Cartoon Voices with Surprising Backstories
When you hear your favorite cartoon characters speak, you’re probably not thinking about the real people behind those voices. But the truth is, many of our most beloved animated characters are brought to life by actors, musicians, and celebrities with fascinating stories that might completely surprise you. From rock stars to rom-com queens, from serious dramatic actors to unlikely child stars, the world of voice acting is full of unexpected connections.
Here are cartoon voices with truly surprising backstories that will change how you hear these characters forever.
J. Orbach
Before J. Orbach became Detective Lennie Brasco on Law & Order for 274 episodes, he charmed audiences as the voice of Lumiere, the suave French candelabra in Beauty and the Beast. The Broadway veteran brought his theatrical background to the role in 1991, decades before he’d become synonymous with crime procedurals. Orbach was so loyal to the character that he voiced Lumiere in video games and straight-to-video films, and even played him in eight episodes of House of Mouse. His smooth, sophisticated delivery made Lumiere one of Disney’s most memorable supporting characters.
Fergie
Long before Stacy Ferguson became ‘Fergalicious’ Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, she was a child star who appeared on Disney Channel’s Kids Incorporated and voiced Sally Brown, Charlie Brown’s little sister, in three 1980s Peanuts animated TV specials. She worked on It’s Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown; Snoopy’s Getting Married, Charlie Brown; and The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show. This means one of pop music’s biggest stars helped bring the Peanuts gang to life during her elementary school years.
Christian Bale
The future Batman voiced Howl in the English-dubbed version of Howl’s Moving Castle, and he actually signed onto the film for any role the director wanted after he saw Spirited Away. Before he was a household name, Bale also voiced Thomas, John Smith’s sidekick, in Disney’s Pocahontas when he was just 21 years old. Even after becoming a major movie star, Bale continued voice acting, lending his voice to Bagheera in 2018’s Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle.
Meg Ryan
America’s rom-com sweetheart from Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail has probably never played a villain in live action, but she voiced one of Captain Planet’s nastiest eco-villains, Dr. Blight, during the show’s first season. Ryan played the character in 13 episodes, and her voice acting career didn’t end there – she also voiced Anastasia in both the animated movie and its video game adaptation. It’s wild to think that the queen of romantic comedies spent time being an environmental supervillain.
James Avery
You probably know James Avery as the beloved Uncle Phil from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but he had a secret identity as one of cartoon’s most menacing villains – The Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Avery voiced the villain throughout the show’s entire run from 1987 to 1993, totaling 106 episodes, while simultaneously playing the gentle patriarch on Fresh Prince. The contrast between his warm, fatherly TV persona and his menacing cartoon villain voice is absolutely incredible.
Tom Petty
The legendary rock musician voiced Lucky Kleinschmidt on King of the Hill, and the character actually looked just like him. When the showrunners needed someone to voice Lucky, they decided to see if Petty himself would do it, and surprisingly, he agreed, saying ‘anytime you want me to do it, I’ll do it’ – and he really meant it. His character’s catchphrase was ‘I done slipped on pee-pee at the Costco,’ and he appeared in 28 episodes over the show’s run.
Phil Hartman
The Saturday Night Live legend and NewsRadio star voiced Mr. Wilson in the first season of the Dennis the Menace cartoon series. Hartman rose to fame on SNL in the same year he provided Mr. Wilson’s voice, which is perhaps why he didn’t return for the second season. He also did voice work on DuckTales, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, and Darkwing Duck, but his most notable animated roles were with The Simpsons, playing the down-and-out lawyer Lionel Hutz and washed-up actor Troy McClure.
Orson Welles
The legendary filmmaker’s last role before his death in 1985 was voicing the planet-eating villain Unicron in Transformers: The Movie. Welles reportedly hated the role, but it became a significant part of Transformers lore. The fact that the man behind Citizen Kane ended his career with a cartoon about giant robots is one of Hollywood’s most fascinating footnotes.
