Top 20 Celebs Who Became Surprisingly Good Voice Actors
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 Actors Who Became Surprisingly Good Voice Actors. For this list, we’ll be looking at performers who were known for their on-screen appearances before putting out some of their best work as voice actors. If there are any others you think deserve a shoutout, let us know about them in the comments!
#20: Tim Curry
The English-born Tim Curry began his career on stage before transitioning to film. Reprising his role as Dr. Frank N. Furter in the cult classic “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” it wasn’t long before he secured his place in pop culture. With roles like Wadsworth in “Clue,” the terrifying Pennywise in the original “It,” and the adventurous pirate Long John Silver in “Muppet Treasure Island,” Curry impressed with his mesmerizing delivery. As it would turn out, that would make him an excellent voice actor. He’s worked with Disney numerous times, and voiced the hilarious patriarch of Nickelodeon’s “The Wild Thornberrys.” He also showed he could still be villainous, briefly voicing Darth Sidious in “The Clone Wars” following Ian Abercrombie’s death.
#19: Nathan Fillion
One of geek culture’s most cherished actors, Nathan Fillion has been working in TV for decades. After breaking through on the sitcom, “Two Guys and a Girl,” he took on arguably his most iconic role as Malcolm Reynolds in “Firefly.” Though short-lived, its cult following and his inescapable charm earned him a lot of love, which he carried to shows like “Castle” and “The Rookie.” Fillion is just as adept at getting us to love his characters through his voice alone. He’s played Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern across numerous DC animated releases and worked with developer Bungie on the “Halo” and “Destiny” franchises. Whether it’s a bit part or leading role, Fillion’s voice shines through.
#18: Will Arnett
After a string of failed TV pilots, Will Arnett finally got some recognition for playing the magic-loving Gob Bluth on “Arrested Development.” With that show’s critical acclaim, he’d move into comedy films like “Hot Rod” and “Blades of Glory.” Although he’s never shied away from on-screen work, his naturally gruff voice has led to some of his best roles. From “Despicable Me” to “Monsters vs. Aliens,” Arnett’s voice has been delighting kids for years. He was the perfect choice for a comedic take on Batman in the “Lego Movie” series. However, he also showed he could handle much more mature themes through his starring role on Netflix’s “BoJack Horseman.”
#17: Kristen Schaal
With a distinctly hilarious voice, Kristen Schaal burst into comedy through stand-up and HBO’s “Flight of the Conchords” before becoming a commentator on “The Daily Show.” She’s had many supportive roles in movies and TV, though her voice was destined for greatness. Her breakthrough into mainstream animation came when she signed on for “Bob’s Burgers” as the unhinged Louise Belcher. Her excitable inflection lent itself to further voice work, such as Mabel Pines in Disney’s “Gravity Falls.” She still makes memorable live-action appearances, starring in “The Last Man on Earth” and the 2020 action comedy, “My Spy.” But it’s her voicework that stands out most to fans.
#16: Jack Black
First breaking into mainstream comedy with 2000’s “High Fidelity,” it wasn’t long before Jack Black’s manic energy turned him into a star. From “School of Rock” to “Tropic Thunder” to his musical talents in Tenacious D, there’s a good chance he made you laugh. In 2008, he took on one of the roles that would define his career: Po in DreamWorks’s “Kung Fu Panda.” Black’s comedic timing was certainly an excellent fit, but it also allowed him more emotional territory to explore than many previous roles. He would also shine in the heavy metal-centric game, 2009’s “Brütal Legend,” as well “Kung Fu Panda” sequels and spin-offs. His work as Bowser in “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” was one of the adaptation’s strongest inclusions.
#15: Matthew Lillard
After breaking out in films like “Scream,” Matthew Lillard landed the role of Shaggy Rogers in the live-action “Scooby-Doo” movie. Later in “Looney Tunes: Back in Action,” Lillard meets up with an animated Shaggy, voiced by Casey Kasem. This was far from Kasem’s first performance as Shaggy, as he had been voicing the character since 1969. Although Shaggy criticizes Lillard for his portrayal, this scene could actually be seen as one actor passing the torch to another. Kasem voiced Shaggy for the last time in 2009, five years before his death. Since then, Lillard has delivered his spot-on Shaggy impression in several animated shows and movies. Like, isn’t it groovy how things come full circle?
