# Voice actors whose characters are their real voices **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 1, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599 "2009-04-01T18:12:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/21 "2009-04-02T15:04:34Z")
> [@](#): > > I assume we’re not counting the celebrity voice actors in animated films who don’t make any attempt to sound like anyone else. Which raises another question. Are there examples of a “star” (as opposed to a professional voice actor) doing a voice role and changing their voice from their regular speaking voice? The only one I can think of offhand is George Clooney doing the “voice” of Sparky on _South Park_. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/22 "2009-04-02T15:18:51Z")
What do we do with actors whose regular speaking voice was supplanted by a character’s voice (e.g.: Gilbert Gottfried)? ---
**Author:** ![ProfessorX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@ProfessorX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ProfessorX)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/23 "2009-04-02T15:24:16Z")
Seth McFarlane is a picture of this since Brian is pretty much his regular voice. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/24 "2009-04-02T15:30:46Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Nancy Cartwright, no. She sounds very ordinary in real life. She occasionally does the “Do you know who I voice” bit in real life, but she doesn’t sound like Bart. Really? Cause I remember seeing her in “Twilight Zone- The Movie” before I knew she did the voice and recall thinking “She sounds just like Bart Simpson!” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/25 "2009-04-02T15:32:22Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > Good one. I don’t know why this is so, but Warburton’s voice is just hilarious in and of itself. It’s just perfect for the characters he does. It’s got that ultra-ultra-dense-testosterone-y quality. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/26 "2009-04-02T17:29:27Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > It’s just perfect for the characters he does. It’s got that ultra-ultra-dense-testosterone-y quality. Brock Sampson from The Venture Brothers is the best representation of this. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/27 "2009-04-02T17:52:46Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Sticking with The Simpsons, both Yeardley Smith’s (Lisa) and Nancy Cartwright’s (Bart) real voices sound like the characters. You can hear Bart in Nancy Cartwright’s voice, but she’s putting a pretty hefty amount of change into it to become Bart; it’s not at all the same voice. Yeardley Smith (and Julie Kavner) are the same; you can hear a strong similarity but they are NOT using their normal voice. Smith is the closest, doing little more than just making her voice higher. By contrast, Seth MacFarlane does not change his voice at all to play Brian Griffin. That’s his speaking voice. ---
**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 2, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/28 "2009-04-02T17:55:57Z")
I saw Dan Castellaneta on Married…with CHildren and somehow I knew he was the voice of Homer Simpson. It’s not the voice that’s the same, but the inclination. He played a guy whose husband was dating Peg. Very good too. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/29 "2009-04-03T00:52:35Z")
Mila Kunis always sounds like Mila Kunis. And I don’t think I’ve ever heard H. Jon Benjamin credited with voicing a role that _didn’t_ sound like Coach McGuirk/The Master of All That Is Arcane/The Devil, Father of Lucy. ---
**Author:** ![Sodalite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@Sodalite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sodalite)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/30 "2009-04-03T06:01:39Z")
Regina King. It was really weird to hear Huey Freeman selling “Always” pads and tampons. I watched the ER series finale last night and I found it hard to take Ernest Borgnine seriously. I kept hearing Mermaidman saying, “EEEEEEEVIL!” in the background. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/31 "2009-04-03T06:34:00Z")
Sarah Vowell, who voiced Violet Parr in The Incredibles, didn’t seem to change much at all from her ‘on air’ voice for NPR. Frankly, no adult female should have a voice like that. None. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/32 "2009-04-03T06:43:09Z")
Seth Rogen was on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tonight, & said he gets voice acting jobs, but tells them they’d better want a voice that sounds exactly like he speaks, because he doesn’t do voices. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/33 "2009-04-03T06:59:08Z")
[Mr and Mrs Incredible](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredibles)with Craig T. Nelson as Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible and Holly Hunter as Helen Parr/Elastigirl were very close to their normal speaking voices. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/34 "2009-04-03T09:27:00Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Which raises another question. Are there examples of a “star” (as opposed to a professional voice actor) doing a voice role and changing their voice from their regular speaking voice?. Jennifer Tilly put something extra into her voice for _Monsters, Inc._, but I’m not sure exactly what to call it. To quote Roger Ebert: > [@](#): > > Voice-over dubbing used to be what actors did instead of dinner theater. Now, with the multimillion-dollar grosses of the top animated films, it’s a lucrative job that is finally getting the credit it deserves for the artistic skills necessary. Not everyone is a good looper, and stars like Goodman, Crystal, Coburn, Buscemi and Bonnie Hunt bring a dimension to the film that both borrows from their screen personas and kids them. As for the invaluable Tilly, she has the only voice that has ever made me think simultaneously of Mae West and Slim Pickens. It’s a great review. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/35 "2009-04-03T10:34:28Z")
Does Adam West sound like Adam West? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/36 "2009-04-03T10:43:56Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Brock Sampson from The Venture Brothers is the best representation of this. True. Although ironically, Brock is probably the _least_ stupid character he’s ever played. Compared to The Tick, Joe, or Barkin, he’s a genius. ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/37 "2009-04-03T11:38:09Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Which raises another question. Are there examples of a “star” (as opposed to a professional voice actor) doing a voice role and changing their voice from their regular speaking voice? Didn’t John Leguizamo use a different voice for the sloth in _Ice Age_? ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/38 "2009-04-03T11:52:44Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > By contrast, Seth MacFarlane does not change his voice at all to play Brian Griffin. That’s his speaking voice. All this talk of Family Guy got me to looking up clips on Youtube and almost forgetting to include Patrick Stewart in The Simpsons (as the Number One of the Stonecutters) and American Dad’s CIA chief. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/39 "2009-04-03T11:58:32Z")
If you bring Patrick Stewart into your recording studio, you want The Patrick Stewart Voice. Although it would be pretty hilarious to advertise that Patrick Stewart is guest-starring on your animated show and then have him voice a shrill little geek. All of Phil Hartman’s Simpsons characters were sort of an ‘on’ version of his real voice. Same pretty much goes for Jon Lovitz. When Stephen Colbert does voiceover, it sounds like him doing a slightly higher pitched voice. I’m not sure why that is. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599/40 "2009-04-03T12:19:58Z")
Katey Sagal as Leela on Futurama sounds a lot like her character on _Married with Children_, but I’m not sure that that is her real voice. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voice-actors-whose-characters-are-their-real-voices/491599.md?page=3)