After the Walt Disney Company bought Marvel Entertainment in 2009, CEO Bob Iger encouraged the company’s divisions to explore Marvel’s properties for adaptation concepts. By deliberately choosing a more obscure title, the company would have the freedom to create their own version. While directing Winnie the Pooh, director Don Hall was scrolling through a Marvel database when he stumbled upon a comic called Big Hero 6, which he never heard before. He pitched the concept to John Lasseter in 2011 as one of 5 ideas for possible productions for Walt Disney Studios and this idea struck a particular chord with Lasseter, Hall, and Chris Williams. Because they wanted the concept to feel new and fresh, story head Paul Briggs only read a few issues of the comic. While screenwriter Robert L. Baird hadn’t read the comic at all. Although Walt Disney Studios solely produced Big Hero 6, several members of Marvel’s creative team were involved in the production. Unlike what Marvel does in its comics and movies, the production team decided early on set the film in a stand-alone universe and not connect it to the MCU. With respect to Baymax’s design, Hall mentioned in an interview, “I wanted a robot that we had never seen before and something to be wholly original. That’s a tough thing to do, we’ve got a lot of robots in pop culture, everything from The Terminator to WALL-E to C-3PO on down the line and not to mention Japanese robots, I won’t go into that. So I wanted to do something original.” Although no one had any idea of what this robot should look like, artist Lisa Keene stated it should be a huggable one.

Early on in the development process, Hall and the design team took a research trip to Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute where they met a team of DARPA-funded researchers who were pioneering a new field of “soft robotics” using inflatable vinyl, which ultimately inspired Baymax’s vinyl, inflatable, and huggable design. Hall stated that “I met a researcher (Chris Atkeson) who was working on soft robots. … It was an inflatable vinyl arm and the practical app would be in the healthcare industry as a nurse or doctor’s assistant. He had me at vinyl. This particular researcher went into this long pitch but the minute he showed me that inflatable arm, I knew we had our huggable robot.” Baymax’s face design was inspired by the copper suzu bell that Hall noticed while at a Shinto shrine. Although the robot was supposed to be introduced late in the film, story artist John Ripa conceived a way for Baymax to meet Hiro much earlier. With the entire film becoming much stronger by establishing the relationship between the two early on, yet the filmmakers had to reconstruct much of the first act to make it happen. For style and settings, the film combines Japanese and Eastern world culture with San Francisco culture. The result was San Fransokyo based on alternative history in which Japanese immigrants rebuilt San Francisco after the 1906 Earthquake. Upon its 2014 release, Big Hero 6 received positive reviews from critics and grossed $657.8 million at the worldwide box office. Not to mention, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for good reason. In this post, we’ll meet the voices behind Tadashi, Fred, Go Go, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, Professor Callaghan, Heathcliff, and a couple of characters from Inside Out.

431. Daniel Henney

Dates: 1979-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Carson City, Michigan. Mother was a nurse and American adoptee from Busan, South Korea. Father was a factory worker. Was a basketball star at Carson City-Crystal High School and led the Eagles to the MHSAA Central Region, 2^nd place finish during his senior year in 1998. Attended various colleges such as Albion College, Albin College, and Elgin Community College but never completed his college studies due to his rising modeling career. Although many online portals have alleged that he graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with an economics degree. But an academic scandal in 2007 revealed that several South Korean celebrities including Henney had falsified academic records. Started modeling in 2001 where he worked in France, Hong Kong, and many more while attending college. After his debut on an advertisement in South Korea, he became a spokesman for commercials with Jun Ji-hyun for Olympus cameras and Kim Tae-hee for Daewoo Electronics’s Klasse air conditioners. While modeling for Olympus in 2005, he was spotted by a talent manager who got him a role in a Korean drama.

Movies and Cartoons: Big Hero 6 (2014) as well as Big Hero 6: The Series.

Characters: Tadashi Hamada

Also Known For: Actor and model best known as Dr. Henry Kim in My Lovely Sam Soon and Lan Mandragoran in The Wheel of Time. Film appearances include Seducing Mr. Perfect, My Father, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Last Stand, Shanghai Calling, One Night Surprise, Papa, The Spy: Undercover Operation, Money, Confidential Assignment 2: International, Missing (2023), and Dog Days. TV appearances include Spring Waltz, Hawaii Five-O, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, Criminal Minds, Hello Franceska, Three Rivers, The Fugitive: Plan B, Revolution, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show, and Dear My Friends.

Personal Life: Married to actress Ru Kamagai since 2023.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Said he pursued an acting career in South Korea because he wanted to know about his mother’s biological family.

432. T.J. Miller

Dates: 1981-present

Early Life and Career: Born Todd Joseph Miller in Denver, Colorado. Mother was a clinical psychologist. Father was an attorney from Kansas. Attended Graland Country Day School and graduated from Denver’s East High School where he participated in drama productions. Graduated from George Washington University in Washington D.C. in 2003 with a degree in psychology containing a concentration in persuasion theory and social influence. While at GWU, he was a member of the comedy group Recess and the Lambda chapter of Phi Sigma Kappa. Also studied the circus arts at Firchess Theatre Urbain in Paris and attended the British Dramatic Academy in London, where he studied Shakespeare for a summer. After college, Miller moved to Chicago to perform improvisation and stand-up comedy, working with many troupes and toured with The Second City for 2 years. Made his screen debut in 2007 and his film debut in 2008.

Movies and Cartoons: Big Hero 6 (2014) as well as the series Gravity Falls and the Kingdom Hearts III video game.

Characters: Frederick Flamarian “Fred” Frederickson IV

Also Known For: Actor, stand-up comedian, producer, and screenwriter best known as Erich Bachman in Silicon Valley and Weasel in Deadpool and Deadpool 2. Film appearances include Yogi Bear, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Goon: Last of the Enforcers, Unstoppable, Ready Player One, Underwater, How to Train Your Dragon, The Emoji Movie, Cloverfield, Extract, She’s Out of My League, Get Him to the Greek, Gulliver’s Travels (2010), Our Idiot Brother, Rock of Ages, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Search Party, Hell and Back, Office Christmas Party, Underwater, Jason Nash Is Married, and The Stand-In. TV appearances include DreamWorks Dragons, Carpoolers, Happy Endings, The League, Fact Checkers Unit, How to Rock, The Gorburger Show, American Dad!, The Goodwin Games, The Jeselnik Offensive, High School USA!, Garfunkel and Oates, Family Guy, Those Who Can’t, Lip Sync Battle, Crashing, and F Is for Family.

Personal Life: Married to actress and installation artist Kate Gorney since 2015. Had an undiagnosed cerebral arteriovenous malformation on his right frontal lobe that made him unable to sleep while filming Yogi Bear 2010. This was later corrected by brain surgery that ran the risk of a 10% fatality.

Later Life: Has been dogged by allegations such as assaulting an Uber driver, sexually violently assaulting a fellow student at George Washington University in 2001 (which he didn’t handle well at all but it’s debatable whether he was held accountable at the time), and orchestrating a fake bomb threat while aboard an Amtrak train (which he may have done while drunk in 2021). Although his career seems to have survived these scandals (since there’s a TBA in a film project on his Wikipedia page), it’s cost him since the people of DreamWorks booted him from the How to Train Your Dragon franchise while filming How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.

Trivia: Hosted the Critics’ Choice Awards in 2015 and 2016.

433. Jamie Chung

Dates: 1983-present

Early Life and Career: Born in San Francisco, California. Parents were Korean immigrants who came to the US in 1980 and ran a hamburger restaurant. Attended Commodore Stoat Elementary School, Aptos Middle School, and Lowell High School where she graduated in 2001. Attended and graduated from the University of California, Riverside with a B.A. in economics in 2005 and where she was in the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Was a cast member on The Real World: San Diego in the MTV reality show’s 14^th season in 2004. At the time, MTV described her as a hard-working student who worked two jobs to pay her tuition but also enjoyed partying. Her friends also described her as not having the best taste in men. After appearing on The Real World, she was on its spin-off game show Real World/Road Rules Challenge as a cast member of their 2005 season The Inferno II, during which she was a member of the “Good Guys” team, which squared off against the “Bad Asses.” By the season’s end, after several cast members were eliminated from the competition, Chung still remained along with a few of her teammates and ultimately defeated the Bad Asses, winning the competition. After her stint in reality television, she began her acting career in minor roles on various TV shows and films. Made her breakthrough role in the series Samurai Girl. First film role was that of a Hooters Girl in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry in 2007.

Movies and Cartoons: Big Hero 6 (2014) as well as Big Hero 6: The Series, the TV film Princess Protection Program, and the Kingdom Hearts III video game.

Characters: Go Go Tomago

Also Known For: Actress and former reality television personality who’s best known as Mulan in Once Upon a Time and Ji-Ah in Lovecraft Country. Film appearances include Dragonball Evolution, Grown Ups, Premium Rush, Sorority Row, The Hangover Part II, Sucker Punch, Eden, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Burning Palms, The Man with the Iron Fists, Knife Fight, The Hangover Part III, Flight 7500, Bad Johnson, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Rudderless, A Year and Change, Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong, Flock of Dudes, Office Christmas Party, Band Aid, 1985, Dangerous Lies, The Misfits (2021), Junction, and Reunion. TV appearances include The Real World: San Diego, Real World/Road Rules challenge: Inferno II, Samurai Girl, The Gifted, Veronica Mars, ER, Days of Our Lives, CSI:NY, Castle, Grey’s Anatomy, Believe, Resident Advisors, Gotham, Sherwood, Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, This Is Us, Star Wars: Visions, Dexter: New Blood, Finding Your Roots, Succession, My Dad the Bounty Hunter, Unprisoned, Batman: Caped Crusader, Twilight of the Gods, and Krapopolis. Video game appearances include Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising, X-Men: Destiny, and Destiny 2 – Warmind.

Personal Life: Married to actor and musician Bryan Greenberg since 2015. They have twin sons born via surrogacy in 2021. Have acquired homes in Brooklyn and Manhattan in New York City.

Later Life: In 2025, Chung and Greenberg’s house was destroyed by the Southern California wildfires. They and their twin boys were unharmed.

Trivia: Won the Female Stars of Tomorrow Award at the 2009 ShoWest industry trade show along with her Sorority Row castmates. In 2012 Seattle International Film Festival, she won the Golden Space Needle Award for Best Actress for Eden.

434. Damon Wayans Jr.

Dates: 1982-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Huntington, Vermont. Father is Damon Wayans Sr. Mother was an actress. Made his film debut in 1994 when cast in his dad’s film Blankman and later appeared on his dad’s sitcom My Wife and Kids as one of Junior’s friends. Later became a staff writer on the series. Later served as a writer in The Underground and garnered a standing ovation during his debut appearance in Def Comedy Jam. Made his big break in 2011 in Happy Endings.

Movies and Cartoons: Big Hero 6 (2014)

Characters: Wasabi

Also Known For: Actor and comedian best known as Brad Williams in Happy Endings and Coach in New Girl. Film appearances include Let’s Be Cops, Blankman, Dance Flick, Marmaduke, The Other Guys, Someone Marry Barry, How to Be Single, Super Troopers 2, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, Cherry, Long Weekend, The Harder They Fall (2021), Supercool, Players, and Kinda Pregnant. TV appearances include My Wife and Kids, The Underground, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair, Happy Together, Sherman’s Showcase, Bob’s Burgers, The Twilight Zone, Kenan, Raid the Cage, Poppa’s House, and Shrinking.

Personal Life: Nephew of Keenan Ivory Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Kim Wayans, and Marlon Wayans. Married to Samara Saraiva since 2016. They have 4 children comprising of 2 daughters and 2 sons. Also has 2 daughters to with his ex-girlfriend Aja Metoyer from high school as well as a granddaughter. Once sued his ex for custody during his 2 older daughters’ teenage years due to concerns of their mother’s lifestyle affecting them. Which I kind of see as somewhat warranted because one of them had a daughter with her now ex-high school boyfriend.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Has been nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award for his role in New Girl.

435. Genesis Rodriguez

Dates: 1987-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Miami, Florida. Mother was a Cuban fashion model. Father is Venezuelan actor Jose Luis Rodriguez known as “El Puma.” They married in 1996. Attended Miami’s Carrolton School of the Sacred Heart and later trained as an actress at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. Returning to Miami, she continued private instruction and obtained a recurring role in Days of Our Lives and was a returned special guest in Top Chef. She also landed Spanish language roles on Telemundo series such as Dame Chocolate as Rosita Amado and Violeta Hurtado. Made her big break in 2012 in the film Casa de Mi Padre.

Movies and Cartoons: Big Hero 6 (2014) as well as series like Big Hero 6: The Series and Elena of Avalor along with the Kingdom Hearts III video game.

Characters: Honey Lemon

Also Known For: Actress best known as Sarah in Entourage and Jane Walker in Time After Time. Film appearances include Man on a Ledge, Casa de Mi Padre, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, The Last Stand, Tusk, Run All Night, Identity Thief, Hours, Yoga Hosers, Delirium, Centigrade, and The 4:30 Movie. TV appearances include Prisonera, Dame Chocolate, Dona Barbara, El Cub de Los Tigritos, The Screen Junkies Show, Made in Hollywood, The Passage, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, The Umbrella Academy, Neon, and Lioness.

Personal Life: I couldn’t find anything about her personal life.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: None.

436. James Cromwell

Dates: 1940-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Los Angeles. Mother was actress Kay Johnson. Father was director John Cromwell who was blacklisted during the McCarthy era. Parents divorced in 1946. Was raised in Manhattan in New York City. Graduated from The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania in 1958. Went to Middlebury College and Carnegie Mellon University, the latter where he graduated with a BFA in 1964. Received acting training at HB Studios. Experiences of the Civil Rights Movement while on a theatre tour through several Deep South states in 1964, particularly with the courage of local campaigners and visiting activists, convinced him to become a lifelong activist on progressive causes. Especially since he played high school football with civil rights worker Mickey Schwermer, who was murdered with his colleagues in Mississippi that same year. During the 1960s, he was a member of Committee to Defend the Panthers, a group organized to defend 13 members of the Black Panther Movement who had been imprisoned in New York on charges of conspiracy.  Was also involved in the anti-Vietnam War Movement as well. Although he made his film debut as an extra in 1958, his acting career really began when he appeared on The Rockford Files in 1974.

Movies and Cartoons: Big Hero 6 (2014) as well as Big Hero 6: The Series.

Characters: Professor Robert Callaghan

Also Known For: Actor best known for his extensive work in character roles. Has nearly 200 credits to his name. Frequently plays authority figures who are often corrupt or bluntly unethical. Film appearances include Babe, Star Trek: First Contact, L. A. Confidential, Deep Impact, The Green Mile, Space Cowboys, The Sum of All Fears, I, Robot, The Longest Yard, The Queen, W., Secretariat, The Artist, Still Mine, The Promise, Marshall, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Emperor, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Murder by Death, The Cheap Detective, The Man with Two Brains, Revenge of the Nerds, Pink Cadillac, The Babe, The People vs. Larry Flynt, The Education of Little Tree, The General’s Daughter, Snow Falling on Cedars, Dante’s Inferno, Becoming Jane, Spider-Man 3, A Lonely Place for Dying, Surrogates, Memorial Day, Soldiers of Fortune, The Trials of Cate McCall, The Laundromat, Never Too Late, Prancer: A Christmas Tale, and Rebel Ridge. TV appearances include Angels in America, Six Feet Under, American Horror Story: Asylum, Boardwalk Empire, The Young Pope, Counterpart, Succession, Sugar, 24, Halt and Catch Fire, The Rockford Files, All in the Family, Maude, Hot I Baltimore, The Nancy Walker Show, M*A*S*H, Three’s Company, Barney Miller, Eight Is Enough, Diff’rent Strokes, Flo, Little House on the Prairie, Father Murphy, Dallas, Night Court, Family Ties, Knight Rider, Hill Street Blues, The Twilight Zone, Scarecrow and Mr. King, Amazing Stories, Magnum P.I., Mr. Belvedere, Matlock, Star Trek: The Next Generation, L. A. Law, Home Improvement, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, ER, Star Trek: Enterprise, Citizen Baines, The West Wing, Salem’s Lot, Pope John Paul II, My Own Worst Enemy, Pius XII: Under the Roman Sky, Do No Harm, Betrayal, Murder in the First, The Detour, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Berlin Station, The Family, Operation Buffalo, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Julia, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Murder in a Small Town. Stage appearances include Othello, Hamlet, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Waiting for Godot, and Rupert.