#14: Jaleel White
Even if you don’t know his name, you probably know his famous character’s catchphrase “Did I Do That?” With Steve Urkel originally meant to be a one-off character, Jaleel White’s performance on “Family Matters” turned him into the show’s breakout star. However, kids who grew up in the ‘90s will also probably recognize him as the voice of Sonic. White became the first person to voice Sega’s mascot in “Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog,” a role he’d reprise in several other animated outings throughout the decade. Although his output would slow in the following years, White still made memorable guest appearances in animated shows such as “DuckTales” and “Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?,” where he reprised his role as Urkel.
#13: Brad Garrett
Audiences fell in love with Brad Garrett as sad sack Robert Barone on “Everybody Loves Raymond,” a role that earned him three Emmys. However, his booming voice made him a prime choice for voice acting. While he did voice work before “Raymond,” the recognition he earned led to more high-profile work. With Pixar, he voiced Dim in “A Bug’s Life,” Bloat in “Finding Nemo,” and Gusteau in “Ratatouille.” With Disney, he voiced the Hook Hand Thug in “Tangled,” Chug in “Planes,” and became the new Eeyore for 2018’s “Christopher Robin.” That’s not to mention the slew of other films and TV shows that have benefitted from having him appear.
#12: Mae Whitman
After making her big screen debut at the age of six, Mae Whitman has never slowed down, appearing in major movies and acclaimed TV dramas. But it wasn’t long before animation began calling her name. Her first major animated role came as Little Suzy in Cartoon Network’s “Johnny Bravo.” She followed that up with Katara from Nickelodeon’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender” before voicing Disney’s Tinker Bell across several animated films. Clearly, her steadfast voice makes her a perfect fit for strong-willed characters. She also played April O’Neil in the 2012 “Ninja Turtles” series and Amity in “The Owl House.” While she still appears in live-action movies and TV, her voicework is undeniably impressive.
#11: Clancy Brown
Clancy Brown’s gruff demeanor and intimidating stature made him a great choice for villainous roles like the Kurgan in “Highlander” and Capt. Byron Hadley in “The Shawshank Redemption.” But we’ll forever be grateful for his choice to move into voice acting. He’s played Superman’s arch-nemesis Lex Luthor numerous times, as well as several Marvel characters, including Taskmaster, Red Hulk, and Surtur in the MCU’s “Thor: Ragnarok.” His video game credits are also varied with the likes of Neo Cortex in “Crash Bandicoot,” Hank in “Detroit: Become Human,” and Hades in “God of War III.” However, what will likely go down as his most famous role is that of the greedy Mr. Krabs from “SpongeBob Squarepants,” a character Brown nails with every line.
#10: Howie Mandel
Howie Mandel is a well-known television host and standup comedian, but his voiceover résumé might take some people by surprise. That’s largely because his characters sound nothing like the Canadian actor. Believe it or not, Mandel started out voicing the lovable Gizmo in “Gremlins.” Demonstrating a unique gift for creature voices, Mandel landed a gig on “Muppet Babies,” voicing Skeeter, Animal, and Bunsen Honeydew for the first two seasons. Adopting a similar voice to the one he used for Skeeter, Mandel played the titular character on “Bobby’s World,” an animated series he also created. To think, Mandel accidentally created this voice at age eleven while choking on birthday cake! Much like Bobby, his talents are anything but generic.
#9: Will Friedle
Will Friedle is perhaps best known for playing Eric Matthews on “Boy Meets World.” In a 1999 episode, Eric tries to impress a girl by claiming to be Batman. What makes this especially funny is that he really IS Batman! The same year that episode aired, Friedle took on the role of Terry McGinnis in “Batman Beyond.” As the Batman of the future, Friedle began a highly successful career as a voice actor. Over the years, Friedle has voiced several other superheroes, including Deadpool in “Ultimate Spider-Man” and Star-Lord in the animated “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Of course Friedle has also voiced his fair share of sidekicks, most notably Ron Stoppable in “Kim Possible.”
#8: Sean Astin
Making his big screen debut at age thirteen as Mikey in “The Goonies,” Sean Astin went on to play the titular character in “Rudy” and Samwise Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. In the 21st century, Astin has also branched out with several voiceover roles. In multiple DC projects, he’s lent his voice to Billy Batson, aka Shazam. His most notable voiceover role, though, would have to be Raphael in the 2012 version of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Since many of Astin’s live-action characters have been humble underdogs, you wouldn’t think he’d be the ideal choice to play the turtle with the most attitude, but his take on Raphael was nothing short of badass.
#7: Freddie Prinze Jr.
