How To Hire A Voice Actor

How do you hire voice talent?  Why, through Voices.com of course!

Use the award-winning Voices.com service to post a job or search for a voice actor.  Are you looking for a celebrity impersonation?  How about a wild-west “Sam Elliott” voice, or a fun character voice?  Whatever your need, the voice actors at Voices.com can handle it.

Whether it’s for a radio commercial of your quirky company voicemail, there are many ways to bring the mystique of Hollywood into your life.  You could even have Arnold Schwarzenegger taking your calls!

Who would you have on your ultimate voicemail message?

You Don’t Need To Be A Celebrity To Be A Celebrity Voice

What if I told you that the character in the cartoon you just watched wasn’t entirely voiced by the actor who they told you did?

What if some words, expressions, and noises coming out of the character’s mouth were recorded by a different actor altogether?

Would you feel deceived?

I mean, think about it for a minute.  It’s like an actor or actress using a body double, something extremely common in television and film.  Jessica Alba has admitted that she is not afraid of doing risque scenes in films – because she leaves that up to her body double.

Body double are often necessary when, for example, and actress is pregnant.  Similarly, if a celebrity comes down with an illness that affects their vocal chords, a vocal ‘double’ can be called in.  When you are not able to perform your normal duties at your job, a co-worker can cover for you.  It’s something that happens every day!

Pat Fraley is a voice actor that you have probably heard – unknowingly.  He has made big bucks “voice matching”, mainly matching the voices of Tim Allen and Jon Voight.  You can learn all about just what he does, how to do it, and how much he makes in his lecture “Voice Matching and Imitating Voices“.

Morgan Freeman in Serious Condition after Car Accident

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman is listed in “serious condition” after being extracted from a car wreck using the jaws of life on Sunday night.  The accident took place in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi.  Freeman was airlifted to the hospital as Tallahatchie is about 100 miles south of Memphis.  A spokesperson for the Memphis Regional Medical Center has confirmed that Freeman is a patient at the hospital.

Oscar-winner Freeman was ‘lucid’ at the scene and was joking with rescue workers, according to Clay McFerrin, editor of Sun Sentinel in Charleston, Mississippi.  Freeman is a native of the Memphis area and owns a blues club in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Freeman’s instantly recognizable voice can be heard narrating everything from television commercials, to TV specials, to feature length films.  Recently he recorded a new radio public service announcement for the national parks of the United States.  Currently, Freeman can be seen in the feature film The Dark Knight.

Source: CNN, IMDB

Celebrity Voices Remind You to Keep Your Belongings Secure

Have you ever parked your car, only to realize when you returned that you had left valuables in the car that could have been stolen?

If you’re parking in the U.K., you might just hear a celebrity’s voice reminding you to secure your belongings thanks to Talking Parking Meters. Celebrity voice impersonator Stuart Smith of Celebrity Voices Ltd (no affiliation with Celebrity Voices) provides the voices of celebrities such as David Beckham, Sir Michael Caine, and Simon Cowell in an effort to reduce the amount of thefts from parked vehicles.

Here’s how it works:

1. Park your car
2. Walk to the meter to take a ticket
3. Hear to a celebrity’s voice remind you to secure your vehicle
4. Lock you car and be on your way!

What a great idea.

Read more from Stuart at VOX Daily!

Physical Disabilities Don’t Hold Voice Actors Back

Robert David Hall is best known as coroner Dr. Albert Robbins on the television show “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”. Previously, his voice was heard on the children’s cartoon G.I. Joe as well as on various radio commercials and other children’s cartoons.

If you had never seen Hall on television before, would you expect to see a man who walks with the aid or crutches? Most likely not – but this is the case with Hall, who has two prosthetic legs due to an automobile accident in 1978.

Hall has never let this slow him down though, choosing instead to use his disability as an aid to raise awareness for others. He has been involved in numerous fund raisers and awareness campaigns over the years.

As Hall says:

“Just because I’m a person with a disability, that shouldn’t limit me.”

You can read more about Hall’s endeavors on VOX Daily.

Voice Acting Reviews: Bee Movie

If you’re a fan of Jerry Seinfeld, you should definitely watch Bee Movie, now out on DVD.  In addition to his credits as writer and producer, Jerry voices the main character, Barry B. Benson, as he enters the working world of bees and finds himself on a grand adventure in New York.

This is Jerry’s first role as a voice actor, and he certainly brings life to his character!  The voice is unmistakable as his, however he makes it unique and believeable.

Jerry is joined by actors such as Renee Zellweger, Patrick Warburton (an actor whose voice you hear quite a bit on television and in film), Chris Rock, and John Goodman.  You’ll hear cameos from celebrity voices such as Sting (how apropos!) and Oprah Winfrey as well.  This is an A-list cast to be sure!

Reviewer Stephanie Ciccarelli says that she was particularly impressed by John Goodman’s voice acting:

Blow the doors down, powerful, electric and showered the booth with an ever-so-convincing southern drawl. Worth watching and waiting for. It was clear that he was having a lot of fun with this role.

That itself sounds like reason enough to enjoy the celebrity voices in this great film!  Read the rest of her review here.

Welcome To Celebrity Voices

The voices of celebrities are hard to escape. Film, television, and musical stars can be heard where you least expect them!

Here are just a few examples of celebrity voices:

Thomas and Friends

Narrators of Thomas and Friends

The popular children’s show Thomas and Friends has been voiced by celebrities for many years:

• Ringo Starr provided the voice of Mr. Conductor from 1985-1991
• George Carlin narrated the show and voiced Mr Conductor from 1991-1998 in North America
• UK narrator Michael Angelis voiced these roles in Great Britain
• Alec Baldwin joined the company (1998-2003) providing narration, character voices, and even starring in a full-length motion picture.
• Michael Brandon, a native of Brooklyn, New York, is the current US narrator (2004 to present).

Who’s The Voice of Apple / Intel?

Why, it’s Kiefer Sutherland, of course! You’ll be impressed by his list of voice over credits. Who knew?

Voice Acting Perks for Movie Actors

You thought movie stars had it easy before? Wait until you read this article – their perks when they voice act are amazing. They hardly have to prepare as they might for a regular acting role, they can record VO in their PJs, and the pay? Still great.

Warren Buffett, Voice Actor?

Well, it seems you don’t even need to be an actor to be a celebrity voice actor. It’s true – Warren Buffett has provided candid VO narration for a new children’s video series called “The Secret Millionaire’s Club,” aimed at teaching kids about money and finance.

Frank and Gordon

Canadians will know who Frank and Gordon are – they’re the beaver mascots of telephone provider Bell Canada. You may have already recognized their voices – Rick Mercer and Norm MacDonald!