Personal Life: Married 3 times. First wife was Ana Ulvestad from 1977 until their divorce in 1986. They have 3 children named Kate, John, and Colin. Second wife was actress Julie Cobb from 1986 to their divorce in 2005. Third and current wife is actress Anna Stuart since 2014. Was a vegetarian since 1974 and a vegan since 1995.

Later Life: Has been an advocate for progressive causes particularly environmental and animal rights. He’s also been arrested at many protests over the years for these causes. Not to mention, he has a close association with PETA, too. Lives in Warwick, New York.

Trivia: Was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Babe and 5 Screen Actors Guild Awards. Has won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for American Horror Story: Asylum. At 6’7,” he’s the tallest actor nominated for an Academy Award. His son John is 6’8” and often plays the younger version of his dad’s characters in some projects.

437. David Shaughnessy

Dates: 1957-present

Early Life and Career: Born in London, England. Father was TV screenwriter Alfred Shaughnessy. Mother was actress Jean Lodge. Most likely attended Eton College along with his brother Charles. At 16, Shaughnessy was  the youngest student admitted to the Central School of Speech and Drama. After graduating, he starred in repertory theaters in the UK and went on to become a principal actor at the Old Vic and touring around the world. Later went on to perform in national tours, including 18 months in a production of Godspell. Made screen debut in 1979.

Movies and Cartoons: Big Hero 6 (2014) as well as Big Hero 6: The Series.

Characters: Heathcliff

Also Known For: British actor, producer, and director best known for his voice work and directing soap operas. Film appearances include Labyrinth, The Whistle Blower, Death Spa, Adventures in Zambezia, Top Cat Begins, and Birds of a Feather. TV appearances include Peter Pan and the Pirates, Star Wars Rebels, Danger UXB, The Brief, The Haunting of Cassie Palmer, Q.E.D., Three Up Two Down, Minder, The Clairvoyant, War and Remembrance, Newhart, Guys with Kids, Random! Cartoons, Robot Chicken, Avengers Assemble, The Tom and Jerry Show, Star Wars Resistance, Cleopatra in Space, Blood of Zeus, Dota: Dragon’s Blood, Young Justice, and Tales of the Jedi. Video game appearances include Mass Effect, The Darkness II, The Elder Scrolls, Warcraft, Destroy All Humans! 2, Resistance: Fall of Man, Flushed Away, The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, Final Fantasy XIV, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, Grand Theft Auto V, Hearthstone, Smite, Lichdom: Battlemage, The Order: 1886, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Crackdown 3, World War Z, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, Asgard’s Wrath, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, Diablo IV, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Has directed episodes for Santa Barbara, Trial by Jury, The Bold and the Beautiful, Tribes, The Young and the Restless, and Days of Our Lives.

Personal Life: Younger brother of Charles Shaughnessy, 5^th Baron Shaughnessy and is heir presumptive to his title. Married to writer Anne Schoettle. They have 3 daughters Amy, Katie, and Josie.

Later Life: Lives in Los Angeles.

Trivia: Great-grandson of American-Canadian railway administrator Thomas Shaughnessy, 1^st Baron Shaughnessy. Has won 2 Daytime Emmys.

438. Abraham Benrubi

Dates: 1969-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Indianapolis, Indiana. Father was the lead singer of Roadmaster and a radio personality in St. Louis. Paternal grandmother helped shelter Jews in Greece during World War II and later converted to Judaism. Graduated from Broad Ripple High School. Made his breakthrough in the show Wings.

Movies and Cartoons: Big Hero 6 (2014) and Strange World (2022) as well as the short Olaf’s Frozen Adventure.

Characters: General and Lonnie Redshirt

Also Known For: Actor best known as Jeff Markovic in ER, Larry Kubiac in Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, and Dennis in Without a Paddle. Film appearances include Wagons East, Twister, George of the Jungle, The Rugrats Movie, The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001), Open Range, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous, Charlotte’s Web (2006), A Night in Old Mexico, Little Boy, The Finest Hours, The Belko Experiment, Bliss, The Call of the Wild (2020), Christmas Bloody Christmas, and The Old Way. TV appearances include Robot Chicken, Growing Pains, Wings, Married…with Children, Blossom, Roseanne, Grace Under Fire, The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Criminal Minds, American Dad!, Men in Trees, Happy Town, Memphis Beat, Community, Bones, Star Wars Detours, Brickleberry, Once Upon a Time, Bosch, Beware the Batman, TripTank, Outcast, APB, Chicago Fire, and It’s Pony. Video game appearances include the World of Warcraft series, Myth III: The Wolf Age, Skylanders: Giants, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, Heroes of the Storm, and StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void.

Personal Life: I can’t find anything on his personal life.

Later Life: Member of the Los Angeles Sacred Fools Sacred Fools Theater Company.

Trivia: None.

439. Phyllis Smith

Dates: 1979-present

Early Life and Career: Born in St. Louis, Missouri. Graduated from Cleveland High School. Later graduated from the University of Missouri – St. Louis in 1972 with a degree in elementary education. During the 1970s and 1980s, she was a dancer, a cheerleader for the St. Louis Cardinals (now the Arizona Cardinals), and a burlesque performer. Later was forced to quit all that after suffering a knee injury. Later worked in Hollywood as an actress and in casting. Made her big break as Phyllis Lapin in The Office, a character written specifically for her.

Movies and Cartoons: Inside Out (2015) and Inside Out 2 (2024) as well as the short Riley’s First Date, the series Dream Productions, and the video game Disney Infinity 3.0.

Characters: Sadness

Also Known For: Actress best known as Phyllis Lapin Vance in The Office and Betty Broderick-Allen in The OA. Film appearances include I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With, Bad Teacher, Butter, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. TV appearances include Arrested Development, Trophy Wife, and The Middle. Worked in casting for Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Roswell, Spin City, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and The Office.

Personal Life: I can’t find anything about her personal life.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Was a spokeswoman for JoAnn Fabrics in 2021.

440. Diane Lane

Dates: 1965-present

Early Life and Career: Born in New York City. Mother was nightclub singer and onetime Playboy centerfold (Miss October 1957) Colleen Leigh Farrington. Father was a Manhattan drama coach who ran an acting workshop with John Cassavetes and supplemented his income as a cab driver as well as later taught humanities at City College. Shortly after her birth, her parents divorced. Lived with her mom until she was 6 years old. Father received custody of her after her mom moved to Georgia. Also landed her first acting role in La Mama Experimental Company’s 1971 production of Medea and continued acting in theater throughout the 1970s. All while she and her dad lived in a number of residential New York hotels and she rode in his taxi. Made her film debut at 13 with A Little Romance. At 15, Lane declared her independence from her father and flew to Los Angeles for a week with actor and friend Christopher Atkins with whom she starred in the 1981 film Child Bride of Short Creek. Later returned to New York where she moved in with a friend’s family, paying them rent. In 1981, Lane enrolled at Hunter College High School after taking correspondence courses. Although she was in the accelerated program, her acting career led her grades to suffer. However, Lane’s mother kidnapped her and took her back to Georgia. Lane and her dad challenged her mom in court and was back in New York. She wouldn’t speak to her mom for the next 3 years but they eventually reconciled. Made her breakthrough roles with The Outsiders and Rumble Fish during the 1980s.

Movies and Cartoons: Inside Out (2015) and Inside Out 2 (2024) as well as the short Riley’s First Date and the series Dream Productions.

Characters: Riley’s Mom

Also Known For: Actress best known as Constance “Connie” Summer in Unfaithful and Martha Kent in Man of Steel, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League. Film appearances include A Little Romance, Streets of Fire, The Cotton Club, The Big Town, Lady Beware, A Walk on the Moon, My Dog Skip, The Perfect Storm, The Glass House, Hardball, Under the Tuscan Sun, Must Love Dogs, Nights in Rhodanthe, Fierce People, Hollywoodland, Untraceable, The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, The Cotton Club, Jack, Paris Can Wait, Let Him Go, Touched by Love, National Lampoon’s Movie Madness, Cattle Annie and Little Britches, Chaplin, Indian  Summer, Judge Dredd, Wild Bill, Mad Dog Time, The Only Thrill, Murder at 1600, Jumper, Secretariat, Every Secret Thing, Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House, Tully, and Serenity (2019). TV appearances include Lonesome Dove, Feud: Capote vs. the Swans, A Man in Full, Extrapolations, Great Performances, A Child Bride of Short Creek, Descending Angel, Fallen Angels, Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, Grace and Glorie, Cinema Verite, Half the Sky, The Romanoffs, House of Cards, and Y: The Last Man. Stage appearances include The Trojan Women, The Good Woman of Szechuan, Blood Wedding, As You Like It, The Cherry Orchard, Agamemnon, Runaways, Twelfth Night, and Sweet Bird of Youth.

Personal Life: Married twice. First husband was actor Chris Lambert from 1988 until their divorce in 1994. They have a daughter. Second husband was actor Josh Brolin from 2003 until their divorce in 2013. Although Lane did call the police on him for a domestic altercation shortly after their wedding. Brolin was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery. However, Lane declined to press charges and the couple’s spokesperson said the incident as just a “misunderstanding.”

Later Life: Is involved in several charities including Heifer International, Artists for Peace and Justice, and the BraindAID Project. Although she doesn’t try to draw any attention to herself for her humanitarian efforts. Featured heavily in Half the Sky documentary as one of many A-List celebrities visit Africa and other areas where women are oppressed and has become an ambassador for this kind of work and charity work in general.

Trivia: Has won a Satellite, a New York Film Critics Circle, and a National Society of Film Critics award for Unfaithful. Has also been nominated for an Academy Award, a Critic’s Choice, 2 Golden Globes, an Independent Spirit Award, 2 Emmys, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2014, she was honored for her work at Heifer International at its third annual Beyond Hunger: A Place at the Table gala at the Montage Beverly Hills.

              Inspired by the Hans Christen Andersen story The Snow Queen, Frozen was the culmination of decades of failed attempts by Disney to adapt the story into an animated film. Sometimes as part of a biopic of Hans Christen Andersen, sometimes not. With the challenge mainly being how to make the story and the Snow Queen character work. Nonetheless, the momentum didn’t really kick in until the early 2010s once Disney announced Frozen. Yet, even then the story had to undergo a ton of revisions. For instance, Elsa was originally written as the villain like the Snow Queen was in the original story. One version had Elsa kidnap Anna at her wedding to freeze her heart and later descends on the town with an army of snowmen. But things didn’t really get rolling until the filmmakers decided to make Anna the protagonist and Queen Elsa sisters with a focus on a love between siblings. Yet, Elsa’s characterization from villain to “messed-up queen with ice powers” didn’t really take form until the Lopezes wrote “Let It Go.” Anna was originally written as more dysfunctional and codependent but Jennifer Lee argued for a simple coming of age story and constructed her and Elsa’s relationship based on her own with her older sister. Hans and Kristoff were added while Olaf was changed from Elsa’s obnoxious sidekick to Anna’s comically innocent one and one Lee was willing to take out. Still, Frozen’s development was a race against the clock since it was expected to have a November 2013 release.

              As with Tangled, Frozen employed a unique style by blending features of computer-generated and traditional hand-drawn animation. Art director Michael Giamo based Frozen’s style on the best Disney films of the 1950s, the Disney Little Golden Books, and mid-century modern design. Yet, he also researched by reading about Scandinavia and visiting the Danish-themed city of Solvang, California. He focused on Norway because 80% of the visuals appealing to him were from that country. Animators and visual effects specialists were sent to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to experience walking, running, and falling into deep snow in a variety of clothing like long skirts (which both men and women tried on). Lighting and arts teams visited Quebec City’s Ice Hotel to study how light reflects and refracts on snow and ice. Giamo and several artists ventured to Norway to absorb its mountains, fjords, architecture, and culture. A reindeer named Sage was brought in as a live action reference for Sven. While a character designer was brought in to animate costumes as Frozen required an unprecedented detail such as fabrics, buttons, trim, and stitching. With the wardrobe being a blend of 1840s western fashions and early 19^th century folk costume. Upon its release in 2013, Frozen grossed $1.28 billion worldwide, critical acclaim, 2 Academy Awards, and a pop culture phenomenon that’s still going strong. In this post, we’ll meet the voices behind a few more characters from Monsters University, 2 characters from Big Hero 6, filmmaker Jennifer Lee, as well as the voices behind Kristoff, Olaf, Hans, and Grand Pabbie.

421. Bobby Moynihan

Dates: 1977-present

Early Life and Career: Born Robert Michael Moynihan Jr. in Eastchester, New York. Graduated from the University of Connecticut’s School of Fine Arts in 1999. Afterwards, he toured with a Shakespeare company before discovering the Upright Citizens Brigade where Amy Poehler gave him a job as a bartender for free classes. Frequently performed with the Derrick Comedy sketch group and appeared in many of their popular internet videos and various projects. Joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2008.

Movies and Cartoons: Monsters University (2013), Inside Out (2015), and Inside Out 2 (2024) as well as new series Duck Tales and Monsters at Work, the short Party Central, and the live action TV movie series Descendants.

Characters: Chet Alexander, Forgetter Bobby, and Louie

Also Known For: Actor and comedian best known as a writer and cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2008 to 2017. Also known as Louie in Duck Tales, Panda in We Bare Bears, Hal the Dog in Nature Cat, Jayden Kwapis in Mr. Mayor, and Loafy in Loafy. Film appearances include The Secret Life of Pets, Mystery Team, The Invention of Lying, When in Rome, Certainty, The Brass Teapot, Revenge for Jolly!, Grown Ups 2, Delivery Man, Adult Beginners, Annie (2014), Ted 2, Staten Island Summer, Underdogs, Sisters, Brother Nature, The Book of Henry, The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature, Killing Gunther, Flora & Ulysses, America: The Motion Picture, Unfrosted, and IF. TV appearances include Homicide: Life on the Street, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Electric Company, Chowder, Mercy, Ugly Americans, 30 Rock, Girls, Portlandia, Sesame Street, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Awesomes, Chozen, Comedy Bang! Bang!, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Drunk History, Big Brother, Me, Myself & I, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Bob’s Burgers, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Detroiters, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Summer Camp Island, Star Wars Resistance, Documentary Now!, Where’s Waldo?, Vampirina, The Bravest Knight, Crank Yankers, It’s Pony, Kid Cosmic, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Alice’s Wonderland Bakery, Is It Cake?, Star Trek Lower Decks, Krapopolis, Impractical Jokers, Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, Hamster and Gretel, NCIS: Origins, and Very Important People.

