# Actors who do better voice overs than act? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 16, 2006, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637 "2006-10-16T15:53:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/21 "2014-04-25T13:47:25Z")
Hank Azaria is defintely at the top of the list. Yes, he’s a good actor but his work on The Simpsons is absolutely awesome. He does more voices than anyone, and Matt Groening observed “Some of these characters have only one or two lines. But Hank hits it out of the park every time.” ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/22 "2014-04-25T14:39:47Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Clancy Brown. Although he’s had some live-action roles, he’s best known for his voice work, such as Lex Luthor in the DCAU and as Mr. Krabs on \*SpongeBob SquarePants. \* ‘Some’ live-action roles? While he does so much voice over work I wonder where he finds time to do other roles, he’s had some very prominent live-action work. The Kurgan - antagonist in _The Highlander_ film Captain Hadley - head prison guard in _The Shawshank Redemption_ Sgt. Zim - drill sergeant in _Starship Troopers_ Meachem - the preacher in _Cowboys & Aliens_ And this is barely representative of all the work he has done, in both TV and film. He is a very in-demand character actor. He does fine voice over work, but I can’t see how one could say he does ‘better’ voice over work than act. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/23 "2014-04-25T15:07:06Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > The Kurgan - antagonist in _The Highlander_ film > Captain Hadley - head prison guard in _The Shawshank Redemption_ > Sgt. Zim - drill sergeant in _Starship Troopers_ > Meachem - the preacher in _Cowboys & Aliens_ He was absolutely riveting as Brother Justin in _Carnivàle_; he was arguably the best character in one of the best TV dramas ever. I didn’t actually know he did much voice-over work until I read this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/24 "2014-04-25T15:11:54Z")
Does H. Jon Benjamin do any live acting? ETA: I’ll nominate Phil LaMarr as a better voice actor than live actor. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/25 "2014-04-25T15:17:16Z")
While I tend to enjoy [Keith David](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0202966/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1) in most of his [acting roles](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SkFkE57eNA), a strong case could be made that his [voice-over](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVhvrfmcvLk) work. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/26 "2014-04-25T16:14:12Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > He was absolutely riveting as Brother Justin in _Carnivàle_; he was arguably the best character in one of the best TV dramas ever. > > I didn’t actually know he did much voice-over work until I read this thread. I’m old enough to remember him as “Viking,” the top dog at juvenile prison (and Sean Penn’s arch-enemy) in\*\*\* Bad Boys.\*\*\* It’s funny how often Clancy Brown plays psychos and crooks, because he’s actually a rich, prep school kid and the son of a Congressman. He has a very nice, pretty wife and a couple of nice kids, and seems like a great guy. But, in his words, “What can I tell you? The few movies where I played good guys didn’t do very well.” ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/27 "2014-04-25T16:40:08Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I’m old enough to remember him as “Viking,” the top dog at juvenile prison (and Sean Penn’s arch-enemy) in\*\*\* Bad Boys.\*\*\* > > It’s funny how often Clancy Brown plays psychos and crooks, because he’s actually a rich, prep school kid and the son of a Congressman. He has a very nice, pretty wife and a couple of nice kids, and seems like a great guy. > > But, in his words, “What can I tell you? The few movies where I played good guys didn’t do very well.” Wasn’t he the short-lived-but-good-guy cop in Fox’s _Sleepy Hollow_ too? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/28 "2014-04-25T16:55:44Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Wasn’t he the short-lived-but-good-guy cop in Fox’s _Sleepy Hollow_ too? I never saw it, but if you’re right, that’s just another case of an unsuccessful project where he played a good guy. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/29 "2014-04-25T17:04:18Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Wasn’t he the short-lived-but-good-guy cop in Fox’s _Sleepy Hollow_ too? He was the chief of police, beheaded in the first episode, but that didn’t prevent him from playing a recurring role. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/30 "2014-04-25T17:06:06Z")
Kristen Schaal is ok on The Daily Show and her stand up is alright, but her best role is Louise on Bob’s Burgers and her voice is in a massive amount of those things. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/31 "2014-04-25T17:08:03Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Does H. Jon Benjamin do any live acting? He’s in _Jon Benjamin Has a Van_, but I’m not sure that really counts as acting. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/32 "2014-04-25T17:21:30Z")
OK, OK, I didn’t mean to slight Clancy Brown. I don’t think I’ve seen any of his movies. I first heard of him in connection with the animated Superman series and recognized his name from the credits of SpongeBob. I don’t mean to imply he’s a better voice actor, but he’s more familiar to me as one. I’ll defer to everyone else that he’s an excellent live actor, too. But to me he’s in the same category as Billy West or Tom Kenny as someone whose voice I hear most often and rarely actually see. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/33 "2014-04-25T19:19:30Z")
Not really familiar with the name Clancy Brown, but I recognized his face immediately. I probably know him most from The Shawshank Redemption. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/34 "2014-04-25T19:28:08Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > Yeardley Smith is great as Lisa Simpson, quite forgettable in the 3 or so guest spots in sitcoms I’ve seen her in. > [@nevadaexile](#): > > She was a [minor film actress](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZMuBfuv1iA) in the 1980s and 1990s. They cut that off before the best line. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/35 "2014-04-25T21:57:04Z")
Yeardley Smith and Hank Azaria co-starred on [Herman’s Head](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman%27s_Head) which ran for 72 episodes on Fox from 1991-1994. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/36 "2014-04-25T22:48:47Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I don’t know if we was a better voice actor than on-screen, but he was a LOT more prominenmt as a voice actor. > **Paul Frees** was the voice of Boris Badenov, Ludwig von Drake, countless Disney characters, and lots of random cartoon characters. The great June Foray also picked up live-action work from time to time, but that’s sure as heck not how her inevitable obituary is going to lead off. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/37 "2014-04-25T23:03:09Z")
Eddie Murphy has certainly done much better as voice over for many years. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/38 "2014-04-25T23:06:51Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > The great June Foray also picked up live-action work from time to time, but that’s sure as heck not how her inevitable obituary is going to lead off. Yeah, but Frees didn’t do it “from time to time”. It was essentially his job. I would’ve said that his obit would say he was the voice of Boris Badenov and Ludwi8g von Drake. Since he diked in 1986, we can check – I’m half right. The NYT obituary doesn’t mention Ludwig von Drake. > **[PAUL FREES (Published 1986)](https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/05/obituaries/paul-frees.html)** ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/39 "2014-04-29T20:06:00Z")
> [@susan\_foster](#): > > Mark Hamill. Considered by many to be whiny in the Star Wars movies; rocked as the Joker on Batman: The Animated Series. > > Susan Agreed. He far surpasses Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637/40 "2014-04-29T21:06:59Z")
> [@Sister\_Vigilante](#): > > Agreed. He far surpasses Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson. Interesting thing about Hamill – he was doing voice work _years_ before he was Luke Skywalker – he’d done voices for _The New Scooby Doo Movies_ in 1973, and had the lead male role in the animated series _Jeannie_ the same year, then was on _Fred Flintstone and Friends_ in 1977. In doing the Joker, the Hobgoblin, and his many other voices, he was arguably returning to his roots. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-better-voice-overs-than-act/376637.md?page=3)