Top 20 Animated Characters with the Same Voice Actor
#20: John DiMaggio “Adventure Time” (2010-18)
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Thanks to John DiMaggio’s flexible voice work, Jake the Dog can come off as silly, intimidating, wise beyond his dog years in different scenes or all at once. Luckily for us, the actor didn’t just bring his talents to one character within the land of Ooo. DiMaggio once lent his voice to the tricky Reaper character. At another point, the actor played the Rock Wizard. And during the “Normal Man” episode, he plays everyone from Jake to a Survivalist to Martians. It’s tremendously fun to listen to DiMaggio inhabit the lives of multiple characters in such a short time span. He brought a ton of life to whichever resident of the land of OO that he became.
#19: Russi Taylor “Mickey Mouse” (2013-19)
It was already impressive that the late Russi Taylor played the iconic character Minnie Mouse for over three decades. However, that wasn’t the only memorable Disney character she voiced. In fact, Taylor played the duck sibling trio of Huey, Dewey and Louie. She got to perform all four roles on the 2013 “Mickey Mouse” show. Taylor fully commits to playing the excitable young ducks and the sweet and practically regal Minnie. And she also had a brief, yet brilliant role as a creepy witch. No matter which Disney character Taylor played from scene to scene, it was always music to our ears when we heard her voice in an episode.
#18: Khary Payton “Young Justice” (2010-22)
Since this actor had already won over audiences with his portrayal of the superhero Cyborg on “Teen Titans”, it was easy to see why he was brought on board for “Young Justice”. Payton had a major leading role as the aquatic leader “Kaldur’ahm.” Outside of that, he also played Cyborg’s dad Silas Stone and the powerful Black Lightning. But Payton didn’t just stick with heroes. The actor also portrayed heavy hitters like Brick and Black Manta. Since the latter villain has a lot of interactions with Kaldur’ahm, fans get to really hear how much variety Payton brings to a scene. He’s able to convey the complex inner worlds of very different personalities with just a few small shifts in tone and delivery.
#17: Tabitha St. Germain “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” (2010-19)
During just one of her runs on “My Little Pony”, this actress managed to voice around 100 different characters. Most viewers would recognize St Germain as the talent behind the composed Rarity. When the actress isn’t portraying that pony, you might hear her playing the seasoned Granny Smith. St. Germain also gave us a 2 for 1 performance by making Princess Luna’s good and evil personalities each sound incredibly convincing. All of those big roles are just a small sample size of the range she brought to this animated series. In any given episode, chances are high that you’ll hear St. Germain’s tones more than once.
#16: Jim Cummings “Darkwing Duck” (1991-92)
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The heroic terror that flaps in the night and the sinister Negaduck have more than few things in common. One of their biggest similarities is that they’re both voiced by Jim Cummings. After learning that fact, the scenes between the two become even more interesting to watch. Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for Negaduck to hear Cummings play a villain. The actor also portrayed rogues like Professor Moliarty. Additionally, Cummings had fun jumping into smaller roles like Drake-el and even did a stint as the character Genie. His variety of roles really made us want to get dangerous from week to week.
#15: Mike Judge “Beavis and Butt-Head” (1993–2011)
Longtime fans of this comedic duo probably know by now that “Beavis and Butt-Head” creator Mike Judge voices both of the title roles. Since these characters have endured for decades, it’s safe to say he had a lot of great comedic chemistry with himself. Judge also managed to play characters who couldn’t be more different from the duo within the show. The creative has also portrayed the strict and constantly on edge Principal McVicker. When that character isn’t being tormented by Beavis and Butthead, you may see them causing Judge’s Tom Anderson grief. Whenever a fan revisits the series, they should see if the actor is playing the duo, a victim of the pair or both during any given story.
#14: Nick Kroll “Big Mouth” (2017-)
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Comedian Nick Kroll has an incredible talent for creating unique characters for us to laugh at. On “Big Mouth”, his most distinctive and outrageous performance is reserved for Maury the Hormone Monster. Kroll dials the eccentricity back by quite a bit to play Nick Birch. However, the comedian also isn’t afraid to fully embody a bizarre character like Coach Steve Steve. Those roles are only the tip of the iceberg of characters he’s PLAYED on the show. Throughout the series, he’s voiced everyone from Lola to the Ghost of Picasso. There’s no telling who Kroll will be or who he will impersonate until you tune in to the next hormonal adventure.
