What do Yakko Warner (from the Animaniacs), Pinky (from Pinky and the Brain), Raphael and soon Donatello (from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Hadji (from Jonny Quest), and about another billion animated characters have in common?
The answer: ONE incredibly talented voice actor!
His name is Rob Paulsen
No, I’m not talking about a quote from a popular 1999 movie. (Actually, the quote was “His name was Robert Paulsen” but without Googling it can you name the movie?)
I’m talking about one of the most gifted voice actors in the business: Rob Paulsen — a man who has a list of voice acting credits that make the phrase “a mile long” seem tiny. (You can check them out at Rob Paulsen on IMDb.)
A major influence
I grew up listening to the man perform in many cartoons. And yet from TV show to TV show I never suspected it was the same guy doing the voices. All I knew is that whichever character he happened to be performing, I gravitated toward it.
Some videos:
Here’s just a tiny sampling of some of his work along with a 3-part series on voice acting!
Yakko Warner: The funny “cat” with the brown pants. (Rob also plays the bald psychiatrist with glasses, Dr. Scratch-n-Sniff!)