Transformers voice artists

[Pork]

What! They shouldn't be able to call it transformers. I can't belive they are changing Optimus into a firetruck, that's just not on. And they can't change Megatron into a jet, what about starsceam?

 

[Xerus]

What! They shouldn't be able to call it transformers. I can't belive they are changing Optimus into a firetruck, that's just not on. And they can't change Megatron into a jet, what about starsceam?

From what I've read, Starscream will still be a jet and will still have desires to overthrow Megatron. But the changes are that Starscream will have a bigger chin and he'll be voiced by Tom Kenny.

 

[Pork]

That just seems stupid to have Megatron and Starscream both as jets. And it just won't be the same without soundwave as a casette player. But I know what you mean. He'll probably be an ipod. haha

 

[Xerus]

That just seems stupid to have Megatron and Starscream both as jets. And it just won't be the same without soundwave as a casette player. But I know what you mean. He'll probably be an ipod. haha

I heard they're gonna make Soundwave a hatchback vehicle. And Laserbeak will transform into his guitar.

 

[Pork]

That's just odd.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Whoa! What a talented cast!

 

[Xerus]

XERUS'S VOICE ARTIST FOCUS:

This week, I'm focusing on the original Transformers series. This popular cartoon series from the mid 80's featured quite a lot of famous voice artists. Optimus Prime was known as one of Peter Cullen's most famous voices and Peter even revised his famous role in the live action Transformers movie.

CHARLIE ADLER: Silverbolt, Duros, Stylor, Triggerhappy
JACK ANGEL: Smokescreen, Ultra Magnus(TV series), Omega Supreme, Arcana, Astrotrain, Ramjet, Cyclonus(second voice), Breakdown(sometimes), Quintesson
ARLENE BANAS: Carly Witwicky
JARED BARCLAY: Sinnertwin(first head)
ROGER BEHR: Runamuck, Runabout
MICHAEL BELL: Prowl, Sideswipe, Swoop, First Aid, Brainstorm, Gort, Scrapper, Bombshell
GREGG BERGER: Grimlock, Outback(sometimes), Skyfire, Long Haul
SUSAN BLU: Arcee, Marissa Faireborne
STEVE BULIN: Scattershot, Strafe, Sureshot, Peacemaker, Onslaught
ARTHUR BURGHARDT: Devastator
COREY BURTON: Brawn, Sunstreaker, Spike Witwicky, Shockwave, Alpha Trion(second voice)
ROGER C. CARMEL: Motormaster, Bruticus, Cyclonus(first voice), Menasor(first voice), Quintesson Leader, Unicron(TV series)
VICTOR CAROLI: Narrator
MICHAEL CHAIN: Hoist, Powerglide, Red Alert, Skids(first voice)
PHILLIP L. CLARKE: Dead End, Tantrum
TOWNSEND COLEMAN: Rewind
REGIS CORDIC: Menasor(second voice), Quintesson Judge
SCATMAN CROTHERS: Jazz
PETER CULLEN: Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Streetwise, Slugslinger, Nightstick, Wingspan
JIM CUMMINGS: Afterburner, Rippersnapper, Sharkticon
BUD DAVIS: Metroplex, Dirge, Razorclaw, Predaking
WALKER EDMINSTON: Inferno
PAUL EIDING: Perceptor
MARSHALL EFRON: Hun-Grr(first head)
LAURIE FASO: Skydive, Rampage, Divebomb
RON FEINBERG: Headstrong
RON GANS: Dragstrip
BRAD GARRETT: Trypticon
DICK GAUTIER: Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime(TV series), Firebolt, Apeface
ED GILBERT: Superion(second voice), Blitzwing, Thrust
DAN GILVEZAN: Bumblebee/Goldbug, Hotspot, Scamper, Skids(second voice), Outback(sometimes), Snapdragon
JIM GOSA: Abominus
JOHNNY HAYMER: Cerebros, Highbrow, Recoil, Swindle, Vortex, Caliburst
MICHAEL HORTON: Chip Chase
JOHN HOSTETTER: Ramhorn
JERRY HOUSER: Sandstorm
ERIC IDLE: Wreck-Gar(movie)
MILT JAMIN: Blast Off, Grax, Aimless
BUSTER JONES: Blaster
STAN JONES: Scourge, Weirdwolf, Missfire, Pounce, Zarak
CASEY KASEM: Cliff Jumper, Bluestreak, Teletran 1, Dr. Arkeville
STEVEN KEENER: Hardhead, Fortress Maximus, Hun-Grr(second head), Mindwipe, Scorponok
AARON KINCAID: Sky Lynx
BERT KRAMER: Computron
MAURICE LAMARCHE: Sixgun
CHRIS LATTA: Wheeljack, Defensor, Sparkplug Witwicky, Starscream, Reflector, Skullcruncher, Krunk
JEFF MACKAY: Fireflight
DANNY MANN: Lightspeed, Cloudraker, Spoilsport
BILL MARTIN: Broadside
MICHAEL McCONNOHIE: Cosmos, Tracks
TERRY McGOVERN: Wildrider
DAVID MENDENHALL: Daniel Witwicky
DON MESSICK: Ratchet, Gears, Scavenger
JOHN MOSCHITTA JR.: Blurr, Punch/Counterpunch, Blowpipe
JUDD NELSON: Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime(movie)
LEONARD NIMOY: Galvatron(movie)
ALAN OPPENHEIMER: Seaspray, Warpath, Beachcomber, Breakdown(sometimes)
ROB PAULSEN: Slingshot, Air Raid, Fastlane, Haywire
TONY POPE: Wreck-Gar(TV series), A3(Young Alpha Trion)
HAL RAYLE: Snarl, Pipes, Shrapnel
PETER RENADAY: Grapple
CLIVE REVILL: Kickback
NEIL ROSS: Slag, Springer, Pointblank, Crosshairs, Hook, Bonecrusher, Sixshot, Vorath, Monzo, Fracas
KEN SAMSON: Hound
TED SCHWARTZ: Swerve, Tailgate
TONY ST. JAMES: Brawl, Blot, Cutthroat, Spasma
ROBERT STACK: Ultra Magnus(movie)
LIONEL STANDER: Kup(movie)
JOHN STEPHENSON: Windcharger, Huffer, Kup(TV series), Thundercracker, Alpha Trion(first voice)
BEAU WEAVER: Octane
FRANK WELKER: Mirage, Trailbreaker, Sludge, Blades, Groove, Steeljaw, Wheelie, Chromedome, Superion(first voice), Pinpointer, Teletran 2, Megatron, Galvatron(TV series), Skywarp, Soundwave, Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage, Buzzsaw, Laserbeak, Ratbat, Mixmaster, Sharkticon
ORSON WELLS: Unicron(movie)
DAVID WORKMAN: Nosecone, Sinnertwin(second head)