#13: Tara Strong “Ben 10” (2005-08)
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While Ben and Gwen Tennyson don’t always see eye-to eye, they will always be bonded by the fact that the incredible Tara Strong has voiced each of them at some point. Her performance as the male lead hero was already impressive on its own. But it’s mind blowing to know that the actress can portray the often immature Ben and a future version of his sister too. Naturally, Strong didn’t just play the human characters on the extraterrestrial themed show. The actress can also be heard voicing aliens like Upgrade. Since all these characters and more are so wildly different from each other, we wouldn’t blame casual viewers for not knowing Strong was behind all of them.
#12: Tom Kenny “Spongebob Squarepants” (1999-)
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Kenny’s vocal talents cannot be contained in a single pineapple under the sea. First and foremost, he plays the optimistic Spongebob throughout the series. In a hilarious twist, it turns out that Kenny also plays the lead’s less enthusiastic pet Gary. The actor also gets to step above the sea and play the French Narrator from time to time. While we won’t talk too much about Kenny’s role as Patchy the Pirate since it’s a live action part, we can highlight his recurring role as the Dirty Bubble. Thanks to Kenny’s vocal roles, we’ve laughed, learned and got plenty of memes. We hope he continues to play everyone from fish to french narrators in the Bikini Bottom based show.
#11:Nancy Cartwright “The Simpsons” (1999-)
Don’t have a cow when we tell you that the legendary Nancy Cartwright hasn't just played Bart and Maggie Simpson. At this point, she has voiced enough characters to fill up several apartment buildings in Springfield. Cartwright has lent her voice to major recurring characters like Ralph Wiggum and Nelson Muntz. She can also be heard playing Kearney, a “Space Mutants VIII” actor, a nun and so much more. While we love everything Cartwright has contributed to the show, we especially treasure the exchanges between Bart and Nelson. It’s amazing to know that she's been playing both sides of a turbulent relationship between two very popular Springfield characters. Springfield simply wouldn’t sound the same without Cartwright.
#10: Dee Bradley Baker “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” (2008-14; 2020)
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Dee Bradley Baker is a legend among voice actors – even being able to successfully pull off animal noises. However, we’d love to pay tribute to his contribution to the “Star Wars” franchise during “Clone Wars.” In this series, he not only voices Captain Rex and Commander Cody, but also literally every Clone trooper. Even with so many duplicates, Baker successfully manages to give them all distinct voices and personalities, from Hunter’s smoky gruffness to Crosshair’s slithery delivery, and that’s just for starters. Of course, Baker’s return as the titular “Bad Batch” was more than welcomed in the “Clone Wars” sequel series, once again proving that he is a one-man army –literally, in this case.
#9: Cree Summer “Codename: Kids Next Door” (2002-08)
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During its six-year run, “Codename: Kids Next Door” welcomed a plethora of well-known voice acting legends –among them being Cree Summer. This is one of Summer’s most notable shows where she played not one, but three major roles – Numbuh 5, her devious teenage sister Cree Lincoln, and one-third of the Delightful Children From Down the Lane. As Numbuh 5, she becomes the very model of a laid-back, level-headed gal who can kick serious butt. Cree –named after her actress - is a lot more conniving and cocky. Finally, the Delightful Children are deviously creepy – made even more impressive with Miss Summer being able to synch up with the Delightful Children’s other actors.
#8: Alex Hirsch “Gravity Falls” (2012-16)
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One perk of being a series creator is getting to lend your voice to your own show. Alex Hirsch takes advantage of this for “Gravity Falls” where he gets to voice a good chunk of the cast. From the gruff cheapskate, Grunkle Stan, to the formerly brilliant turned totally demented Old Man McGucket. He’s also admitted that Soos, the lovable dimbulb of the Mystery Shack, is his favorite voice to record –and we can’t blame him with such a hilarious voice. Though he originally wanted David Lynch to voice Bill Cipher, Hirsch fills the role with his own “poor Lynch” impression, and yet it fits perfectly for Bill, just like every other voice Hirsch gives his own creation.
#7: Grey DeLisle-Griffin “The Fairly OddParents” (2001-17)
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During his run on Nickelodeon, Butch Hartman could always rely on the talents of yet another voice acting legend, Grey Delisle-Griffin. Nowhere is her talent more evident than in “The Fairly OddParents” where she voices over 30 characters – both female AND male. Each role she plays, she gives a little pizzazz – from Chad’s smugness to Principal Waxelplax’s Irish perkiness, to Veronica’s unhinged distress, and so on. And then, of course, there are her two most notable roles in the series – Vicky the Babysitter and her little sister Tootie. Tootie carries an air of innocence and admiration, while Vicky is a walking symbol of sadistic torture, and Grey captures both roles excellently.