Earle Hyman
Just a year after Earle Hyman began playing Russell ‘Grandpa’ Huxtable on The Cosby Show, he started voicing Panthro, the mechanical genius and driver of the ThunderTank on ThunderCats. Even as The Cosby Show became a massive hit, Hyman stuck with ThunderCats, voicing Panthro in all four seasons while continuing to play Grandpa Huxtable on all eight seasons of The Cosby Show. His deep, authoritative voice made Panthro one of the most memorable ThunderCats.
Daveigh Chase
Most people know Daveigh Chase as Samara Morgan, the terrifying ghost girl from The Ring, but she was also the voice of Lilo in Lilo & Stitch. Chase was dedicated to her roles – she not only returned for the maligned S. Darko sequel but also voiced Lilo in multiple projects: two Lilo & Stitch games in 2002, Stitch! The Movie in 2003, the entire Lilo & Stitch: The Series from 2003-2006, and 2006’s Leroy & Stitch. The actress who scared millions also brought one of Disney’s most heartwarming characters to life.
John Ritter
The beloved Three’s Company star voiced Clifford the Big Red Dog in every episode of the PBS children’s series from 2000 to 2003. Ritter may have been known as a comedic actor, but his portrayal of Clifford showcased his range, and the show sadly stopped production after his tragic death during surgery in 2003. His gentle, warm voice perfectly captured the friendly giant’s personality.
Michael Cera
Before he became famous for Superbad and Juno, Michael Cera was the voice of Brother Bear, the oldest child in The Berenstain Bears animated series that debuted in 2003 on PBS Kids. Cera also provided voices for other cartoon characters, including the young version of Uncle Gizmo on Disney’s Rolie Polie Olie and piano prodigy Josh Spitz in the Disney cartoon Braceface from 2001 to 2004. His awkward, endearing voice was already being put to good use years before his breakout film roles.
Brittany Murphy
The late actress, known for Clueless and 8 Mile, voiced Luanne Platter on King of the Hill for more than 200 episodes. Murphy’s role as the charming Luanne is where she truly shined, balancing the character’s ditziness with the stigma of being seen as trailer trash. Her bubbly, distinctive voice brought depth to what could have been a one-dimensional character, making Luanne one of the show’s most beloved figures.
George Clooney
The Ocean’s Eleven star and ER heartthrob provided the voice of Mr. Fox in Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, working alongside Meryl Streep as his animated wife. But Clooney’s voice acting started much earlier – he voiced Sparky, Stan Marsh’s gay dog, in the first season of South Park, and later returned to play a doctor in the 1999 South Park movie. The serious dramatic actor has a surprisingly playful side in animation.
Keith David
The character actor known for films like The Thing and Armageddon was the powerful voice behind Goliath in Disney’s Gargoyles. While the show only lasted three seasons, David is still an active participant in fan gatherings and events for the cult animated series. David’s strength as a voice actor is nearly unmatched, and he continues working in animation today, recently voicing Darkseid in Kite Man: Hell Yeah!
David Bowie
The legendary musician voiced Lord Royal Highness in a SpongeBob SquarePants episode titled ‘Atlantis SquarePantis’ to please his six-year-old daughter, who was a huge fan of the show. Bowie wrote in his blog that he’d ‘hit the Holy Grail of animation gigs’. Bowie also voiced the antagonist Emperor Maltazard in Arthur and the Invisibles. The Starman himself lending his iconic voice to a cartoon sponge is one of the most delightfully unexpected celebrity cameos ever.
Gene Simmons
The KISS ‘demon’ with the famously long tongue voiced a biker named Jessie in a 2003 King of the Hill episode titled ‘Reborn to be Wild,’ and then returned to cartoons in 2007 as a hamburger-loving sea monster in SpongeBob’s ‘20,000 Patties Under the Sea’ episode. Surprisingly, neither of these cartoon characters featured his trademark extended tongue, missing a golden opportunity for visual comedy.
