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Some voice roles are so iconic, they become part of TV and animation history. Join us as we count down the voice actors who’ve stayed with one character for the longest stretches of time, from sitcom dads and anime heroes to ducks, robots, and cartoon legends. Our countdown includes “The Simpsons,” “Dragon Ball,” “Scooby-Doo,” “Transformers,” and more!
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00:05Welcome to Miss Mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the voice actors who have
00:10stuck to one character for the longest time. I think we better split up. Daphne and I will
00:14go this way. You two go that way. And Scooby, stand guard.
00:20Number 10. Dan Castellaneta Homer Simpson has been a globally adored
00:25character since The Simpsons first premiered in 1989. Since then, Homer's been voiced by Dan
00:30Castellaneta and no one else for almost four straight decades. So what you're saying is,
00:36no matter how old you are, it's only ever been about what you need. He doesn't only voice the
00:43lovable Simpsons father, but he also plays Abe Simpson, Krusty the Clown and a plethora of other
00:58characters. Castellaneta isn't the only voice actor to stick with the show this long. The
01:03whole family has stuck around. This means that for most of them, they've spent more than half
01:08of their lives doing voices for The Simpsons. Aren't you going to drink? No, this is the moment I want
01:14to remember.
01:16Number 9. Masako Nozawa. In 1986, the anime for Dragon Ball was first released,
01:23featuring an adorable young version of Son Goku.
01:33Masako Nozawa landed the role and has been the voice of the character for over four decades now.
01:38She's easily one of Japan's most famous and celebrated voice actors.
01:51She was the first of her trade to be granted a person of cultural merit by Japan's government,
01:56but that's barely scratching the surface of her achievements. For instance, she won two
02:01Guinness World Records in 2017. First for the longest time voicing a video game character,
02:06and another for the longest video game voice acting career.
02:09Buu was great. I was a special one. I didn't know how to do it. I didn't know how to
02:18do it.
02:18Number 8. Tony Anselmo. What would Donald think about being the star of his own DVD?
02:24Oh, well, he'd say… Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, it's about time.
02:30Since 1985, Disney's popular character Donald Duck has been brought to life by Tony Anselmo.
02:36He was only 20 when he first joined Disney in 1980, but he began as an animator.
02:42Anselmo worked on a variety of their greatest productions, and along the way,
02:46he became close to Clarence Nash, the original Donald Duck.
02:55Nash mentored him, and then when he sadly died in 1985, Anselmo took the role.
03:01If you want to know the secret to pulling off Donald's unique voice, you'll have to become Anselmo's
03:06protégé, as it's a closely guarded secret.
03:08Donald, did you know that you have the same birthday, June 9th, as Michael J. Fox and Natalie Portman?
03:16Never mind, let's move on.
03:18Number 7. Peter Cullen.
03:19You, who are without mercy, now plead for it? I thought you were made of sterner stuff.
03:27The Transformers toy franchise was launched in 1984, and has now become a staple of children's toy
03:33collections. That same year, an animated series was launched, which ran for four seasons in total.
03:39Peter Cullen was cast as the lead character Optimus Prime.
03:48After the show's conclusion in a movie, Cullen wouldn't return to Voice Prime until the 2007
03:53reboot. They must have been so impressed by his original performance that they couldn't give it
03:58to anyone else. For his enemy Megatron, they instead cast Hugo
04:12Weaving rather than the original actor Frank Welker. That didn't remain the case for long,
04:17as Welker reprised the role in later movies.
04:19Your time is over, Prime. You failed. You turned your back on Cybertron. Now you will watch Earth die.
04:32Number 6. Jim Cummings.
04:34Oh, there you are, Biglet. Hold tight. You'll be free as me in a jiffy.
04:40Our next star is massive not just for his Disney characters, but also for his Warner Brothers ones.
04:46Specifically, we're talking about the Tasmanian Devil, Tigger, and most famously, Winnie the Pooh.
04:52Oh, you know, Tigger, these bubbles are very lovely, but they don't stay very lovely very long.
05:00The adorable bear was created by A.A. Milne in 1924, but he was licensed by Disney in the 60s,
05:07and then came to cinema screens. At first, he was played by Sterling Holloway,
05:11then briefly by Hal Smith, until finally Jim Cummings took over in 1988.
05:16Oh, Christopher Robin, if it's all the same to you, could we skip dinner and have breakfast instead?
05:26Silly old bear.
05:28Since then, he's been the definitive voice of Pooh, and has worked on almost all Pooh adaptations in the past
05:34four decades.
05:35Number 5. Clarence Nash.
05:37The boy is here, eh?
05:39Oh, you gonna be a good boy today?
05:43Well, I'll try to.
05:45We've talked about Tony Anselmo already, who does a terrific job at voicing Donald Duck,
05:51but we have to give even more credit to Clarence Nash, the original Donald.
05:55Nash held the role for 51 years, first taking up the mantle in 1934.
06:00He spent the rest of his life voicing Donald, and only stopped when he tragically died.
06:05Donald, this is one of the best 50th birthday parties I've ever been to.
06:09Better than Mickey's?
06:10It's better than Mickey's. Now, come on, Donald, let's not.
06:14It's nice, too.
06:16Fascinatingly, he didn't even audition for the role at first.
06:19He instead tried to become a casting director.
06:21But after doing a billy goat impression of his, they loved it so much, he landed the role.
06:26Donald was first a goat.