#6:Rob Paulsen “Animaniacs” (1993-98)
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As one of the main voice actors behind the totally insane-y classic, Rob Paulsen proves his legendary status by bringing his A-game voicing so many dynamic characters. As Yakko, he channels his inner Groucho Marx as a witty smart aleck. When voicing Pinky, he breaks out a cockney accent and his iconic random noises. Finally, as Dr. Scratchansniff, he takes inspiration from Peter Sellers’ Doctor Strangelove and adds a hilarious hint of distress –which is especially fitting when dealing with the Warners. All three major players –and the various minor roles, really highlight Mr. Paulsen’s gift for voice acting, and when he returns for the 2020 reboot, he resumes the roles perfectly with little effort.
#5: Billy West “Futurama” (1999-2013)
“Good news, everyone,” right now, we’ll be highlighting one of “Futurama’s” multi-talented actors, Billy West. West not only successfully manages so many roles, but also a hilarious tribute with almost all of them. For example, Professor Farnsworth carries a hint of Jerry Lewis, while Dr. Zoidberg takes inspiration from Lou Jacobi and George Jessel –with a hint of Curly Howard when he needs to flee the scene. Even Zapp Brannigan’s voice is a tribute to the late Phil Hartman –who was originally considered for the role before his passing. Arguably, Fry is the closest to West's natural voice, and yet it still carries the good-natured, bumbling characteristics we love about the boy LITERALLY ahead of his time.
#4: Trey Parker & Matt Stone “South Park” (1997-)
You really have to respect the production behind “South Park.” Each episode takes about a week to write and produce –which includes getting voice recordings done. Thankfully, series creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are always available to get into the recording booth and voice over half the cast. They naturally voice the main boys –Trey voicing Cartman and Stan while Matt handles Kyle and Kenny- while also voicing nearly every other kid and male adult character –and they fit both ages perfectly. Because they run the show, they know what they’re looking for with the dialogue, so it doesn’t take them long to get the voices they need, and we thank them for all they do.
#3: Seth MacFarlane “Family Guy” (1999-)
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As an adult cartoon veteran, it’s become a tradition for Seth MacFarlane to voice at least one character in his own cartoons. Nowhere is this more evident than with his roles on “Family Guy.” Of course, we have our three main Griffin men – Peter, Stewie, and Brian – the latter using his natural speaking voice. On top of that, we also have the eely Glenn Quagmire, narcissistic anchor Tom Tucker, gruff conservative Carter Pewterschmidt, and similarly gruff quack Dr. Hartman –and that’s merely the tip of the iceberg. True, some voices are bound to sound similar to others, but they all have their own identities and bounce off each other amazingly – especially Brian and Stewie.
#2: Dan Castellaneta “The Simpsons” (1989-)
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With its status as the longest-running cartoon, we HAD to fit “The Simpsons” on this list; and who better than the title actor with over 30 characters under his belt, Dan Castellaneta? Of course, we all know his most iconic role – the dimwitted, donut-loving family man, Homer Simpson. Along with him, there’s also the bozo rip-off, Krusty the Clown, the broken town drunk, Barney, Homer’s elderly, often-senile father, Abe, the temperamental Scottish groundskeeper, Willie, and even the Ted Kennedy spoof, Mayor Quimby… and we’ve barely made a dent in Castellaneta’s “Simpsons” resume. The fact that he’s stuck with the show since the very beginning and voiced so many people is truly a testament to his talent.
#1: Mel Blanc “Looney Tunes” (1930-69)
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Even after his passing, Mel is still revered for his incredible vocal energy and range; and nowhere is his talent on full display more than the “Looney Tunes'' and “Merrie Melodies” shorts. From the snarky wit of Bugs Bunny, the stammering charm of Porky Pig, the zany arrogance of Daffy Duck, to the mocking shrillness of Tweety Bird. There’s a lot more than that, but we can only fit so many characters in one list. With every character, Mel manages to give them each a memorable, zany, and just plain hilarious voice, and the fact that he carried these roles for decades more than justifies his nickname of “the man of 1000 voices.”