I just visited some Transformers sites and I found more voices for some of the other characters.

STEVE BULIN: Searchlight
WALLY BURR: substitute voices
COREY BURTON: Wideload, Vector Sigma
DAN GILVEZAN: Rollbar
DANNY MANN: Freeway
ROB PAULSEN: Chase

Also these sites seem to list different voice casts of some of the characters I already mentioned. So these actors could be the correct voices or maybe not.

CHARLIE ADLER: Vorath
JARED BARCLAY: Cerebros
S. MARC JORDAN: Onslaught(first voice)
STEVEN KEENER: Scattershot
JOE LEAHY: Razorclaw

 

[karamazov80]

I forgot that Orson Welles and gravelly-voiced Lionel Stander (Hollywood character actor from the 1930s-80s) did voices for the '86 animated film.

On the commentary track for the recently re-released version of that film, they say that Welles's voice was really, really bad, and that he was incoherently mumbling quite a bit due to his health. That's the reason why he has such a weird, distorted voice in the film, to make him sound somewhat intelligible. But Stander. . .man, there was a voice that screamed to be used in cartoons. You can tell that he treated his work in the Transformers movie seriously, like a regular voice actor would have.

Also, did anyone ever notice that the guy who did Bumblebee's voice is the same guy that did Spiderman's voice on the old Spiderman and his Amazing Friends shows? Or that Michael Bell did Duke's voice on G.I. Joe (a number of actors worked on both the Joe and Transformers series)? I remember seeing the pilot for Star Trek: the Next Generation years ago, and Bell played a major character in that show. His voice was so distinctive that I immediately knew that he was Duke and a Transformers regular. I also noticed him being the voice of a bad guy in Metal Gear Solid 3. . .

 

[Xerus]

On the commentary track for the recently re-released version of that film, they say that Welles's voice was really, really bad, and that he was incoherently mumbling quite a bit due to his health. That's the reason why he has such a weird, distorted voice in the film, to make him sound somewhat intelligible. But Stander. . .man, there was a voice that screamed to be used in cartoons. You can tell that he treated his work in the Transformers movie seriously, like a regular voice actor would have.

Also, did anyone ever notice that the guy who did Bumblebee's voice is the same guy that did Spiderman's voice on the old Spiderman and his Amazing Friends shows? Or that Michael Bell did Duke's voice on G.I. Joe (a number of actors worked on both the Joe and Transformers series)? I remember seeing the pilot for Star Trek: the Next Generation years ago, and Bell played a major character in that show. His voice was so distinctive that I immediately knew that he was Duke and a Transformers regular. I also noticed him being the voice of a bad guy in Metal Gear Solid 3. . .

I did notice that when Orson voiced Unicron, he didn't have that regular sounding voice I recognize. And yes, this series did have a lot of popular voice artists who did other great stuff. G.I. JOE and Transformers did come from the same animation company. Here are some facts about some of the voice artists.

Bud Davis was an actual stunt man so it would almost seem natural that he'd voice a crazy flying plane like Dirge.

Dick Gautier played Hymie the Robot on Get Smart, and now he played even more robots on Transformers.

The Transformers was one of Rob Paulsen's earliest voice works besides G.I. Joe.

Jim Cummings would get later fame voicing Darkwing Duck as well as the new voice of Winnie the Pooh.

Terry McGovern would later end up voicing Launchpad McQuack.

Ken Samson would later become the current voice of Rabbit on the Winnie the Pooh series and Peter Cullen would also start voicing Eeyore.

Don Messick, Casey Kasem, and Frank Welker worked together on Scooby Doo. Don was Scooby, Casey was Shaggy, and Frank was Fred.

John Stephenson voiced Mr. Slate on the Flintstones.

John Moschitta Jr. holds the record for being one of the fastest talkers in the world.

Roger C. Carmel was having health problems and passed away around the end of the series, so Jack Angel took over the role of Cyclonus in the 5 final episodes.