Personal Life: Married to Broadway actress Brynn O’Malley since 2016. They have a daughter born in 2017.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Took improv classes with then 15-year-old Zach Woods.

422. Julia Sweeney

Dates: 1959-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Spokane, Washington. Father was an attorney and federal prosecutor. As a child, she was drawn to imitating voices and inventing characters. Attended Maycliff High School and Gonzaga Preparatory School where she appeared in a number of plays. Graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in economics and European history where she was student body vice-president and a member of the Delta Gamma sorority. Afterwards, Sweeney moved to Los Angeles were she worked as an accountant for Columbia Pictures and United Artists. In 1981, she enrolled in classes with the improvisational group the Groundlings, eventually being selected to be part of the troupe’s Sunday Company. It was here where she began developing characters, which she’d later bring to stage, film, and television. Was offered a spot on SNL after Lorne Michaels discovered her in 1989. She joined the cast the following year.

Movies and Cartoons: Monsters University (2013)

Characters: Sheri Squibbles

Also Known For: Actress best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1994 with her most famous character being the androgynous Pat. Also known as Mrs. Keeper in Stuart Little and Brittany in Father of the Pride. Film appearances include Pulp Fiction, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Coneheads, Vegas Vacation, Clockstoppers, and Whatever it Takes. TV appearances include Shrill, Work in Progress, American Gods, Baby Blues, The Goode Family, Back at the Barnyard, Lloyd in Space, 3^rd Rock from the Sun, Mad About You, According to Jim, Fraiser, Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Personal Life: Had 2 younger brothers who died, one of them from lymphoma. Survived a bout of cervical cancer during the 1990s. Married twice. First husband was Stephen Hibbert from 1989 until their divorce in 1994. Second and current husband is scientist Michael Blum since 2008. They have a daughter they adopted from China.

Later Life: Was appointed to the board of the Center of Inquiry in 2019.

Trivia: None.

423. Raymond Ochoa

Dates: 2001-present

Early Life and Career: Born in San Diego. In 2007, he starred in commercials for Betty Crocker, Verizon FiOS and Chevrolet. Made his debut in 2006 as Manuelito in the TV series 10 Items or Less.

Movies and Cartoons: Monsters University (2013) and The Good Dinosaur (2015) as well as the various series and several video games.

Characters: Arlo

Also Known For: Actor best known for his roles during his childhood. Film appearances include A Christmas Carol (2009), Yogi Bear, Mars Needs Moms, Kung Fu Panda 2, Lovesick, and Mr. Peabody & Sherman. TV appearances include 10 Items or Less, Cold Case, Hank, Pair of Kings, Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III, The Middle, Private Practice, Working Class, I Didn’t Do It, Rizzoli & Isles, and The Big Show Show. Video game appearances include Sunset Overdrive, Fallout 4, and The Walking Dead: A New Frontier.

Personal Life: Younger brother of actor Ryan Ochoa. Has a son born in 2021 with longtime partner Cecilia Ramirez.

Later Life: Has been in the band Ochoa Boyz with his brothers Ryan, Robert and Rick since 2012.

Trivia: None.

424. Jonathan Groff

Dates: 1985-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Father’s a horse trainer and former jockey. Roots in theater and acting began at an early age. At 3, he fell in love with Julie Andrews’ performance as Mary Poppins. Growing up, he and his older brother David put on childhood home productions such as a performance of The Wizard of Oz in his dad’s barn where he played Dorothy. Joined his middle and high school drama departments where he became inspired to pursue a theater career. Also took part in many community productions during his teens in Lancaster. Even directed a production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown during a high school theatre festival at the Fulton Opera House, for which he won a community award. Graduated from Conestoga Valley High School in 2003 and intended to attend Carnegie Mellon University. But he deferred his admission for a year when he was cast as Rolf in a Non-Equity National Tour of The Sound of Music. Afterwards, Groff decided to move to New York City instead of attending college and begin his acting career. Started out waiting tables at the Chelsea Grill in New York City before earning his Actors’ Equity Association card in 2005 with the musical Fame at the North Shore Music Theatre. Made his Broadway debut as an understudy for the lead role in the critically panned musical In My Life. Breakout performance came in 2006 when he originated the lead role of Melchioir Gabor in Spring Awakening. Made television debut in 2007 and film debut in 2009.

Movies and Cartoons: Frozen (2013) and Frozen II (2019) as well as various shorts and a couple of video games.

Characters: Kristoff

Also Known For: Actor and singer best known as the original Melchior Gabor in Spring Awakening, the original King George III in Hamilton, Seymour Krelborn in Little Shop of Horrors (2019), Franklin Shepard in Merrily We Roll Along (2024), Jesse St. James in Glee, Patrick Murray in Looking and Looking: The Movie, FBI Special Agent Holden Ford in Mindhunter, Michael Lang in Taking Woodstock, Louis J. Weichmann in The Conspirator, and Smith in The Matrix Resurrections. Film appearances include Knock at the Cabin, Twelve Thirty, C.O.G., American Sniper, A Nice Indian Boy, and Ultraman: Rising. TV appearances include One Life to Live, Boss, The Normal Heart, The Simpsons, And Just Like That…, Life & Beth, Spring Awakening: Those You’ve Known, Lost Ollie, and Doctor Who. Stage appearances include Honk!, Bat Boy: The Musical, Fame, In My Life, Hair, The Singing Forest, The Bacchae, Deathtrap, Red, The Pirates of Penzance, How to Succeed in Business Without Even Trying, A New Brain, Sondheim on Sondheim, Gutenberg! The Musical!, and Just in Time.

Personal Life: His older brother David is the president and COO of WebstaurantStore. Was diagnosed with melanoma in his early 20s and underwent surgery for removal. Came out as gay to a Broadway.com reporter during the National Equality March in 2009. Dated actor Gavin Creel the same year. Was in a relationship with Zachary Quinto from 2010-2013. Dated New Zealand choreographer Corey Baker from 2018-2020.

Later Life: Bought a home next to his dad’s horse farm in Christiana, Pennsylvania. Splits his time between Pennsylvania and New York City. Abstains from social media.

Trivia: Has won a Tony and a Grammy. Also nominated for a Primetime Emmy in the Disney+ live stage recording of Hamilton. Was Grand marshal at the New York City Gay Pride Parade in 2014. Served as Event Chair in the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 14^th Annual New York Benefit Gala 2015. Participates in performances and fundraisers for Color of Change, often recording personal voicemails as Kristoff and Sven for auction winners. Performed in numerous charity benefits for theater institutions including 52^nd Street Project, Tectonic Theater Project, Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, Playwrights Horizons, and more. Has taught master classes in acting and musical theatre for young actors at the New York Film Academy, Broadway Workshop, Temple University, Young Actors’ Theatre Camp, and the National YoungArts Foundation. Joined the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Board of Trustees in 2024. Introduced Jennifer Lee to Alfred Molina and officiated their wedding in 2021.

425. Josh Gad

Dates: 1981-present

Early Life and Career: Born Joshua Ilan Gad in Hollywood, Florida. Mother is a real estate agent and was born in Germany to Jewish Holocaust survivors. Stepfather is an investment advisor. Father was born into a Jewish family in Afghanistan and moved to Israel as a teenager. And he believes his dad’s descended from the tribe of Gad, one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. After graduating high school, Gad attended the University School of Nova Southeastern University where he won the National Forensics League National Tournament Championships for original Oratory in 1998 and 1999. He also won the 1999 Humorous Interpretation at the National tournament in Phoenix. He then attended Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts where he graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama. During this time, he took a semester-long exchange at the National Institute of Dramatic Art. Made his film debut in 2002.

Movies and Cartoons: Frozen (2013) and Frozen II (2019) as well as the live-action Beauty and the Beast, several shorts, a few series, and a few video games.

Characters: Olaf

Also Known For: Actor best known as Elder Arnold Cunningham in The Book of Mormon. Film appearances include Watching the Detectives, 21, The Rocker, Crossing Over, Marmaduke, Love & Other Drugs, Mardi Gras: Spring Break, She Wants Me, Ice Age: Continental Drift, Thanks for Sharing, Jobs, The Internship, Wish I Was Here, The Wedding Ringer, Pixels, The Angry Birds Movie, A Dog’s Purpose, Marshall, Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Little Monsters, A Dog’s Journey, Artemis Fowl, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Strays. TV appearances include ER, Back to You, American Dad!, Numb3rs, Party Down, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Bored to Death, The Cleveland Show, Californiacation, Modern Family, 1600 Penn, New Girl, Hollywood Game Night, The Comedians, Sesame Street, TripTank, Jeopardy!, Lip Sync Battle, Star Wars Rebels, South Park, Bob’s Burgers, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Central Park, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Wolf Like Me, The Boys, The Tiny Chef Show, and History of the World Part II.

Personal Life: Married to actress and former co-star Ida Darvish since 2008. They have 2 daughters. Struggles with generalized anxiety disorder and talks about it publicly in order to combat mental health stigma and shame.

Later Life: In 2018, Gad joined other celebrities in an ongoing Child Mind Institute called #MyYoungerSelf, which focuses on normalizing mental health, especially in kids.

Trivia: Attended college with Rory O’Malley and Leslie Odom Jr. Named Disney Legend in 2022. Has won a Grammy and 2 Annie Awards. Has been nominated for a Tony for The Book of Mormon. Credits his YouTube series Reunited Apart for saving his mental health during the height of the Covid 19 pandemic.

426. Santino Fontana

Dates: 1982-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Stockton, California. Grew up in Richland, Washington and graduated from Richland High School in 2000. Is a graduate of the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program. Made his theatrical debut as Hamlet in the Guthrie Theater. Made his Broadway debut in 2007. Made his screen debut in 2010.

Movies and Cartoons: Frozen (2013) and Frozen II (2019) as well as the short Frozen Fever and the Disney Speedstorm video game.

Characters: Prince Hans

Also Known For: Actor and singer best known as Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels in musical Tootsie. Film appearances include Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Sisters, Impossible Monsters, The Devil All the Time, and Lost & Found in Cleveland. TV appearances include The Good Wife, Nurse Jackie, Submissions Only, Royal Pains, Mozart in the Jungle, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Shades of Blue, Fosse/Verdon, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Evil, and Grotesquerie. Stage appearances include Sunday in the Park with George, Billy Elliot the Musical, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Broadway Bound, A View from the Bridge, The Importance of Being Earnest, Cinderella, Act One, Hello, Dolly!, Gutenberg! The Musical!, The Fantasticks, Sons of the Prophet, The Game of Love, Stalking the Boogeyman, Zorba, 1776, A Man of No Importance, The Goodbye Girl, I Can Get It for You Wholesale, The Winter’s Tale, The American Clock, Six Degrees of Separation, Love’s Labour’s Lost, A Christmas Carol, On the Verge, Death of a Salesman, Perfect Harmony, As You Like It, Hamlet, Hay Fever, Man of La Mancha, and Anyone Can Whistle. Audiobook appearances include Wheelman, You, The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, The Laws of Medicine, Hidden Bodies, Flight or Fright, The Institute, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, The Red Badge of Courage, and You Love Me.

Personal Life: Married to actress Jessica Hershberg since 2015. They have a child born in 2019.

Later Life: Performs with orchestras and symphonies across the United States. Has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, at the American Songbook Series at Lincoln Center, and Birdland Jazz Club, and many others. Has appeared 4 times at Carnegie Hall in New York City and 3 times with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. In one of these, he met the cast of Sesame Street.

Trivia: Has won a Tony, 2 Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, a Lucille Lortel Award, an Obie Award, and a Clarence Derwent Award.

427. Ciaran Hinds

Dates: 1953-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Belfast, in Northern Ireland to a Catholic family of five children and only boy. Mother was an amateur actress. Father was a doctor. Was an Irish dancer in his youth. Educated at Holy Family Primary School and Saint Malachy’s College. After graduation, he attended the College of Business Studies before enrolling as a law student at Queen’s University Belfast. But was soon persuaded to pursue acting, quit Queen’s, and enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Began his professional career at the Glasgow Citizens’ Theatre as a frequent performer during the late 1970s and through the mid-1980s. Also performed on stage in Ireland with the Abbey Theatre, the Field Day Theatre Company, the Druid Theatre, the Lyric Players’ Theatre and at the Project Arts Centre. Was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company during the early 1990s. Made his film debut in 1981.

Movies and Cartoons: Frozen (2013) and Frozen II (2019) as well as the LEGO Frozen Northern Lights special.

Characters: Grand Pabbie

Also Known For: Irish actor who’s known for a range of stage and screen roles. Best known as General Zakharow in Red Sparrow, Steppenwolf in Justice League, Julius Caesar in Rome, DCI James Langton in Above Suspicion, Mance Rayder in Game of Thrones, and Captain Sir John Franklin in The Terror. Film appearances include The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover, Persuasion (1995), Oscar and Lucinda, Road to Perdition, The Sum of All Fears, Munich, Amazing Grace, There Will Be Blood, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Silence, First Man, Belfast, Excalibur, December Bride, Circle of Friends, Mary Reilly, Some Mother’s Son, Titanic Town, The Life of Stuff, The Lost Son, The Lost Lover, The Weight of Water, Veronica Guerin, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life, Calendar Girls, The Statement, The Phantom of the Opera (2004), Miami Vice, The Tiger’s Tail, The Nativity Story, Margot at the Wedding, In Bruges, Stop-Loss, Cash, The Tale of Despereaux, Race to Witch Mountain, The Eclipse, Life During Wartime, The Debt, The Rite, Salvation Boulevard, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, The Woman in Black, John Carter, Closed Circuit, The Sea, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, Axis, Woman Walks Around, Elizabeth Harvest, The Man in the Hat, The Wonder, In the Land of Saints and Sinners, Cottontail, and The Family Plan. TV appearances include Shetland, The Mahabharata, Who Bombed Birmingham?, The Play on One, Prime Suspect 3, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Hostages, The Affair, Testament: The Bible in Animation, Tales from the Crypt, Cold Lazarus, Jane Eyre, Jason and the Argonauts, The Sleeper, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Political Animals, Kin, Treason, The Dry, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Stage appearances include The Seagull, Arden of Faversham, The Night of the Iguana, Cinderella, The Country Wife, The Importance of Being Earnest, Macbeth, Figaro, Semi-Monde, Vautrin, Loot, Mother Goose, No Orchids for Miss Blandish, Equus, The Three Penny Opera, Dick Whittington, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Don Juan, Desperado Corner, Madame Louise, Bent, Curse of the Starving Class, On Baile’s Stand, Waiting for Godot, The Roman Actor, Red Roses for Me, Torquato Tasso, The Mother, The Merchant of Venice, Arms and the Man, Sirocco, The Last Days of Mankind, Rosenkavalier, Juno and the Paycock, Oroonoko, The White Devil, The Way of the World, The Riot Act (Antigone), Mary Stuart, Blithe Spirit, The Plough and the Stars, Arsenic and Old Lace, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore, The Representative, The Orphan, Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Toward the Somme, Mahabharata, The Lady from the Sea, Richard III, Edward II, Trolius and Cressida, Assassins, Machinal, Simpatico, Closer, The Seafarer, The Birds, Burnt by the Sun, The Night Alive, Hamlet, The Crucible, Girl from the North Country, Translations, and Uncle Vanya.

Personal Life: Married to French-Vietnamese actress Helene Patarot since 1987. They have a daughter named Aoife who’s also an actress born in 1991 who’s appeared in Derry Girls, Normal People, and Hellraiser.

Later Life: Lives in Paris, France.

Trivia: Was listed at #31 on The Irish Times’ list of Ireland’s Greatest Actors. Has been nominated for an Oscar, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe.