Through films like “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “She’s All That,” Freddie Prince Jr. solidified his place as one of the ‘90s’ definitive heartthrobs. While Prinze might not be an A-lister nowadays, he’s managed to remain relevant through several memorable roles in animation. Prinze has lent his voice to a few BioWare games, notably playing James Vega in “Mass Effect 3.” In “Star Wars Rebels,” Prinze turned in what might be the most compelling performance of his career as Jedi Master Kanan Jarrus. After playing a live-action Fred in 2002’s “Scooby-Doo” and its 2004 follow-up, Prinze went on to voice the character in a “Robot Chicken” sketch, reuniting with co-star Matthew Lillard.
#6: Alan Tudyk
After appearing as Wash alongside Nathan Fillion in “Firefly,” Alan Tudyk delights in every role he takes on. Whether as an out-of-touch pirate in “Dodgeball,” or an unlucky hillbilly in “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil,” we never tire of him. That goes doubly for his voice work. Beginning with 2012’s “Wreck-It Ralph” as King Candy, Tudyk has appeared in every animated release from Disney since as of 2023, and even a couple live-action ones. He’s shown he can be more reserved as well with roles like Sonny in “I, Robot” and K-2SO in “Rogue One.” On the more mature side of things, he voices both the Joker and Clayface in “Harley Quinn,” two performances that never fail to entertain. It seems he can do it all.
#5: Scarlett Johansson
Having played the resilient Black Widow in the MCU and a seductive alien in “Under the Skin,” Scarlett Johansson has proven herself to be a very gifted physical actress. Even when you take her body out of the equation, though, Johansson can deliver a powerful performance with her voice alone. As Samantha in “Her,” she evolved an operating system into a three-dimensional, fleshed out character. Some argued that Johansson deserved serious award consideration for her groundbreaking voiceover work. Since then, she’s lent her distinctive voice to Kaa in “The Jungle Book,” Ash in “Sing,” and Nutmeg in “Isle of Dogs.” In terms of voiceovers, she’s certainly come a long way since “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.”
#4: J. K. Simmons
This Oscar-winning character actor can do little wrong, portraying a variety of colorful personalities in both live-action and animation. On the big screen, Simmons voiced Mayor Leodore Lionheart in “Zootopia” and the villainous Kai in “Kung Fu Panda 3.” Some of Simmons’s most beloved voiceover roles have been on the small screen, however. He’s acted as the wise airbender Tenzin in “The Legend of Korra” and the mysterious Ford Pines in “Gravity Falls.” Simmons has even reprised his role as J. Jonah Jameson in various Marvel shows and also satirized the character on “The Simpsons.” Simmons has additionally branched out with video games, voicing Cave Jonson in “Portal 2,” and commercials, voicing the Yellow M&M.
#3: Keith David
This charismatic actor can dominate the screen, as demonstrated in films like “Armageddon.” It’s Mr. David’s deep, booming voice that makes him one-of-a-kind, however. He was perfectly tailored to voice the commanding Goliath in “Gargoyles,” getting the audience pumped with every word that came out of his mouth. David brought a similar magnetism to characters like Spawn and Dr. Facilier in “The Princess and the Frog.” His powerful voice has also made him the go-to guy to play authority figures, whether it’s the U.S. President in “Rick and Morty” or the Flame King in “Adventure Time.” The recipient of three Primetime Emmys for narration and voiceovers, he’s one of the best in the business.
#2: Patrick Warburton
As David Puddy on “Seinfeld,” Patrick Warburton proved that nobody can play a meathead better than him. With a deep voice that’s both laidback and passionate at the same time, Warburton was born for animation. Voicing Superman, he reunited with Jerry Seinfeld for a series of American Express advertisements. His more mainstream voiceover roles include Joe Swanson on “Family Guy,” Brock Samson on “The Venture Bros.,” and Kronk in “The Emperor's New Groove.” Warburton might not have a vast array of different voices in his repertoire, but the signature voice he brings to all of his characters couldn’t be better suited to the medium. He’s simply the best at what he does.
#1: Mark Hamill
It’s funny. .. as Luke Skywalker, Mark Hamill portrayed what might be the most iconic hero in cinematic history. In animation, however, Hamill has primarily specialized in voicing villains. While Hamill’s played a few heroic characters like Skips on “Regular Show,” his more sinister roles include The Hobgoblin in “Spider-Man,” Colonel Muska in the English dub of “Castle in the Sky,” and Fire Lord Ozai in “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” He’s even returned to a galaxy far, far away, tapping into his dark side as Darth Bane. Of course Hamill’s most acclaimed voiceover role would have to be the Joker in various DC properties. When it comes to evil cackling, Hamill always gets the last laugh.