06:28Well, I imitated him, and he'd go, you know.
06:32Yeah.
06:32Well, one day I thought I could say words with it.
06:34Number 4. Mel Blank.
06:37Porcupine Pig is a very timid little hog.
06:44Also known as the man of a thousand voices,
06:47it's no surprise that Blank is one of history's most influential voice actors.
06:52The Looney Tunes first rose to prominence during the 1930s,
06:56then quickly became loved across the planet.
06:59With big long ears.
07:00Oh, like this?
07:01Yeah. And a winter white fluffy tail.
07:04Like this?
07:05Yup. And he hops around and around.
07:08A major factor in their success was the incredible talent of voice actor Mel Blank.
07:13He voiced a bunch of the primary Looney Tunes, such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety,
07:18and that's only the tip of the iceberg.
07:20I did tee a pootie cat.
07:22And that pootie cat was probably Sylvester.
07:25A fluffin' fluckin' sashy, but he saw a pootie cat.
07:29Blank spent roughly half a century giving his voice to these characters,
07:32but sadly died in 1989, just one year after reprising his roles for Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
07:40You guys got a spare?
07:41Uh, Bugs does.
07:43Yeah?
07:43Yeah, but I don't think you want it.
07:45I do, I do! Give it to me!
07:47Gee, I'll pop!
07:47Better let him have it, Bugs!
07:49Okay, duck!
07:50Number three, Frank Welker.
07:52We don't get in.
07:53We'll never find out what happened to the missing professor.
07:56Shaggy, you start up and I'll get the jack out of the mystery machine.
07:59Welker's films have earned a total of over 17 billion dollars globally,
08:04making him one of the most successful voice actors in history.
08:08We've already mentioned he voices Megatron and Transformers,
08:11but did you know he's also played the cuddly Garfield since 2007?
08:15Oh, and you're in love with the bone.
08:19And you don't want the pup boy to take the bone back.
08:23What would a smart dog do with that bone?
08:26His most famous character is probably Fred Jones from Scooby Doo,
08:30whom he's played since 1969.
08:32Not only this, but he's also played the titular dog since 2002.
08:37Mike, sorry man, you lost us in hard work and determination.
08:41But you got us back at sandwich.
08:43He might be in his 80s, but that hasn't slowed his career down at all.
08:46He still appears in a variety of shows, movies, and video games.
08:51Number two, June Foray.
08:53What's happening?
08:54Cubs and chickens rock. The president must be beaming us to Washington.
08:58That's not the president, Bullwinkle. That's a green light from Hollywood.
09:02According to animator Chuck Jones, Mel Blanc was the male June Foray.
09:07Her career began in 1929, but she first went into radio rather than voiceovers.
09:12That changed in the 40s and 50s when she pivoted into becoming a Disney staple.
09:17One of the roles she kept the longest was Granny from Looney Tunes, which she voiced for 58 years in
09:23total.
09:23And now maybe you'll keep that yellow beak closed for a while.
09:28I'm trying to look at the show.
09:30Other iconic characters of Foray's include Rocky the Flying Squirrel, the sinister Lucifer from Cinderella,
09:36and Cindy Lou Who from How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
09:39Foray ended up living to the grand age of 99, but she was too passionate about her artistry for old
09:45age to stop her,
09:46and kept voice acting well into the 2010s.
09:49I can't just spend all my time with a cat and a bird.
09:54Oh Sylvesta, stop chasing Twinkie Bird.
09:58Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:02Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy.
10:04This pair have been the defining voices of Batman and Joker since 1992.
10:08Surprise!
10:14You fell for the old sick joke again, Batman.
10:19Tom Kenny.
10:20It feels impossible to imagine anyone other than Tom Kenny as SpongeBob.
10:25SpongeBob's first line ever would have been,
10:28Today's the big day, Gary. Look at me. I'm naked!
10:33Mayumi Tanaka.
10:34Tanaka probably didn't expect to be voicing Monkey D. Luffy for more than half of her life.
10:46Seth MacFarlane.
10:47MacFarlane has played Peter, Stewie, and Brian Griffin since 1999.
10:52The point is, he's a member of our family first and a dog second.
10:57And I'm real sorry I forgot that, buddy.
10:59Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
11:01This pair have voiced most of South Park for roughly three decades.
11:06Is that why you're in the dress?
11:07It's just such a magical evening and everyone looks so spectacular.
11:11You know, we just wanted to be a part of it all.
11:13It's a night of magic.
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11:40Number one, Midori Kato.
11:43Our top spot was an easy choice as Kato holds the world record for how long she's voiced one animated
11:49character.
11:50I don't have to do this.
11:52I don't have to do this.
11:54I don't have to do this.
11:55I don't have to do this.
11:56I don't have to do this.
11:57I don't have to do this.
11:57Since 1969, she's voiced the main character Sazae Fugada in Sazae-san.
12:03That means she's voiced the character for almost 60 years.
12:07A mind-blowing feat.
12:08While Jun Furay technically played Granny for longer, it wasn't continuously like Kato.
12:23It's doubtful anyone will claim the record anytime soon,
12:26especially since Sazae-san also holds the record for being the longest running animated TV series.
12:32We also have to praise Kato for her talents as she's currently in her 80s,
12:36but you wouldn't be able to guess from Sazae's voice alone.
12:51Did any of your favorite voice actors make it onto our list?
12:54Or was there anyone else we missed who you think deserved a mention?
12:57Let us know in the comments below!
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