428. Jennifer Lee

Dates: 1971-present

Early Life and Career: Born Jennifer Michelle Rebecchi in Providence, Rhode Island. Was raised in Barrington until her parents’ divorce. After that, she and her older sister, Amy lived with their mother in East Providence. Graduated from East Providence High School and the University of New Hampshire where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English in 1992. Later moved to New York City where she worked as a graphic artist in publishing, designing audiobooks for Random House. As an adult, she began to use her mom’s maiden name Lee as her professional identity. She later changed her legal surname to Lee in 1995. Graduated from Columbia University School of the Arts’ Film Program in 2005. While there, she also won several awards for excellence in screenwriting and gave birth to her daughter. Her script for The Round Up was a quarter-finalist in the Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting competition in 2009 and was subsequently optioned by Appian Way Productions. In 2011, Columbia classmate Phil Johnston called Lee to ask her to join him at Disney Animation in Burbank to help him write Wreck-It Ralph (2012). What was supposed to be only an 8-week gig turned out to be a much longer commitment. First she was asked to stay until Ralph was finished. Then she became involved with Frozen (2013) and the rest is history.

Movies and Cartoons: Frozen (2013)

Characters: Queen Iduna

Also Known For: Filmmaker and playwright who served as chief creative officer (CCO) of Walt Disney Animation Studios from 2018-2024, before stepping down to pursue full-time filmmaking. In addition to being the first female CCO of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Lee’s the first female director of a feature film for the company and the first female director of 2 feature films that each earned more than $1 billion in gross box office revenue. Has worked behind the scenes of Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Frozen (2013), Big Hero 6 (2014), Moana (2016), Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), Frozen II (2019), Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), Encanto (2021), Strange World (2022), Wish (2023), and Moana 2 (2024) as well as some shorts and series. Also worked on the live action A Wrinkle in Time.

Personal Life: Married twice. First husband was Robert Joseph Monn from 1999 to their divorce. They have a daughter named Agatha Lee who voiced the pre-teen Anna in the second verse of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?.” Second and current husband is actor Alfred Molina since 2021 and whom she met during the making of Frozen II in 2019.

Later Life: Lives in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles with Molina and her daughter.

Trivia: Has won a Best Animated Feature Academy Award for Frozen (2013) as well as 4 Annie Awards and a BAFTA.

429. Scot Adsit

Dates: 1965-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Northbrook, Illinois. Father was a real estate attorney. Attended Glenbrook North High School where he described himself as “a bit of a class clown.” Attended DePauw University for a semester before transferring to Columbia College Chicago, where acting teacher Sheldon Patankin encouraged him to joined the city’s famed improv troupe The Second City which he joined in 1987. Soon he became part of its mainstage cast in 1994 alongside Tina Fey, Kevin Dorff, and Rachel Dratch. Moved to Los Angeles in 1998 on invitation by a college friend Dino Stamatopoulos to work on a pilot about the backstage antics of a television sketch-comedy show (this sounds familiar). Although the pilot didn’t materialize into a show, Adsit stayed and began working in bit parts and commercials. That same year he appeared in Mr. Show and played a demonic neighbor in Tenacious D’s HBO show.

Movies and Cartoons: Big Hero 6 (2014) as well as Big Hero 6: The Series and the Baymax! miniseries along with a few video games and the short Once Upon a Studio.

Characters: Baymax

Also Known For: Actor, comedian, and writer best known as Clay Puppington in Morel Orel and Pete Hornberger in 30 Rock. Film appearances include Town and Country, Lovely and Amazing, Run Ronnie Run, Melvin Goes to Dinner, The Italian Job (2003), Grand Theft Parsons, The Terminal, Without a Paddle, Be Cool, Kicking and Screaming, Bad News Bears (2005), I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With, Accepted, For Your Consideration, Dante’s Inferno, The Hammer, Mr. Woodcock, The Informant!, Last Night, Arthur (2011), We’re the Millers, A Case of You, Appropriate Behavior, St. Vincent, Uncle Nick, and Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate. TV appearances include Early Edition, Mr. Show with Bob and David, Tenacious D, Felicity, Friends, Malcolm in the Middle, Curb Your Enthusiasm, TV Funhouse, Dharma & Greg, MADtv, Ally McBeal, Kingpin, Alias, CSI: Miami, The Man Show, Monk, Charmed, The Drew Carey Show, Huff, Robot Chicken, The Office, The Colbert Report, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole, Harvey Beaks, Veep, Person of Interest, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Gap Year, Girlboss, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Teenage Euthanasia, Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, Shape Island, Carol & the End of the World, Megamind Rules!, and Elsbeth.

Personal Life: I couldn’t find anything about his personal life.

Later Life: Performs live in the show John and Scott with former 30 Rock castmate John Lutz as well as with Jet Eveleth in Adsit and Eveleth. Also continues to act, improvise, and teach at I.O. West and the Upright Citizens Brigade.

Trivia: Has won an Annie and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

430. Ryan Potter

Dates: 1995-present

Early Life and Career: Born Ryan Kenichi Hagimoto in Portland, Oregon. Father’s from Japan. Family moved to Tokyo, Japan not long after his birth until his parents’ divorce. Returned to United States with his mother shortly before his 7^th birthday and changed his name to her maiden name of Potter. She later married Chinese-American martial artist and stuntman James Lew. At 8, Potter began studying White Tiger kung fu, which he’s continued to pursue throughout his teenage years. Other childhood interests included baseball, skateboarding, and drums. Began acting at 13 when he received a leaflet in his kung fu class announcing Nickelodeon was looking for teenagers to star in a new martial-arts themed program called Supah Ninjas. After a few days of consideration, he decided to audition, eventually landing the series’ lead role of Mike Fukanaga. He soon became one of the network’s most popular young stars featured in numerous teen magazines and making personal appearances in Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play and its reboot of Figure It Out, as well as an appearance on its sister network’s broadcast of the 2011 TeenNick HALO Awards.

Movies and Cartoons: Big Hero 6 (2014) as well as Big Hero 6: The Series and the Baymax! miniseries along with a few video games.

Characters: Hiro Hamada

Also Known For: Actor best known as Gar Logan/Beast Boy in Titans. Film appearances include Senior Project, Underdog Kids, Throne of Elves, Running For Grace, and Batman Beyond: Year One. TV appearances include Supah Ninjas, Figure It Out, Fred: The Show, Lab Rats: Elite Force, Where’s Waldo?, and Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous.

Personal Life: Stepson of martial artist and stuntman James Lew.

Later Life: In 2011, Potter founded ToyBox of Hope, a charity which holds an annual holiday collection drive for children in homeless shelters and transitional living situations in the Los Angeles area. In 2012, he was planning to expand the charity to include a “Birthday Party Box” program. That same year, Potter became one of the youngest celebrities to lend his voice to California’s No H8 campaign in support of same-sex marriage.

Trivia: Although his first language was Japanese, he is no longer fluent.

              Thanks to their acquisitions of Marvel and Lucasfilm, Disney would become a major box office contender with more superhero films and Star Wars movies being produced each year. Many would shatter box office records. In 2013, Frozen would gross $1.2 billion at the box office, becoming the highest grossing animated film of all time. While merchandising the movie became so popular it made the company another $1 billion within a year and a global Frozen merchandise shortage occurred. Not to mention, how so many young girls wanted to dress up as Queen Elsa for Halloween for the next several years. Unfortunately, that same year, CEO Bob Iger announced that Disney had no 2D films in development and a month later, the hand-drawn animation division was closed and several veteran animators were laid off. In 2014, Disney acquired the multi-channel YouTube network Maker Studios for $950 million. In 2015, the company stated its consumer products and interactive divisions would merge to become a new subsidiary called Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media. Later, it placed Marvel Studios under the Walt Disney Studios division. Shanghai Disneyland opened in 2016, making it the company’s sixth theme park resort and one where Winnie the Pooh was banned (because the Chinese government cracks down on that). It also attempted to buy Twitter to market content and merchandise but ultimately backe out since Iger thought Disney would take on responsibilities that it didn’t need and that it didn’t feel “Disney” to him. In 2017, Disney announced that it would be ending its distribution deal with Netflix with the intent of launching its own streaming platform by 2019. In November 2018, CCO John Lasseter said he’d take a 6-month absence because of “missteps” reported to be sexual misconduct allegations. Lasseter would later depart Disney where he was replaced as CCO by Jennifer Lee and Pixar head by Pete Docter. While Disney and 21^st Century Fox began negotiating a deal in which Disney would acquire most of Fox’s assets. It also began doing more live action remakes as well.

              With its 2012 release, you may think Wreck-It Ralph was based on a more recent idea given that it’s a film that revolves around video game characters. However, reading its Wikipedia entry, I found the concept surprisingly dates all the way back to the late 1980s. Over the years it would be redeveloped, retitled, and reconsidered several times. In the pre-production stage, director Rich Moore aimed to add licensed characters in order to make a film based in a video game world feel real. But he avoided creating a movie around existing characters on grounds that “there’s so much mythology and baggage attached to pre-existing titles that I feel someone would be disappointed,” viewing this to be a reason why movies based on video game franchises always fail. Which was prevailing logic around the time. Even though recent video game-based movie releases shows that it’s not always the case. Although Moore was almost certainly right to avoid this. Instead, he decided that Wreck-It Ralph would revolve around original characters representative of the 8-bit video game which allowed those involved in the project to take these characters in new directions. With licensed characters being relegated to minor and cameo roles, which later included 188 individual character models in the movie as a result of these cameo inclusions. In addition, they once considered adding a fourth game world that was supposed to be a cross between The Sims and Grand Theft Auto but it was ultimately dropped. For the Sugar Rush sequences, the visual development group traveled to trade fair ISM Cologne, a See’s Candy factory, and other manufacturing facilities. The group also brought in food photographers to teach them techniques to make food appear appealing. Upon its release, Wreck-It Ralph was a critical and commercial success grossing $496 million worldwide against a $196 million budget. It also won the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature while garnering nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. In this post, we’ll meet filmmaker Rich Moore, artist and author Brian Kesinger, actors Katie Lowes, Phil Johnston, and Alan Tudyk, as well as the voices behind Fix-It Felix Jr., Markowski, General Hologram, Deanna, and Duncan.

401. Jack McBrayer

Dates: 1973-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Macon, Georgia but moved to Conyers when he was 15. Attended Heritage High School and studied theater at the University of Evansville. At 18, he had a pneumothorax, which he states felt like a heart attack and it was one of the worst pains in his life. From 1995-2002, he worked at The Second City and the IO Theater, an experienced that introduced him to Tina Fey and prepared him for his role on her show. Later would appear in 80 sketches on Late Night with Conan O’Brien before landing  the role  of Kenneth Parcell on 30 Rock.

Movies and Cartoons: Wreck-It Ralph (2012) and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) as well as various series, direct-to-video installments,  and the Wreck-It Ralph video game.

Characters: Fix-It Felix Jr.

Also Known For: Actor and comedian best known as Kenneth Parcell in 30 Rock, Wander in Wander Over Yonder, Randall in The Big Bang Theory, and Weird Tom in Odd Squad: The Movie. Film appearances include Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Despicable Me, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, The Brass Teapot, A Thousand Words, The Campaign, Movie 43, Savannah, The To Do List, Cooties, They Came Together, Bad Night, Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal: The Movie, Smurfs: The Lost Village, Dude, Queenpins, Unfrosted, and You’re Cordially Invited. TV appearances include Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Puppy Dog Pals, Amphibia, The Middle, Big Mouth, Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell, Early Edition, Arrested Development, The Colbert Report, The Electric Company, Ugly Americans, Kung Fu Panda Holiday, Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons, Conan, Portlandia, Funny or Die Presents, Archer, Key & Peele, Drunk History, Childrens Hospital, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, WordGirl, New Girl, The Jack and Triumph Show, Playing House, The Adventures of Puss in Boots, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, Our Cartoon President, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Nailed It, The Conners, Call Me Kat, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years, The Wonder Years, The Great North, Stupid Pet Tricks, Zillow Gone Wild, Grey’s Anatomy, and Studio C. Stage appearances include Crazy for You and Waitress.

Personal Life: I can’t find anything about his personal life.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Has been nominated for 5 Emmy Awards. Won a Screen Actors Guild Award for 30 Rock in 2008.

402. Alan Tudyk

Dates: 1971-present

Early Life and Career: Born in El Paso, Texas but grew up in Plano. Attended Plano Senior High School. Had a brief experience as a stand-up comic before quitting after an angry audience member threatened to kill him. Studied drama at the Methodist-affiliated Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas, where he won the Academic Excellence award for drama. Also acted as Beaver Smith in an eastern New Mexico summer stock production of Billy the Kid. Was later accepted and attended the Julliard School but left in 1996 without earning a degree. Made film debut in 1997.

Movies and Cartoons: Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Frozen (2013), Big Hero 6 (2014), Zootopia (2016), Moana (2016), Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), Frozen II (2019), Raya and the Last Dragon (2020), Encanto (2021), Strange World (2022), Wish (2023), and  Moana 2 (2024) as well as a few live action films, a couple of series, and the short Once Upon a Studio.

Characters: King Candy, Duke of Weselton, Alistair Krei, Duke Weaselton, Heihei, Villager #3, KnowsMore, Guard, Northuldra Leader, Arendelian Soldier, Tuk Tuk, Pico, Duffle, Radio Host, and Valentino

Also Known For: Actor best known as Sonny in I, Robot, Wash in Firefly and Serenity, Dr. Nolan Werner in Suburgatory, Dangerboat in The Tick, K-2SO in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars Battlefront, Eric Mordon/Mr. Nobody in Doom Patrol, Mickey in Halo 3: ODST, Green Arrow in DC Super Hero, The Joker and Clayface in Harley Quinn, Dr. Harry Vanderspiegle in Resident Alien, Optimus Prime in Transformers: EarthSpark, and Alex Sartorius/Doctor Phosphorus in Creature Commandos. Film appearances include 28 Days, A Knight’s Tale, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, 3:10 to Yuma (2007), Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, Trumbo, Death at a Funeral (2007), Patch Adams, Wonder Boys, Ice Age, Hearts in Atlantis, Meet Market, Rx, Done the Impossible, Knocked Up, Astro Boy, The Ballad of G.I. Joe, Beautiful Boy, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, Conception, Strange Frame, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, 42, Premature, Tell, Welcome to Me, Oddball, Shangri-La Suite, Deadpool 2, Playing God, Distancing Socially, The Trouble with Jessica, and The Electric State. TV appearances include Arrested Development, Dollhouse, Newsreaders, Young Justice, American Dad!, Star vs. Forces of Evil, Strangers with Candy, Fraiser, Into the West, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, V, The Rockford Files, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Robot Chicken, Family Guy, Good Vibes, Justified, TripTank, Comedy Bang! Bang!, Adventure Time, Rick and Morty, The Adventures of Puss in Boots, Powerless, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Lego Star Wars: All Stars, Santa Clarita Diet, Final Space, The Rookie, Curb Your Enthusiasm, M.O.D.O.K., Devil May Care, Grimsburg, Ark: The Animated Series, and WondLa. Video game appearances include Defense Grid: The Awakening, Halo 3, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Stage appearances include Misalliance, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, Epic Proportions, Wonder of the World, Spamalot, Prelude to a Kiss, and An Evening Without Monty Python.

Personal Life: Has been married to choreographer Charissa Barton since 2016.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Has voiced characters in most Walt Disney Animation Studios films since 2012. Has been nominated for an Emmy and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Won an Annie Award for his performance as King Candy in Wreck-It Ralph (2012). Once auditioned for the role of Michael Scott for the US version of The Office.