Will.i.am
The Black Eyed Peas member has lent his voice to multiple animated projects, including voicing the alpha male hippopotamus Moto Moto in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and the red canary Pedro in both Rio films. Will.i.am stated that he used his ‘deep dark chocolate voice’ for Moto Moto, describing it as being ‘like Barry White, but cooler’. His smooth, bass-heavy delivery made Moto Moto an instantly memorable character.
Arsenio Hall
Two years after Ghostbusters hit theaters, the late-night talk show host voiced Winston Zeddemore in The Real Ghostbusters animated series for the first three seasons. Ironically, Ernie Hudson, who played Winston in both live-action Ghostbusters movies, actually auditioned for the animated series but lost out to Arsenio. Hall’s energetic delivery brought a different flavor to the character than Hudson’s more grounded performance.
Brad Garrett
The Everybody Loves Raymond star’s first big role was actually voicing wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan in the 1986 Saturday morning cartoon Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling. His deep, distinctive voice was perfect for capturing the larger-than-life wrestling personality, years before he’d become famous for playing Robert Barone.
Iggy Pop
The punk rock legend has made a career out of voicing cartoon characters – he lent his voice to ‘the demon from another dimension’ in the 1983 animated film Rock & Rule, voiced a newborn baby in The Rugrats Movie, played in American Dad!, Uncle Anouche in Persepolis, and took a two-year stint as Lil’ Rummy in Cartoon Network’s Lil’ Bush. The godfather of punk finding his niche in family-friendly animation is delightfully ironic.
Ozzy Osbourne
The Prince of Darkness took a break from his metal career to voice animated deer in family films – he played Vicar in 2007’s Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd King and Fawn in 2011’s Gnomeo & Juliet. The idea that Ozzy Osbourne was the voice of an animated ceramic deer sounds almost too ridiculous to be true, but he was clearly enjoying himself in the role.
Carlos Alazraqui
Long before he became famous as Deputy Garcia on Reno 911!, Carlos Alazraqui made his living providing voices to some of our favorite ’90s cartoons, most notably both the title character Rocko and his faithful dog Spunky in Nickelodeon’s Rocko’s Modern Life. The show was beloved for its slyly hidden adult humor, and Alazraqui’s Australian-accented wallaby became a ’90s icon.
Mark Hamill
While Mark Hamill might be most famous as Luke Skywalker, he’s also the voice of the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series and numerous other DC projects. His maniacal laugh and unhinged delivery completely transformed him from heroic Jedi to terrifying villain. Hamill has said that voicing the Joker is one of his favorite roles, and fans consider his portrayal the definitive version of the character.
Shakira
The Colombian singer voiced Gazelle, the famous pop star in Zootopia, and not only provided the voice but also served in the character’s development and performed the hit song ‘Try Everything’. Gazelle is practically a Disneyfied version of Shakira herself, complete with dazzling choreography that mirrors the singer’s real performances. Having a real pop star play an animated pop star was perfect casting.
Vincent Price
The legendary horror icon, known for his work in classics like House of Wax and The Fly, voiced the villainous Professor Ratigan in Disney’s The Great Mouse Detective. Price’s theatrical, menacing delivery made Ratigan one of Disney’s most memorable villains, proving that his talent for being scary translated perfectly to animation. His sophisticated villainy elevated what could have been a simple children’s antagonist into something truly memorable.
The Legacy Lives On
These surprising backstories reveal just how interconnected the entertainment world really is. From punk rockers voicing babies to rom-com stars playing eco-villains, the world of animation has always been a place where actors can reinvent themselves and explore different sides of their talent. Many of these performers discovered that voice acting offered them creative freedom they couldn’t find in live-action roles, while others stumbled into it by accident and found a new passion. Whether they were established stars looking for something different or unknowns who would later become famous, these voice actors prove that behind every great cartoon character is a real person with their own fascinating story to tell.
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