It is hard to imagine the voice-over profession even
existing without the name of Mel Blanc introduced. We would more than likely be
looking at a far different landscape without him pioneering it. He began his
62-year career in the radio, however, he will always be remembered for his
contributions to the Golden Age of American animation. Throughout the years he
was the voice for numerous Warner Bros Looney Tunes characters, beginning with
the one and only, Bugs Bunny.
While being the voice of the single Bugs Bunny on your
resume may e enough for some, it was not enough for Mel Blanc. He would go on
to voice a huge list of some of the most famous cartoon characters of all time
and become known as the Man of a Thousand Voices. Below are just a few of his
many voices:
- Bugs Bunny
- Elmer Fudd
- Daffy Duck
- Tweety Bird
- Road Runner
- Pepé Le Pew
- Sylvester The Cat
- Marvin The Martian
- Porky Pig
If that is not enough of a list, be sure to seek out the
complete list of Looney Tunes
characters voiced by Mel Blanc throughout the years. That really helps to put
his career into perspective. The man spent the better part of his career
talking to himself in a studio! In addition, he would end up voicing many
Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters once his exclusive contract with Warner Bros.
ended.
Mel Blanc is the one in which all other voice actors would
be judged. His overall voice profile is one that will never be forgotten.
Nancy Cartwright
It is hard to believe but at one point in recent history,
people were amazed that the iconic Bart Simpson
was voiced by a woman. In the early 1990s, the preteen cartoon character who
got into a lot of trouble won the hearts of the audience. The Simpsons became a
cultural phenomenon and bull-dozed its way across the American landscape, and
audiences were floored when they found out their favourite cartoon boy was
actually voiced by a talented female voice actor. It is actually rather funny
to consider who rebellious this was at the time coming from a rebellious
cartoon character!
One of the more interesting tidbits of the time is the fact
that Nancy originally auditioned for the part of Lisa. However, she would find
Bart to be the more interesting character of the two, loving his fun-loving
antics and heart of gold. While the audience would love Lisa and she would grow
to become an interesting character on her own, it is hard to imagine what would
have become of Bart without Nancy being his voice all these years.
While the Simpsons may not have the power it once did, Nancy
is one of the prime reasons teenagers still scroll "El Barto" on
walls across the country and will for generations to come.
While Nancy will forever be known as the voice of Bart
Simpson, she has voiced several other Springfield residents. Among the few she
has given life to over the years include Todd Flanders, Nelson Muntz, and Ralph
Wiggum. We assume she has no plans on slowing down anytime soon, either. If you
are looking for a top Voice over company see 'Voice
Fairy'.
James Earl Jones
If you have watched any form of movies or television in the
last forty-something years, it would be hard to not know who Darth Vader was.
While the character may have been played by David Prose onscreen, it was the
voice of James Earl Jones that made the character not only memorable but
terrifying as well.
With his deep bass voice, every command that the leader
commanded was one that had to be complied with or face the consequences. What
makes his performance all the more unique is the fact that Jones never wanted
to be credited with it as he considered it merely a special effect of the
movie! It would not be until Return of The Jedi that George Lucas listed him as
the voice of Darth Vader, making him an official part of voice cinema!