403. Joe Lo Truglio

Dates: 1970-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Ozone Park in Queens, New York City. Grew up in Margate, Florida where he graduated from Coconut Creek High School. Met his future cast members of The State while at New York University where he took part in its sketch comedy group. Wrote and acted in various skits for The State from 1991 to 1995. Later made a series of guest appearances during the late 1990s. Made his first film in 1997.

Movies and Cartoons: Wreck-It Ralph (2012) as well as the series Monsters at Work and the direct-to-video Big City Greens: The Movie.

Characters: Markowski

Also Known For: Actor and comedian best known as Charles Boyle in Brooklyn Nine Nine. Film appearances include Wet Hot American Summer, I Love You, Man, Superbad, Role Models, Wanderlust, The Station Agent, Last Man Running, Hitch, The Baxter, Beer League, Pineapple Express, Fanboys, Gulliver’s Travels (2010), Paul, High Road, Queens of Country, My Uncle Rafael, Pitch Perfect, About Last Night, Someone Marry Barry, Knight of Cups, The Breakup Girl, A Futile and Stupid Gesture, and Hot Frosty. TV appearances include The State, Reno 911!, You Wrote It, You Watch It, Law & Order, Cheap Seats, The Sarah Silverman Program, Childrens Hospital, Cupid, Party Down, Sons of Tucson, Mad Love, How I Met Your Mother, Robot Chicken, American Dad!, Bob’s Burgers, Burning Love, Community, Family Tree, Comedy Bang! Bang!, Drunk History, New Girl, Animals, Dice, Easy, The Comey Rule, History of the World Part II, After Midnight, and Night Court. Video game appearances include Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, The Warriors, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, and Anthem.

Personal Life: Married to actress Beth Dover since 2014. They have a son named Eli.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: None.

404. Dennis Haysbert

Dates: 1954-present

Early Life and Career: Born in San Mateo, California as the eight of 9 children to parents who were from Louisiana. Mother was a house cleaner. Father was a deputy sheriff and airline security guard. Graduated from San Mateo High School in 1972. Since he’s about 6’5,” he was offered athletic scholarships but chose to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Has been in film and television since 1978.

Movies and Cartoons: Wreck-It Ralph (2012) and Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022)

Characters: General Hologram and Zipper

Also Known For: Actor best known as Pedro Cerrano in the Major League trilogy, Secret Service Agent Tim Collin in Absolute Power, Sergeant Major Jonas Blane in The Unit, God in Lucifer, and President David Palmer in 24. Has been the opening voice for Meet the Press since 2015. Since 2013, he’s been the official spokesman for the Allstate Insurance Company. Has also done promotions for Brigham Young University and the Military Channel. Film appearances include Love Field, Navy SEALS, Heat, Waiting to Exhale, Far from Heaven, A Summer to Remember, Mr. Baseball, Alex Haley’s Queen, The Minus Man, Love & Basketball, Ticker, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, Jarhead, Kung Fu Panda 2, Welcome to the Jungle, The Black Moses, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Think Like a Man Too, Life of a King, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Sniper: Legacy, Dear White People, Experimenter, Dead Rising: Watchtower, Ted 2, The Dark Tower, Kodachrome, Breakthrough, Secret Obsession, Playing with Fire, No Exit, Flamin’ Hot, Summer Camp, Lost & Found in Cleveland, and In Fidelity. TV appearances include Incorporated, American Justice, Lou Grant, The White Shadow, Laverne & Shirley, Quincy M.E., The Incredible Hulk, Galactica 1980, Buck Rogers of the 25^th Century, The A-Team, Dallas, Magnum P.I., Growing Pains, The Young and the Restless, Knots Landing, The Facts of Life, Crime Story, Just the Ten of Us, Night Court, Return to Lonesome Dove, American Playhouse, The New Batman Adventures, Superman: The Animated Series, Now and Again, The Outer Limits, Static Shock, Justice League, Newsreaders, Trophy Wife, The Boondocks, How Murray Saved Christmas, Bluebloods, Backstrom, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Undercover, Puppy Dog Pals, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, and Paul T. Goldman. Video game appearances include Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow and Call of Duty: Finest Hour.

Personal Life: Married twice. First wife was Elena Simms from 1980 to their divorce in 1984. Second wife was Lynn Griffith from 1989 to their divorce in 2001. They have 2 children.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Officiated the coin toss in the 2007 Sugar Bowl game between LSU and Notre Dame. In 2008, he was featured in national TV ads to raise public awareness about lending discrimination, which were commissioned by the US Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

405. Horatio Sanz

Dates: 1969-present

Early Life and Career: Born Horacio Sanz in Santiago, Chile. Grew up in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Performed at various local theaters, including The Court Theater and The Second City. Was a member of the Chicago ETC theater. Was also one of the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB), a sketch comedy and improv troupe. Joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1998 as the show’s first Hispanic cast member.

Movies and Cartoons: Wreck-It Ralph (2012) and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) as well as various series.

Characters: Duncan

Also Known For: Comedian and actor best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998 to 2006. Film appearances include Miracle on 34^th Street (1994), Road Trip, Tomcats, The New Guy, Boat Trip, National Lampoon’s Barely Legal, Rebound, The Man, School for Scoundrels, Lucky You, Step Brothers, Me Time, Year One, Freak Dance, Hollywood & Wine, High Road, Bachelorette, The Dictator, G.B.F., Search Party, Don Quixote (2015), Is That a Gun in Your Pocket?, Actors Anonymous, Zeroville, and Clifford the Big Red Dog. TV appearances include Upright Citizens Brigade, Ed, Fillmore!, 30 Rock, Players, Big Lake, Nick Swardson’s Pretend Time, The Problem Solverz, Are We There Yet?, Girls, Drunk History, Comedy Bang! Bang!, BoJack Horseman, Parks and Recreation, Unbreakable Kimmy Schimdt, Modern Family, Bubble Guppies, Long Live the Royals, Scorpion, Love, Great News, GLOW, Black Monday, The Mandalorian, The George Lucas Talk Show, Duncanville, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Personal Life: Younger brother of actor Carlos Sanz.

Later Life: Left SNL in 2006 due to budget cuts but has returned to the show a couple of times as a guest. Can still be seen regularly performing with the sketch troupe at their long-running improv show “ASSSSCAT 3000”, at both of the UCB’s comedy theaters, located in New York City and Los Angeles. In 2008, he made his first public appearance in almost a year, after losing nearly 100 lbs. Became a US citizen in 2018 in Los Angeles. Was accused of sexual assault in 2021, claiming that he groped her and made sexual comments when she was under 18. Also said that both SNL and NBC enabled him to groom and harm her and said the 2002 assault happened in front of other staff members. In 2022, Sanz settled with the accuser and the lawsuit was dismissed.

Trivia: Received “high” honors at High Times magazine’s 2003 Stony Awards, collecting the “Stoner of the Year” Award.

406. Rich Moore

Dates: 1963-present

Early Life and Career: Born and raised in Oxnard, California. Studied film and video at the California Institute of the Arts, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1987. While there, he narrated Jim Reardon’s 1986 student film Bring Me the Head of Charlie Brown. In addition to Reardon, he was classmates with Brenda Chapman and Andrew Stanton. After working on Ralph Baski’s Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, he became one of the original 3 directors for The Simpsons. Started working for Disney in 2008.

Movies and Cartoons: Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Zootopia (2016), and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

Characters: Sour Bill, Zangief, Stormtrooper, Doug, and Larry

Also Known For: Film and television animation director, screenwriter, and voice actor best known for directing primetime animation series such as The Simpsons, The Critic, and Futurama. Directed Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Zootopia (2016), and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018). Has worked behind the scenes of Bolt (2008), The Princess and the Frog (2009), Tangled (2010), Frozen (2013), Big Hero 6 (2014), Finding Dory (2016), Moana (2016) and Frozen II (2019) as well as several shorts. Also directed Vivo and Spellbound (2024).

Personal Life: I can’t find anything about his personal life.

Later Life: Left Disney in 2019 to join Sony Pictures Animation. Entered into an exclusive multi-year deal with Skydance Animation in 2022 and is reported to direct an untitled project on Jack and the Beanstalk.

Trivia: Has won an Academy Award, 2 Emmys, and 3 Annies.

407. Rachael Harris

Dates: 1968-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Worthington, Ohio. Graduated from Worthington High School in 1986. First award in the arts came during a first grade talent show for her rendition of “Please Mr. Postman.” Mostly due to her brother stuffing the ballot box. Attended Otterbein College where she performed in various plays. A professor there recommended that Harris do comedy instead of drama. But since she wanted to be a stage actress, Harris didn’t initially agree. First acting job during college was in Cincinnati on a showboat called The Majestic, playing Maria from The Sound of Music. Graduated in 1989, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre. Moved to New York City to secure a commercial agent. To earn extra money, she worked as a hostess at restaurants on Broadway and the Upper East Side. All while she auditioned for theater roles, eventually landing a job performing children’s theater along the East Coast. Made her film debut in 1992.

Movies and Cartoons: Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Characters: Deanna

Also Known For: Actress and comedian best known as Susan Heffley from The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Linda White in Natural Selection, Cooper in Notes from the Underbelly, Joanne Dunlevy in Surviving Jack, Dr. Linda Martin in Lucifer, Nora in Goosebumps, and Sheila Sazs in Suits. Film appearances include For Your Consideration, The Hangover, Bad Words, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, Old Dads, Mother of the Bride, Best in Show, Stuart Little 2, A Mighty Wind, Daddy Day Care, The Haunted Mansion, Starsky & Hutch, Kicking & Screaming, License to Wed, Evan Almighty, The Soloist, Lovesick, Barely Lethal, Freaks of Nature, and Unfrosted. TV appearances include Star Trek: Voyager, Sister, Sister, Two Guys and a Girl, Grosse Pointe, The Daily Show, Judging Amy, Friends, Fraiser, Reno 911!, Curb Your Enthusiasm, According to Jim, The West Wing, Fat Actress, Monk, 8 Simple Roles, The New Adventures of Old Christine, The Sarah Silverman Program, Desperate Housewives, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Pushing Daisies, Hollywood Residential, Worst Week, The Life & Times of Tim, Cougar Town, In the Motherhood, My Boys, Childrens Hospital, Party Down, Modern Family, Archer, New Girl, Newsreaders, The Office, Maron, BoJack Horseman, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Hell’s Kitchen, Ghosts, and Fantasy Island.

Personal Life: Married twice. First husband was Adam Paul from 2003 to their divorce in 2008. Second husband was violinist Christian Hebel from 2015 to their divorce in 2019. They have 2 sons born in 2016 and 2018.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Has done commercials for Quaker Oats, Avis, GEICO, and T-Mobile. Has been nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and a Saturn Award.

408. Katie Lowes

Dates: 1982-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Port Washington, New York. Graduated in 2000 from Paul D. Schreiber Senior High School and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in acting sometime later. Had her first screen role in 2004.

Movies and Cartoons: Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Frozen (2013), Big Hero 6 (2014), Zootopia (2016), Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), and Strange World (2022) as well as Zootopia+.

Characters: Candlehead, Abigail, Dr. Madge Honey Badger, and Radio Host #2.

Also Known For: Actress and theater director best known as Quinn Perkins in Scandal and Rachel DeLoache Williams in Inventing Anna. Film appearances include Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Super 8, Side Effects, and Vivo. TV appearances include Rescue Me, As the World Turns, Guiding Light, The Sopranos, Without a Trace, NCIS, Ghost Whisperer, Castle, Leverage, Private Practice, Grey’s  Anatomy, The Closer, Royal Pains, Voltron: Legendary Defender, How We Roll, and This Is Us.

Personal Life: Married to actor Adam Shapiro since 2012. Has 2 children including a boy named Albee born in 2017 and a girl named Vera in 2020.

Later Life: Lives in Los Angeles.

Trivia: None.

409. Phil Johnston

Dates: 1971-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Raised in Neenah, Wisconsin. Father was an Episcopalian minister. Through a connection at his dad’s church, Johnston received an annual pass that allowed him free entry into the Marcus Theatres, a Wisconsin-based theater chain when he was young. Graduated from Neenah High School. Later graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a journalism degree in 1994. Afterwards, he worked in regional television for 9 years, starting as a weatherman in Rochester, Minnesota despite not knowing anything about meteorology. Then worked as a bureau reporter for the Omaha, Nebraska NBC affiliate KETV before transferring to the KARE station in Minnesota. But not without meeting his future wife who was the morning anchor there at the time. Graduated with an MFA from Columbia University School of the Arts Film Program in 2004.

Movies and Cartoons: Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Zootopia (2016), and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

Characters: Surge Protector, Gideon Grey, and Annoyed Citizen

Also Known For: Filmmaker and voice actor best known as one of the writers of Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Zootopia (2016), and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018). Received special thanks for Moana (2016) and Frozen II (2019). Also worked on films such as The Night Listener, Savage Grace, Cedar Rapids, A Merry Friggin’ Christmas, The Brothers Grimsby, The Twits, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, and The Sea Beast.

Personal Life: Married to magazine columnist Jill Cordes. They have 2 children.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Was a classmate of Jennifer Lee. Once wrote a script about a preacher’s career and his son’s pornography business, which was based on his side hustle back in middle school selling pornographic magazines he got from upperclassmen to his classmates. Even managed to buy a pair of Air Jordans before his parents found out and shut down his operation. Was neighbors with film critic Christie Lemire while living in Brooklyn. Has won 2 Annie Awards.

410. Brian Kesinger

Dates: 1975-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Los Angeles, California. Was from a family of musicians but the only one not able to play an instrument. Fondness for drawing was so apparent that his parents supported his artistic training during his school days. Started drawing steampunk art long before the term was coined. Was also raised on a steady diet of Disney creations by parents who felt it was important for him to be exposed to art. Was accepted at the Walt Disney Animation during his senior year in high school in 1996. At 18, he’d be the youngest animator in the company’s history. Started as a layout artist for Tarzan (1999) but later filled positions such as visual development and story artist.

Movies and Cartoons: Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Characters: Cyborg

Also Known For: Illustrator, author, and animation artist who’s worked at Walt Disney Studios for over 20 years. Has worked behind the scenes of Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), Treasure Planet (2002), Winnie the Pooh (2011), Tarzan (1999), Chicken Little (2005), Home on the Range (2004), Meet the Robinsons (2007), and Wreck-It Ralph (2012) as well as the Prep and Landing series. Outside Disney, he’s best known for creating the characters Victoria Prismall and her live-in octopus who serves as her friend, butler, and pet, Otto. Starting with Walking Your Octopus: A Guide to the Domesticated Cephalopod. Let’s just say, his artwork’s steeped in steampunk Victorian art.

Personal Life: Has a wife and two children as well as a dog name Scout at one point.

Later Life: Hopes to eventually produce a full-length feature film about Victoria and Otto’s adventures. Mainly to satisfy his wish to see a well-rendered animated steampunk movie. Of course, their popularity has come as a surprise to him along with the fan art, tattoos, and women cosplaying as Victoria at conventions. He also created a mashup of Kylo Ren, Darth Vader, and Calvin and Hobbes which also stars Princess Leia and Han Solor.

Trivia: Has won an Emmy for Blue Eye Samurai in 2024. Received an Annie Award for his work on the Prep and Landing series. Voiced Kano in the Mortal Kombat franchise.

