperor’s New Groove)

Loud, brash, and boastful, Warburton is what I imagine Bruce Campbell’s voice to sound like if I had never heard Campbell speak before. There’s an air of hilarious arrogance in his voice that perfectly fits your favorite oblivious airhead. Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove is a quote waiting to happen, Family Guy’s wheelchaired hot-head, Joe Swanson, is ready to blow at any minute, and you can automatically hear the exclamation of disgust from the meme that is his Bee Movie character, Ken. And, of course, he was the only choice to properly star as the live-action version of the world’s most unaware superhero, The Tick. Shit, I thought he was the original voice in the first place.

Other Notable Credits: Brock Samson (The Venture Bros.); Agamemnon (Mr. Peabody & Sherman)

THOSE YOU MAY KNOW

TARA STRONG

“I was protected by the Monks of Azarath.” – Raven (Teen Titans Go!)

With 665 credits to her name, Strong has been a staple in cartoon voice acting for at least three generations. Over the last 25 years, she has provided the iconic voices behind the likes of Timmy Turner (The Fairly Oddparents), Bubbles (The Powerpuff Girls), Raven (Teen Titans Go!), and, more recently, Miss Minutes (Loki). All that is to say that she has put her name alongside legends like Christin Cavanaugh, E.G. Daily, Nancy Cartwright, and June Foray as arguably the most famous voice actress of all time.

Notable Credits: Dil Pickles (Rugrats); Barbara Gordon/Batgirl (Batman: The Animated Series); Harley Quinn (2011-present, multiple appearances)

STEVE BLUM

“Whatever happens, happens.” – Spike Spiegel (Cowboy Bebop)

Even though he has played in two of the most well-known geek sandboxes as Wolverine (numerous times, most notably in Wolverine and the X-Men) and Zeb in Star Wars: Rebels, Blum will forever be linked to the icon that is Spike Spiegel (Cowboy Bebop). His voice is as memorable as Bebop’s jazzy-ass intro music and has been used in a multitude of video games, anime dubs, and several hip-hop albums (thanks, Logic!). After racking up 882 credits over a 45-year career, Blum doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.

Other Notable Credits: Kyogai (Demon Slayer); Orochimaru (Naruto); Amon (The Legend of Korra)

TOM KENNY

“I’m Ready… I’m Ready… I’m Ready.” – SpongeBob SquarePants (SpongeBob SquarePants)

Between the laugh, the high-pitched voice, and the slight hint of mischievousness, there might not be a more recognizable voice on this list than that of SpongeBob SquarePants himself. Yes, he also has the misfortune of voicing two of the most annoying characters in Transformers history (Wheelie & Skids), but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t perfect for the job. Years and years of voicing the yellow and porous invertebrate has not doomed him to a life of typecasting, as he’s also done work in Batman: Caped Crusader, Rick & Morty, and hundreds (800 to be precise) of other credits. But that pineapple under the sea has treated him well.

Other Notable Credits: Nute Gunray (Star Wars: The Clone Wars); Ice King (Adventure Time)

CREE SUMMER

“That’s the final nail in the coffee!!!” – Susie Carmichael (Rugrats)

Currently killing it as librarian Ms. Inez in Abbott Elementary, Summer is the light behind the voice of the fiercest, most passionate little girls of the 80s & 90s. From the overbearing Elmyra on Tiny Toon Adventures to the warrior princess Kida in Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Summer has inspired young women for decades. However, none has reached more hearts and minds than that of Susie Carmichael, Rugrats’ independent, intelligent, compassionate, and all-around badass toddler bold enough to put Angelica (Cheryl Chase) in her place. Hail to queen Cree and all the powerful women she will voice from now until forever (also, shout out to Freddie from A Different World).

Other Notable Credits: Cleo (Clifford the Big Red Dog); Bunny Star (The Patrick Star Show)

THOSE I WISH YOU KNEW

KEVIN MICHAEL RICHARDSON

"This puny mortal will be no problem. I'll crush him with one blow." – Goro (Mortal Kombat)

My introduction to Richardson was the short-lived UPN comedy Homeboys in Outer Space, so finding out he is the voice of damn near every deep-timbred, evil-laired, all-mighty entity that I’ve ever watched has always made me laugh hysterically. In all seriousness, though, he is the only person I’d put up there with Keith David in terms of room-filling voices. He’s done Shredder (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), he’s done Goro (Mortal Kombat), he’s done Joker (The Batman), and he's done Deebo (Friday: The Animated Series). Dammit, man… he’s even done Morgan Freeman (The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius)! You name it, he's probably done it, and most likely done it with the depth of a thousand caverns.

Other Notable Credits: Captain Gantu (Lilo & Stitch); Heihachi (Soulcaliber II)

JOHN DIMAGGIO

“Bite my shiny metal ass!” – Bender Bending Rodriguez (Futurama)

There have been plenty of movies and television shows over the past ten years where there’s a smarmy character with a lowkey Jersey accent doing some sort of shady business, and nine times out of ten, when I say “that’s gotta be DiMaggio, right?”, the end credits prove me right. DiMaggio is the name I expect to pop up in every new animated anything I see nowadays, and I am absolutely flabbergasted when he doesn’t appear. His ability to maneuver his voice just slightly enough to not immediately recognize it every time is a testament to how versatile a voice artist he is, especially considering his more than 450 credits — many of which occur in the most notable of franchises ever, from TMNT to Justice League to Scooby-Doo, not to mention his most famous voice by far, Bender from Futurama.

Other Notable Credits: Bullock (Batman: Caped Crusader); King Zog (Disenchantment)

PHIL LAMARR

“50 years have passed. But I do not age.” – Samurai Jack (Samurai Jack)

A lot of things have gone well since LaMarr had his head blown off by Vincent Vega (John Travolta) in the back of that car in Pulp Fiction. Alongside the other two gentlemen in this section, LaMarr is a constant presence in what feels like 75% of the voicework of this century by either voicing supporting characters in Bojack Horseman (Professor Thistlethorpe) and Futurama (Hermes Conrad) or being the absolute essence of wisdom and guidance as the title character in Samurai Jack. LaMarr is the calm to whatever storm you choose to bring to your vocal performances, and he has helped bring weight to voice-over ensembles in over 450 credits. I guess that work with Tarantino really prepared him to stand out amongst a crowd.

Other Notable Credits: John Stewart/Green Lantern (Justice League & Justice League Unlimited); Virgil Hawkins/Static (Static Shock)