              The origins of Tangled go way back. Since Walt Disney himself had attempted to adapt the story of Rapunzel into a feature-length animated film during the 1930s and 1940s. But his efforts never fully materialized because the original story was “too small.” The concept behind Tangled originated from supervising animator Glen Keane in 1996. Although Michael Eisner approved his pitch in 2001, he requested that the film be computer-animated. However, Keane was hesitant to do so because early 2000s CGI wasn’t quite as fluid or organic as traditional animation was at the time. Originally the story was supposed to center on 2 San Francisco teenagers who were transported to a fairy tale world where they’d inhabit the bodies of Rapunzel and her male love interest. But the team later decided to do something closer to the original story. Although made with CGI, Tangled was modeled on the traditional look of oil paintings on canvas. Rococo paintings of Jean Honore Fragonard were used as references for the film’s artistic style. To create a painting impression, non-photorealistic rendering was used. At a budget of $260 million, it would be the most expensive animated film ever made. And the title was changed to Tangled to appeal to a gender-neutral audience. Upon its 2010 release, it received rave reviews, $592 million at the box  office, and an Academy Award for Best Original Song. In this post, we’ll meet filmmaker Byron Howard as well as the voices behind Trixie, Mother Gothel, Big Nosed Thug, Vlad, Captain of the Guard, Short Thug, and 3 characters from Cars 2.

381. Kristen Schaal

Dates: 1978-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Longmont, Colorado and grew up on her parents’ cattle ranch in a rural area outside Boulder. Father was a construction worker. Mother was a secretary. Graduated from Skyline High School in 1996. Attended the University of Colorado in Boulder but graduated from Northwestern University. Moved to New York in 2000 to pursue a comedy career. Had her first break in 2005 when she was included in a New York magazine article “The Ten Funniest New Yorkers You’ve Never Heard Of.” Made film debut in 2001.

Movies and Cartoons: Toy Story 3 (2010) and Toy Story 4 (2019) as well as various shorts and series, and the Toy Store 3 video game.

Characters: Trixie

Also Known For: Actress, comedian, and writer known for her distinctive high-pitched, childlike voice. Best known as Louise Belcher in Bob’s Burgers, Mabel Pines in Gravity Falls, Mel in Flight of the Conchords, The Guide in What We Do in the Shadows, Hurshe Heartshe in The Heart, She Holler, Carol Pillbasian in The Last Man on Earth, Sarah Lynn in BoJack Horseman, Amanda Simmons in The Hotwives of Orlando, Hazel Wassername in 30 Rock, Shannon in Despicable Me 2, Anne in Wilfred, and Sayrna in Anthem. Was an occasional commentator on The Daily Show from 2008 to 2016. Film appearances include Kate & Leopold, Poster Boy, Adam & Steve, Delirious, Norbit, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, When in Rome, Valentine’s Day, Shrek Forever After, Dinner for Schmucks, Going the Distance, Butter, The Muppets, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, Welcome to the Jungle, A Walk in the Woods, The Boss, All Nighter, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, Austin Found, Boundaries, My Spy, Bill & Ted Face the Music, Seal Team, and Thelma the Unicorn. TV appearances include The Education of Max Bickford, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Six Degrees, Ugly Betty, Freak Show, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Mad Men, How I Met Your Mother, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Comedy Showcase, Modern Family, Fact Checkers Unit, Scared Shrekless, WordGirl, The Penguins of Madagascar, Soul Quest Overdrive, American Dad!, The Simpsons, Adventure Time, Comedy Bang! Bang!, Archer, Glee, The Hotwives of Las Vegas, Transformers: Rescue Bots, Wander Over Yonder, Corporate, Future Man, Squinters, Bubble Guppies, Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, Dicktown, Big Mouth, Our Flag Means Death, and The Muppets Mayhem.

Personal Life: Married to comedy writer Rich Blomquist since 2012 and they both wrote a book called The Sexy Book of Sexy Sex that was published by Chronicle Books in 2010. Has a daughter named Ruby born in 2018. However, during a charity stream in 2017 with Ethan Klein, Schaal revealed that she suffered an ectopic pregnancy and a ruptured fallopian tube during a recording session for Gravity Falls. She lost at least 2 liters of blood and underwent emergency surgery after being rushed to the hospital.

Later Life: Currently lives in Los Feliz in Los Angeles.

Trivia: Has won an Annie Award for Gravity Falls and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for BoJack Horseman.

382. Donna Murphy

Dates: 1959-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Corona, Queens in New York City, the oldest of 7 children. Father was an aerospace engineer. Family later moved to Hauppauge, Long Island. At 3, Murphy asked for voice lessons and put on a shows as a child there. Later moved to Topsfield, Massachusetts where she graduated from Masconomet Regional High School in 1977. Studied in the New York University drama program but dropped out in her sophomore year when she was cast as an understudy for the Broadway musical They’re Playing Our Song in 1979, which later culminated in her break into show business. Also studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Made her film debut in 1995.

Movies and Cartoons: Tangled (2010) as well as Tangled: The Series and a few video games.

Characters: Mother Gothel

Also Known For: Actress best known for her work in musical theater. Best known roles include Fosca in Passion, Anna Leonowens in The King and I, Ruth Sherwood in Wonderful Town, Lotte Lenya in LoveMusik, Bubbie/Raisel in The People in the Picture, Dolly Gallagher Levi in Hello, Dolly!, Anji in Star Trek: Insurrection, Rosalie Octavius in Spider-Man 2, Dita Mandy in The Bourne Legacy, and Caroline Schermerthorn Astor in The Gilded Age. Stage appearances include They’re Playing Our Song, The Human Comedy, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Hello Again, Twelve Dreams, Wonderful Town, Follies, Anyone Can Whistle, Into the Woods, Dear World, and Gutenberg! The Musical!. Film appearances include Jade, October 22, The Astronaut’s Wife, Center Stage, The Door on the Floor, Ira & Abby, World Trade Center, The Fountain, The Nanny Diaries, Sherman’s Way, Higher Ground, Dark Horse, and Anastasia: Once Upon a Time. TV appearances include All My Children, Another World, Law & Order, Liberty! The American Revolution, The Practice, Ally McBeal, The Day Lincoln Was Shot, The Last Debate, What About Joan?, Hack, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Book of Daniel, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Damages, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Trust Me, Ugly Betty, Made in Jersey, The Mentalist, House of Versace, The Good Wife, Royal Pains, Resurrection, Mercy Street, Doubt, The Blacklist, Power, Gossip Girl, Inventing Anna, and Brilliant Minds.

Personal Life: Married to actor and singer Shawn Elliot from 1990 to his death in 2016. Stepmother to Elliot’s 2 daughters. They also adopted a daughter from Guatemala in 2005.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Has won 2 Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical and has been nominated for 5. Has also won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Special for Lifestories: Families in Crisis.

383. Jeffrey Tambor

Dates: 1944-present

Early Life and Career: Born in San Francisco, California. Father was a flooring contractor. Graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School and San Francisco State University, where he studied acting and went on to receive a master’s degree from Wayne State University. Began his career in a Milwaukee repertory theater and made his Broadway debut in 1976. Made his first film in 1979.

Movies and Cartoons: Tangled (2010) as well as several series and the TV movie Tangled: Before Ever After.

Characters: Big Nosed Thug

Also Known For: Actor best known as Jeffrey Brooks in The Ropers, Hank Kingsley in The Larry Sanders Show, George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth in Arrested Development, Maura Pfefferman in Transparent, Jay Porter in …And Justice for All, Jinx Latham in Mr. Mom, Sully in There’s Something About Mary, Mayor Augustus May Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Tom Manning in the Hellboy franchise, Sid Garner in The Hangover trilogy, Francis Silverburg in The Accountant, and Georgy Malenkov in The Death of Stalin. Film appearances include The Summertime Killer, The Man Who Wasn’t There (1983), No Small Affair, Lisa, Pastime, Life Stinks, City Slickers, Article 99, Crossing the Bridge, A House in the Hills, Radioland Murders, Doctor Dolittle, Big Bully, Meet Joe Black, Muppets from Space, Teaching Mrs. Tingle, Girl, Interrupted, Pollock, Never Again, Scorched, Malibu’s Most Wanted, My Boss’s Daughter, Under the Tuscan Sun, EuroTrip, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, Slipstream, Superhero Movie, Monsters vs. Aliens, The Invention of Lying, Win Win, Flypaper, Paul, Lucky, Meeting Spencer, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, For the Love of Money, The Clockwork Girl, A Merry Friggin’ Christmas, The D Train, Trolls, 55 Steps, and Magic Camp. TV appearances include Kojak, Starsky & Hutch, Taxi, The Love Boat, Barney Miller, Three’s Company, Hill Street Blues, M*A*S*H, CBS Children’s Mystery Theatre, Cocaine: One Man’s Seduction, Sadat, Robert Kennedy and His Times, The Twilight Zone, Mr. Sunshine, The New Adventures of Johnny Quest, Max Headroom, Murder, She Wrote, The Golden Girls, Doogie Houser M.D., Who’s the Boss?, Tales from the Crypt, American Dreamer, Empty Nest, Batman: The Animated Series, 1775, Dinosaurs, Pinky and the Brain, The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat, Duckman, Johnny Bravo, The Lionhearts, Tracey Takes On…, The Practice, The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz, Law & Order, WordGirl, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Entourage, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Medium, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Archer, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Love Bites, The Trivial Pursuit of Arthur Banks, Bent, The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange, Next Caller, Bob’s Burgers, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Psych, Phil Spector, Bubble Guppies, The Good Wife, Raising Hope, The Millers, Star vs. The Forces of Evil, Yo Gabba Gabba!, and The Orville. Stage appearances include Sly Fox, Glengarry Glen Ross, and La Cage Aux Folles.

Personal Life: Has been married twice. First wife was Katie Mitchell from 1991 to their divorce in 2000. They have a daughter named Molly. Second and current wife is Kasia Ostlun since 2001. They have a son named Gabriel, a daughter named Eve Julia, and twin sons named Hugo Bernard and Eli Nicholas. Was reported to be a Scientologist in 2007 but disclosed that he left Scientology abruptly “when he was pressured to leave his second wife.”

Later Life: From 2017 to 2018, 3 women accused Tambor of sexual harassment including his assistant, his Transparent co-star, and a makeup artist from an earlier film. Retired in 2020.

Trivia: Has won 2 Primetime Emmys and a Golden Globe.

384. Richard Kiel

Dates: 1939-2014

Early Life and Career: Born in Detroit, Michigan. Grew to a height of 7’1 1/2” due to gigantism, a condition caused by an excess of the human growth hormone. At 9, his family moved to Los Angeles County, California, where Kiel graduated from Baldwin Park High School. Before becoming an actor, he held several jobs including door-to-door vacuum salesman, nightclub bouncer, cemetery plot salesman, and night school math teacher at the William P. Ogden Radio Operational School in Burbank, California. Made first film in 1957 and first appeared on TV in 1958.

Movies and Cartoons: Tangled (2010) and the Disneyland series.

Characters: Vlad

Also Known For: Actor often referred to as “the Gentle Giant” and best known as Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker, Mr. Larson in Happy Gilmore, and the giant alien in the highly-regarded 1962 The Twilight Zone episode, “To Serve Man.” Due to his enormous frame, Kiel was often cast as villains and henchmen in many of his screen appearances despite his nickname. Mainly earning his nickname for his off-screen nature as a kind and friendly man who was friends with many people he worked with. Film appearances include The Longest Yard, Force 10 from Navarone, Silver Streak, Cannonball Run II, Pale Rider, The D.I., The Phantom Planet, Roustabout, Two on a Guillotine, The Nasty Rabbit, The Human Duplicators, Brainstorm, The Las Vegas Hillbillies, A Man Called Dagger, Skidoo, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Deadhead Miles, Gus, The Humanoid, Think Big, The Giant of Thunder Mountain, and Inspector Gadget. TV appearances include The Rifleman, Klondike, Laramie, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., I Dream of Jeannie, The Wild Wild West, Gilligan’s Island, The Monkees, I Spy, Daniel Boone, Kolchak: the Night Stalker, Emergency!, Starsky & Hutch, Land of the Lost, The Incredible Hulk, The Fall Guy, Out of This World, Superboy, and Bloodhounds Inc.

Personal Life: Married twice. First wife was Faye Daniels from 1960 to their divorce in 1973.  Second wife was Diane Rogers from 1974 until his death. They had 4 children. Although Rogers was only 5’1”, she described their mutual attraction as “We see eye to eye on so many things.” Also was a born-again Christian, stating that his religious conversion helped him overcome alcoholism.

Later Life: In 1992, Kiel suffered a head injury in a car accident, which affected his balance. As a result, he had to rely on a cane for support. Later had to use a scooter or wheelchair for mobility. Published his autobiography titled Making It Big in the Movies in 2002. Died in 2014 at St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno, California from heart disease at 74.

Trivia: Co-authored a book about the abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay titled Kentucky Lion. Was once offered the role of Chewbacca but turned it down to play Jaws in the James Bond franchise (of course, we all make mistakes). Was said to be terrified of heights despite his giant frame. Lived in a custom-built house with the floor a few feet below ground level.

385. M. C. Gainey

Dates: 1948-present

Early Life and Career: Born Michael Connor Gainey in Jackson, Mississippi. Served in the US Army and was the company mailman at his post in Chakmakli, Turkey in 1969. Also worked as a mortician’s apprentice before he decided to study acting. Attended the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, California during the early 1970s. Made his film debut in 1975.

Movies and Cartoons: Tangled (2010) as well as the series Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure and the live-action The Country Bears.

Characters: Captain of the Guard

Also Known For: Prominent character actor who specializes in villain and henchmen roles. Film appearances include Con Air, Sideways, Django Unchained, Pennies from Heaven, Frances, Soul Man, Fatal Beauty, Spellbinder, Caddie Woodlawn, An Innocent Man, The Mighty Ducks, Leap of Faith, Two Idiots in Hollywood, Citizen Ruth, One Tough Bastard, The Secret Agent Club, Breakdown, Ringmaster, The Haunting (1999), Diary of a Sex Addict, Highway, The New Guy, The Cooler, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Wonderland, Club Dread, Are We Ther Yet?, The Dukes of Hazzard, Two Tickets to Paradise, Beerfest, Wild Hogs, Mr. Woodcock, All About Steve, Love Ranch, Stolen, The Babymakers, The Pardon, Shifting Gears, Emperor, and The Cleaner. TV appearances include Lost, Dynasty, Father Murphy, Happy Days, Knight Rider, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Blue and the Grey, The A-Team, Hart to Hart, Cheers, CBS Summer Playhouse, Hardball, Designing Women, Against the Law, Matlock, L.A. Law, Night Court, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Danger Theatre, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Touched by an Angel, Nash Bridges, Walker, Texas Ranger, Days of Our Lives, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Pitts, Criminal Minds, Bones, The Young and the Restless, Cold Case, Burn Notice, Life, ER, Justified, Enlightened, Glee, The Walking Dead, The Mentalist, Revolution, Girl Meets World, Kingdom, The Magicians, Lopez, Maron, American Gothic, Riverdale, The Conners, 9-1-1, Bosch, and Tacoma FD.

Personal Life: Has been married to Kim Novicki since 2002.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: None.

386. Paul F. Tompkins

Dates: 1968-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Mount Airy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the fourth of 6 children. First performed comedy in 1986 at 17 at The Comedy Works, where he performed as half of a comedy duo with Rick Roman. Attended Temple University but dropped out. Moved to Los Angeles in 1994. Met actor Jay Johnston through their mutual friend, actor and director Adam McKay whom Tompkins met in Philadelphia. Anyway, Tompkins and Johnston went on to create a live sketch show called “The Skates” that was seen by Bob Odenkirk and David Cross who helped them get hired to work on Mr. Show with Bob and David.

Movies and Cartoons: Tangled (2010) as well as the series Duck Tales and Tangled: The Series.

Characters: Short Thug

Also Known For: Comedian, actor, and writer who’s best known for his work on television and podcasts. Best known as Mr. Peanutbutter in BoJack Horseman. Film appearances include There Will Be Blood, The Informant!, Jack Frost, Magnolia, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny, Super High Me, Drones, Hell and Back, Between Two Ferns: The Movie, The Bob’s Burgers Movie, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, and The Thundermans Return. TV appearances include Mr. Show with Bob and David, Real Time with Bill Maher, Best Week Ever, Rutherford Falls, Tenacious D, The Daily Show, Super Adventure Team, NewsRadio, DAG, Comedy Central Presents, Fraiser, King of the Hill, Kelsey Grammer Presents: The Sketch Show, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, The Sarah Silverman Program, Weeds, Larry King Live, Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil, Pushing Daisies, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Community, Nick Swardson’s Pretend Time, Regular Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Raising Hope, Last Man Standing, Talking Dead, Bob’s Burgers, Key & Peele, The L.A. Complex, Comedy Bang! Bang!, Adventure Time, @midnight, WordGirl, The Thundermans, Kroll Show, Rick and Morty, Drunk History, Moonbeam City, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Venture Bros., Bajillion Dollar Propertie$, Adam Ruins Everything, Black-ish, Life in Pieces, Another Period, Big City Greens, You’re the Worst, Star Wars Resistance, American Dad!, Tuca & Bertie, Criminal Minds, Brockmire, The Twilight Zone, Corporate, Dicktown, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Central Park, Centaurworld, Jellystone!, HouseBroken, Miracle Workers, The Great North, The Simpsons, Lego Star Wars: Summer Vacation, Pantheon, The Ghost and Molly McGee, Invincible, Clone High, Smartypants, Make Some Noise, Monster High, After Midnight, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and Very Important People. Podcast appearances include Comedy Bang! Bang!, No, You Shut Up!, The Dead Authors Podcast, Spontaneanation with Paul F. Tompkins, Superego, Thrilling Adventure Hour, The Sound of Young America, Never Not Funny, Comedy and Everything Else, WTF with Marc Maron, A Bit of Chat, Stop Podcasting Yourself, Doug Loves Movies, The Nerdist Podcast, The Moth, The Apple Sisters, Earwolf Challenge, The Mental Illness Happy Hour, The Wolf Den, How Did This Get Made?, Who Charted?, Totally Laime, Team Coco, The Long Shot Podcast, Yo, Is This Racist?, International Waters, Pop My Culture, The Todd Glass Show, Analyze Phish, Hollywood Handbook, Judge John Hodgman, With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus, The Worst Idea of All Time, The Indoor Kids, Gillmore Guys, Throwing Shade, Off Book: The Improvised Musical, Hello from the Magic Team, Doughboys, Punch Up the Jam, Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster, and Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.

Personal Life: Has been married to Janie Hadad since 2010.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: None.

387. Byron Howard

Dates: 1968-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Misawa, Japan. Raised by a middle-class family on the outskirts of Philadelphia and Issaquah, Washington. Had dreamed of working at Disney and had actually written to Master Animator Frank Thomas, one of Disney’s Nine Old Men, while growing up. Attended Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. Began his career at Disney as a tour guide at Disney MGM Studios. Soon began the Disney Studio Internship and was hired in 1994 as an animator. Soon rose to director by the late 2000s.

Movies and Cartoons: Tangled (2010) and Zootopia (2016) as well as the short Tangled Ever After and Zootopia+.

Characters: Guard 2, Thug 2, Bucky Oryx-Antlerson, and Travis

Also Known For: Animator, character designer, story artist, film director and screenwriter. Best known as a director of Bolt (2008), Tangled (2010), Zootopia (2016), and Encanto (2021). Has worked behind the scenes of Pocahontas (1995), Mulan (1998), Lilo & Stich (2002), Brother Bear (2003), Chicken Little (2005), The Princess and the Frog (2009), Winnie the Pooh (2011), Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Frozen (2013), Big Hero 6 (2014), Moana (2016), Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), Frozen II (2019), Raya and the Last Dragon (2020), Strange World (2022), Wish (2023), and Moana 2 (2024) as well as a couple of series and a few shorts.

Personal Life: In the Fusion documentary Imagining Zootopia, he’s admitted that he’s openly gay and married since 1988. Given that gay marriage hasn’t been legal in much of the world for very long, this makes me asks a lot of questions here on what he actually means. My best guess is that he’s been in a relationship with another man since that time and that’s the best I can do.

Later Life: Has Zootopia 2 coming out later in 2025.

Trivia: Has won 2 Golden Globes and 2 Academy Awards. First openly LGBT director to win an Oscar for Best Animated Feature twice for his work on Zootopia (2016) and Encanto (2021).

388. Emily Mortimer

Dates: 1971-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Hammersmith, London in England. Father was an attorney and dramatist Sir John Mortimer. Attended St. Paul’s School for Girls in West London where she appeared in several student productions. Went on to the University of Oxford where she read Russian at Lincoln College and performed in several plays. Before becoming an actress, Mortimer wrote a column for The Daily Telegraph and was screenwriter for an adaptation of Lorna Sage’s memoir Bad Blood. While acting in a student production, a producer spotted her and later cast her as the lead in a TV adaptation of The Glass Virgin in 1995. Made her first film in 1996 with The Ghost and the Darkness.

Movies and Cartoons: Cars 2 (2011) as well as the live-action Mary Poppins Returns and several video games.

Characters: Holley Shiftwell

Also Known For: British-American actress and filmmaker best known as Mackenzie McHale in The Newsroom and Sophie in Howl’s Moving Castle. Film appearances include Scream 3, Match Point, Lars and the Real Girl, Chaos Theory, Harry Brown, Shutter Island, Hugo, Relic, The Ghost and the Darkness, Elizabeth, Notting Hill, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Lovely & Amazing, A Foreign Affair, The Sleeping Dictionary, The Kid, Bright Young Things, Young Adam, Dear Frankie, City Island, Spectral, The Sense of an Ending, The Party, The Bookshop, Write When You Get to Work, Head Full of Honey, Good Posture, Phil, Mary, Paddington in Peru, and Jay Kelly. TV appearances include Doll & Em, The Pursuit of Love, The Glass Virgin, Screen Two, Silent Witness, No Bananas, Midsomer Murders, Coming Home, Cider with Rosie, Noah’s Ark, 30 Rock, and The New Look.

Personal Life: Half-sister of producer and director Jeremy Mortimer. Married to actor Alessandro Nivola since 2003. They have 2 children including their actor son Sam born in 2003 and their daughter May born in 2010.

Later Life: Became an American citizen in 2010. Lives in Boerum Hill in Brooklyn, New York City.

Trivia: Has won an Independent Spirit Award for Lovely & Amazing in 2003. Nominated for a BAFTA for Pursuit of Love.

389. Thomas Kretschmann

Dates: 1962-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Dessau, Bezirk Halle in what was then East Germany. At 19, he began a month-long trek from East to West Germany to escape Communism, losing part of his finger to frostbite. Crossed 4 borders with nothing other than his passport and the equivalent of $100 in his possession. Was trained as an Olympic swimmer. Has been acting since he was 25 starring in numerous European films and TV shows. In 1991, he was awarded the Max Ophuls Prize for best young actor for his role in Der Mitwisser. Went on to star in his first film Stalingrad in 1993. Achieved international recognition as sadomasochistic rapist and murderer Alberto Grossi in The Stendhal Syndrome. Although popular in his homeland, Kretschmann didn’t achieve notice in Hollywood until he starred in The Pianist in 2002.

Movies and Cartoons: Cars 2 (2011)

Characters: Professor Zundapp

Also Known For: German actor who’s appeared in many European and American films. Best known as Lieutenant Hans von Witzland in Stalingrad, Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in The Pianist, Captain Englehorn in King Kong (2005), Hermann Fegelein in Downfall, Major Otto Remer in Valkyrie, Jürgen Hinzpeter in A Taxi Driver, and Baron Wolfgang von Strucker in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Film appearances include Shining Through, The Warrior’s Hart, La Reine Margot, The Stendhal Syndrome, Marching in Darkness, U-571, Hostile Takeover, The Knights of the Quest, Blade II, In Enemy Hands, Immortal, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Schneeland, Grimm Love, The Celestine Prophecy, Next, In Transit, Eichmann, Why Men Don’t Listen and Women Can’t Read Maps, The Young Victoria, Jungle Child, What a Man, Dracula 3D, Open Grave, The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden, Plastic, United Passions, Hitman: Agent 47, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Central Intelligence, Stratton, The Saint, Jungle, Dragged Across Concrete, Balloon, Waiting for Anya, Greyhound, American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally, Infinity Pool, Last Sentinel, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Gran Turismo, Deliver Us, American Star, Upgraded, and Putin. TV appearances include Derrick, Esther, 24, The Karate Dog, Frankenstein, Bionic Woman, Mogadischu, FlashForward, The Cape, The River, Dracula, Berlin Station, Lore, Project Blue Book, Westworld, Das Boot, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, and Biohackers.

Personal Life: Is currently in a relationship with Brittany Rice since 2011. Has 3 children.

Later Life: Currently resides in Los Angeles.

Trivia: Often re-records his own parts in German. Has also worked as a fashion model, including a stint as a face for a scent by Hugo Boss.

390. Joe Mantegna

Dates: 1947-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Chicago, Illinois. Parents were Italian immigrants. Mother was a shipping clerk. Father was an insurance salesman who died of tuberculosis in 1971. Attended J. Sterling Morton High School in Cicero, Illinois. Went to Morton College and the Goodman School of Drama at the then Art Institute of Chicago (now DePaul University), leaving just before graduation in 1969. Played bass in a band called the Apocryphals, which later played with another local group, The Missing Links, who went on to form the band Chicago. Started off in the film industry as a headshot photographer. Made his acting debut in the Chicago production of Hair. Co-wrote the award-winning play Bleacher Bums, which was performed at Chicago’s Organic Theater Company and was part of the original cast. Made first film in 1977.

Movies and Cartoons: Cars 2 (2011) as well as the series Kim Possible.

Characters: Grem

Also Known For: Actor best known as FBI Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi in Criminal Minds, Fat Tony in The Simpsons and The Simpsons Movie, Richard Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross, and Spenser in a series of TV movies between 1999 and 2001. Film appearances include Lakeboat, House of Games, Things Change, Homicide, Redbelt, Three Amigos, The Godfather Part III, Forget Paris, Up Close and Personal, The Money Pit, Off Beat, The Medusa Challenger, Towing, Critical Condition, House of Games, Weeds, Suspect, Bugsy, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Baby’s Day Out, For Better or Worse, Eye for an Eye, Underworld, Albino Alligator, Thinner, Jerry and Tom, Boy Meets Girl, The Runner, Liberty Heights, The Trumpet of the Swan, Off Key, Uncle Nino, Stateside, Nine Lives, Edmond, The Kid & I, Elvis and Annabelle, Cougar Club, Stories USA, Witness Protection, Childless, The Last Hit Man, Lonely Street, Archie’s Final Project, Valentine’s Day, Compulsion,10 Cent Pistol, Kiss Me, Deadly (2015), and The Bronx Bull. TV appearances include First Monday, Joan of Arcadia, The Last Don, The Rat Pack, The Starter Wife, Elvis, Bleacher Bums, Soap, Bosom Buddies, The Greatest American Hero, Archie Bunker’s Place, The Twilight Zone, Saturday Night Live, The Comrades in Summer, The Water Engine, Fraiser, State of Emergency, Duckman, Rugrats, The Sopranos, Hell’s Kitchen: All Stars, As We See It, and Barry. Stage appearances include Hair, Working, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Speed-the-Plow.

Personal Life: Has been married to Arlene Vrhel since 1975. Vrhel owned a Chicago-themed restaurant in Burbank, California called Taste Chicago which closed in 2019 for personal reasons. They have 2 daughters including an autistic makeup artist named Mia (who’s appeared with her dad on KCAL-TV in support of Autism Awareness Month) and actress Gia. Was stricken with Bell’s Palsy in 1988. Although it’s considered temporary Mantegna still has persistent facial characteristics of the disease.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Had a small role in the film Xanadu. Although his part was cut, his name was still listed in the credit and still receives residuals from the film. Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011. Also the same year, there’s an honorary street sign on the northeast corner of 25^th Street and Austin Boulevard that’s now Joe Mantegna Boulevard and it’s in high school’s location. Received a star on the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto in 2014. In 2017, Chicago dedicated Joe Mantegna Way, a section of Armitage Avenue where he lived during his early acting days. Received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Film and Television from the Riverside International Film Festival in 2015. That same year, he also received the Saint Pio Award from the Saint Pio Foundation in recognition of his contribution in being an extraordinary individual in “providing relief from suffering to those in need.” Helped Verne Troyer get into the industry and presented him with the Media Access Award before his death. Has co-narrated the National Memorial Day Concert on the Mall in Washington D.C., with Gary Sinise since 2006. Has won a Tony Award and a Joseph Jefferson Award for the play Glengarry Glen Ross. Has been nominated for 3 Emmys.

After the release of Lilo & Stitch in 2002, filmmakers Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois signed a multi-picture deal with Walt Disney Pictures and were reported on working on a computer-animated film. A year later, they had a project titled American Dog that centered on a famous canine star named Henry, who one day finds himself stranded in the Nevada desert with a cranky one-eyed cat and an oversized, radioactive rabbit who are themselves searching for new homes. All while the dog still believes he’s still on TV. Following the acquisition of Pixar, John Lasseter and other directors attended 2 screenings of the film and gave Sanders suggestive notes on how to improve the story. While Ed Catmull stated, somewhere along the way, the plot had also come to include a radioactive, cookie-selling Girl Scout zombie serial killer. I’m all for quirky ideas, but this one had metastasized.” In December 2006, Sanders was removed from the project and would join Dreamworks the following year. At the same time, Disney had laid off 160 employees within its animation division. In February 2007, Lasseter tapped in Byron Howard and Chris William’s as the film’s directors. Henry was renamed Bolt and turned into a White Sheperd with a lightning-bolt patch running down the left side of his body. The radioactive rabbit and the oversized rabbit were replaced with a cranky black cat and an overenthusiastic renegade hamster who happens to be Bolt’s biggest fan. While Lasseter ordered that the story be set in anywhere but the American Southwest and that the film must be completed in 18 months. Bolt’s look was inspired by Edward Hopper paintings and Vilmos Zsigmond cinematography. While non-photorealistic rendering (NPR) was used to give it a distinct visual appearance. To give the backgrounds a hand-painted look, company artists used new patented technology specifically designed for this film. Upon its 2008 release, Bolt raked $310 million and rave reviews. It also was nominated for a bunch of awards but lost to WALL-E. Still, even though Bolt doesn’t hold a candle to WALL-E or many other Disney movies, it’s a solid film that helped instigate the rebirth of Walt Disney Animation Studios and kicked off a new era of other critically acclaimed films. And had it been released any other year, it would probably be much better known and a much bigger sensation. In this post, we’ll meet filmmaker Chris Williams, voice actor John DiMaggio, as well as the voices behind The Agent, The Director, Mindy Parker, Penny’s Mother, Tom, Assistant Director, and Carl Fredricksen from Up, which will be in my next post.

361. Greg Germann

Dates: 1958-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Houston, Texas. Started his career by appearing in several Broadway plays while in New York, including a role in 1982 alongside Matthew Broderick in Fancy This, in which Germann also co-wrote. Continued to have roles in plays before seeing a poster for wanted actors for a film in 1985. Later moved to Hollywood to find film success and got his first role in the teen comedy The Whoopee Boys in 1986.

Movies and Cartoons: Bolt (2008) as well as the series Phineas and Ferb.

Characters: The Agent

Also Known For: Actor best known as Richard Fish in Ally McBeal, Eric “Rico” Morrow in Ned and Stacey, Tom Koracick in Grey’s Anatomy, and Hades in Once Upon a Time. Film appearances include The Whoopee Boys, Miss Firecracker, Child’s Play 2, Once Around, The Night We Never Met, So I Married an Axe Murderer, Clear and Present Danger, Imaginary Crimes, I.Q., Jesus’ Son, The Last Producer, Sweet November, Down to Earth, Joe Somebody, Bigger Than the Sky, Down and Derby, Self Medicated, Kill Your Darlings, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Quarantine, Here Comes the Boom, Atlas Shrugged: Who Is John Galt?, Get Hard, Quitters, Someone Marry Barry, Fly Away, Answers to Nothing, The Con Artist, Heart of the Beholder, Friends with Money, Get a Job, Billy Boy, and 57 Seconds. TV appearances include ABC Afterschool Specials, Miami Vice, L.A. Law, Ellen, Sweet Justice, Jeopardy!, The Twilight Zone, The Bernie Mac Show, Listen Up, Desperate Housewives, Eureka, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: NY, Ghost Whisperer, Medium, Raising Hope, Hawaii Five-O, Drop Dead Diva, NCIS, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Blue Bloods, Aim High, House of Lies, About a Boy, How to Get Away with Murder, Limitless, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Friends from College, Station 19, Curb Your Enthusiasm, One Dollar, Firefly Lane, Will Trent, and Hell’s Kitchen. Stage appearances include Biloxi Blues, Assassins, Boeing-Boeing, and Meteor Shower.

Personal Life: Has a son with actress Christine Mourad named Asa who’s also an actor. Married to Martha Champlin since 2013. Although they have separated in 2025. Has stepchildren with her.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Has won a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role in Ally McBeal.

362. James Lipton

Dates: 1926-2020

Early Life and Career: Born Louis James Lipton in Detroit, Michigan. Mother was a teacher and librarian. Father was a journalist and beat poet Lawrence Lipton who’s known for writing Beat Generation chronicle The Holy Barbarians as well as served as a graphic designer and columnist for the Jewish Daily Forward and a publicity director for a movie theater. At 6, his father abandoned the family and his parents divorced. Due to family financial struggles, he started working at 13. While in high school, he worked as a newspaper copy boy for the Detroit Times and as an actor at the Catholic Theater in Detroit and in radio. Initially intended to become a lawyer. After graduating from Detroit’s Central High School, he attended Wayne State University for one year during the mid-1940s and enlisted in the US Air Force. During his legal studies, he often turned to acting to finance his education. From 1952 to 1962, he played Dr. Dick Grant in Guiding Light and eventually became head writer as well as wrote for several other soap operas during this time as well. Studied for 2 ½ years with Stella Adler, 4 years with Harold Cuman, and 2 years with Robert Lewis. Also studied voice and dance as well as choreographed a ballet for the American Ballet Theatre. Made Broadway debut in 1951.

Movies and Cartoons: Bolt (2008)

Characters: The Director

Also Known For: Writer, actor, talk show host, and dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University. Was executive producer, writer, and host of Inside the Actors Studio from 1994 until his retirement in 2018. Film appearances include Bewitched and Igor. TV appearances include Pulitzer Prize Playhouse, Armstrong Circle Theatre, CBS Television Workshop, You Were There, Guiding Light, The Goldbergs, The Simpsons, Arrested Development, Joey, According to Jim, Family Guy, Celebrity Apprentice, Glee, Saturday Night Live, and Suburbgatory. Worked as a writer on Guiding Light, The Edge of Night, The United States Steel Hour, The Doctors, Another World, The Best of Everything, Return to Peyton Place, Copacabana, and Capitol. 

Personal Life: Family’s original name was Lipschitz. Married 3 times. First wife was Shirley Blanc from 1947 until their divorce. Second wife was actress Nina Foch from 1954 to their divorce in 1959. Third wife was model, illustrator, and real estate broker Kedakai Turner, best known as the original cover model of Miss Scarlet on the boardgame Clue. They were married from 1970 until his death. Turner also illustrated and designed the cover for Lipton’s book, An Exaltation of Larks, The Ultimate Edition.

Later Life: Published a novel called Mirrors in 1981. Established the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in 2006. Retired in 2018. Died of bladder cancer at his home in 2020 at 93.

Trivia: Was a certified pilot in single engine airplanes since 1980 and had logged on over 1,000 hours of flight time. Also member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

363. Kari Wahlgren

Dates: 1977-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Hoisington, Kansas. Parents were teachers. Was inspired as a child by the Disney Princesses and other voices in animation. On her 11^th birthday while she and her family were in California and toured the building for Focus on the Family, she was asked to do a bit role for their radio drama Adventures in Odyssey as an 11-year-old character named Gloria McCoy. Graduated from the University of Kansas with Bachelor of Arts in Theater in 1999. Lived in Kansas City, Missouri where she did some radio spots before moving to Los Angeles in 2000 to work on her acting career. Because she didn’t get much on-camera work, Wahlgren decided to shift her energies to voice-over work. Her experience with dialogue and Shakespeare classes helped her a lot in landing roles involving various characters, some of which had accents or were from certain time periods. Breakthrough role was Haruko Haruhara in FLCL.

Movies and Cartoons: Bolt (2008), Tangled (2010), Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014), Frozen II (2019), and Onward (2020) as well as a couple of shorts, the direct-to-video Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings, various series, and the video game Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

Characters: Mindy Parker and Patch

Also Known For: Voice actress best known as Haruko Haruhara in FLCL, Saya Otonashi in Blood+, Robin Sena in Witch Hunter Robin, Lavie Head in Last Exile, Fuu in Samurai Champloo, Rip Van Winkle in Hellsing, Scarlett in Steamboy, Pacifica Casull in Scrapped Princess, Michiru Satomi and Luca in Immortal Grand Prix, Kagami Hiiragi in Lucky Star, Saber in Fate/Zero, Celty Sturluson in the Durarara!! series, Little Suzy in Phineas and Ferb, Dorothy and Queen Ozma in Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, Jessica and Diane in Rick and Morty, Baby Scrat in Ice Age: Scrat Tales, Ashe in Final Fantasy XII, Shelke in Dirge of Cerberus, and Raine Sage in Tales of Symphonia. Film appearances include The Wild, Shrek the Third, Aliens in the Attic, Hotel Transylvania 2, The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature, Promare, Poupelle of Chimney Town, Beebo Saves Christmas, Luck, Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie, Ghost Cat Anzu, Neverland, and The Christmas Chronicles. TV appearances include Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, Ben 10, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters, Bunnicula, The Fairly OddParents, Bunsen Is a Beast, Winx Club, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SuperKitties, Maya & Miguel, Legion of Super-Heroes, Tak and the Power of Juju, Lil’ Bush, The Life & Times of Tim, The Penguins of Madagascar, Random! Cartoons, Wolverine and the X-Men, Back at the Barnyard, The Secret Saturdays, The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Archer, Regular Show, The Problem Solverz, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Bubble Guppies, DC Nation Shorts, Young Justice, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, TripTank, The Tom and Jerry Show, Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Breadwinners, All Hail King Julien, The Adventures of Puss in Boots, Avengers Assemble, Teen Titans Go!, Guardians of the Galaxy, Samurai Jack, Spirit Riding Free, Niko and the Sword of Life, Vampirina, Transformers: Titans Return, Trolls: The Beat Goes On!, The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Spider-Man, Carmen Sandiego, DC Super Hero Girls, Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, Green Eggs and Ham, The Rocketeer, Infinity Train, Cleopatra in Space, Solar Opposites, Animaniacs, Looney Tunes Cartoons, Spidey and His Amazing Friends, A Tale of Dark & Grim, The Ghost and Molly McGee, We Baby Bears, Velma, My Adventures with Superman, Tiny Toons Looniversity, The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Criminal Minds, and Supergirl. Video game appearances include Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Tekken 5, Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening, SWAT 4, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, James Bond 007: From Russia with Love, Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Open Season, Justice League Heroes, Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption, Guild Wars Nightfall, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Rogue Galaxy, Armored Code 4, Spider-Man 3, The Darkness, Jeanne d’Arc, Guild Wars: Eye of the North, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, Emergency Heroes, Ninja Gaiden II, Too Human, Valkyria Chronicles, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Prince of Persia, Afro Samurai, Prototype, Brutal Legend, Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, The Saboteur, White Knight Chronicles, BioShock 2, Resonance of Fate, Dead or Alive Paradise, Transformers: War for Cybertron, Singularity, Final Fantasy XIV, Tron: Evolution, X-Men: Destiny, Spider-Man: Edge of Time, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, Batman: Arkham City, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Saints Row: The Third, Resistance 3, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Asura’s Wrath, Kid Icarus: Uprising, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Secret World, Halo 4, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Marvel Heroes, The Last of Us, The Wonderful 101, Skylanders: Swap Force, Lego Marvel Super Heroes, Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Fallout 4, King’s Quest – Chapter III: Once Upon a Climb, Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars, Minecraft: Story Mode, World of Final Fantasy, Injustice 2, Batman: The Enemy Within, Lego DC Super-Villains, Mortal Kombat 11, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Steven Universe: Unleash the Light, Legends of Runeterra, Cyberpunk 2077, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, Gotham Knights, and Arknights.

Personal Life: Is currently in a relationship with Nitro drummer Bobby Rock. Has a son who was born in 2023.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Received a Children’s and Family Emmy for her voice acting work in SuperKitties.

364. Grey DeLisle

Dates: 1973-present

Early Life and Career: Born Erin Grey Van Oosbree in Fort Ord, California. Father was a truck driver. Mother was a singer. Maternal grandmother was a singer who performed with salsa musician Tito Puente. Parents split when she was young. Mother became a born-again Pentecostal when she was 11 and was later raised by her maternal grandmother. Attended Chula Vista High School. During her late teens, DeLisle began singing old gospel tunes and entered the world of comedy on a friend’s advice. In her comedy routine, DeLisle imitated voices. Her impressions earned a casting director’s attention and was encouraged to take up voice acting. Although she went back to her musical ambitions, DeLisle also took classes in voice-overs. Soon began to work for talent agent Sandy Schnarr.

Movies and Cartoons: Bolt (2008), Frozen II (2019), Onward (2020) as well as various series and a few direct-to-video installments.

Characters: Penny’s Mother and Dewdrop

Also Known For: Voice actress and singer-songwriter. Albums include Bootlegger, Vol. 1, The Graceful Ghost, Iron Flowers, Loggerheads, and Anchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash. Film appearances include The Powderpuff Girls Movie, Clifford’s Really Big Movie, Asterix and the Vikings, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Dead Space: Downfall, Afro Samurai: Resurrection, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, Batman: Year One, The Book of Life, Bayonetta: Bloody Fate, When Marnie Was There, Bumblebee, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, The Loud House Movie, Luck, and Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie. TV appearances include Rugrats, Johnny Bravo, Oh Yeah! Cartoons, The Wild Thornberrys, Clifford the Big Red Dog, The Powderpuff Girls, The Zeta Project, The Mummy, Samurai Jack, The Fairly OddParents, The New Woody Woodpecker Show, Codename: Kids Next Door, Duck Dodgers, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Clifford’s Puppy Days, Xiaolin Showdown, The Grim Adventures of Bill & Mandy, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Justice League Unlimited, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Danny Phantom, The Batman, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, W.I.T.C.H., Loonatics Unleashed, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Ben 10, The Replacements, Afro Samurai, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, Back at the Barnyard, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, WordGirl, Wolverine and the X-Men, The Super Hero Squad Show, The Penguins of Madagascar, The Garfield Show, Regular Show, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Mad, T.U.F.F. Puppy, Young Justice, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, The Looney Tunes Show, Winx Club, Pound Puppies, Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Kaijudo, Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Ultimate Spider-Man, Brickleberry, Sanjay and Craig, Henry Hugglemonster, The Legend of Korra, Turbo Fast, The Boondocks, Lego DC Comics: Batman Be-Leagured, The Tom and Jerry Show, Robot Chicken, The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show, Star Wars Rebels, Dawn of the Croods, The Adventures of Puss in Boots, Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers Assemble, The Loud House, Puppy Dog Pals, Supernatural, Justice League Action, Harvey Girls Forever!, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, DC Super Hero Girls, Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, Dreamworks Dragons: Rescue Riders, The Simpsons, Animaniacs, Teen Titans Go!, Star Trek: Prodigy, Kid Cosmic, The Ghost and Molly McGee, Invincible, The Legend of Vox Machina, The Boys, Pantheon, Masters of the Universe: Revolution, Sausage Party: Foodtopia, Goldie, Jellystone!, and That ‘70s Show. Video game appearances include Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles, Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn, Star Wars: Obi Wan, Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights, Run Like Hell, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, True Crime: Streets of LA, The Fairly OddParents: Breakin’ da Rules, Final Fantasy X-2, Doom 3, X-Men Legends, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, Robots, Scooby-Doo! Unmasked, Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island, Xiaolin Showdown, Happy Feet, X-Men: The Official Game, Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots, Mass Effect, Avatar: The Last Airbender – Into the Inferno, Tomb Raider: Underworld, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Bayonetta, Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, Clash of the Titans, Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet, Knights Contract, Nicktoons: MLB, Batman: Arkham City, Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion, Generation Rex: Agent of Providence, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Armored Core V, Play Station All-Stars Battle Royale, Diablo III, Sly Cooper: Thieves of Time, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Tomodachi Life, Broken Age, Infinite Crisis, Mortal Kombat X, Heroes of the Storm, Minecraft: Story Mode, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2.

Personal Life: Aunt of YouTuber Anna Brisbin. Married 3 times. First husband was Christopher DeLisle from 1992 until their divorce in 1993 after she accidentally confessed to cheating on him. Second husband was Murry Hammond of the alt-country Old 97’s from 2002 to their divorce in 2010. Courtship and wedding was featured in an episode of Wedding Story. They have a son named Jefferson Texas “Tex” Hammond who was born in 2007. Third husband was Jared Griffin whom she met on Twitter. Married to him from 2012 to their divorce in 2017. They have a son named Harlan born in 2014 and a daughter Mariposa born in 2016.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: As of 2024, she has voiced a total of 2,058 roles in 533 titles as well as dozens of bit parts in which she’s credited with “additional voices.” Was nominated for a Children’s and Family Emmy Award for her work in The Loud House. Was a high school classmate of Mario Lopez.

365. J. P. Manoux

Dates: 1969-present

Early Life and Career: Born Jean-Paul Manoux in Fresno, California as the oldest of 7 children. Grandparents fled the Armenian Genocide. Attended Thatcher School in Ojai, California and Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Upon graduating and moving to Hollywood, Manoux studied improv and sketch comedy at L.A. Theatresports, ACME Comedy Theatre, The Groundlings School, and iO West. One of Manoux’s early roles was as a regular performer on The Wayne Brady Show. Went on from there to work extensively in TV and in commercials, including campaigns for Got Milk? and Fruit of the Loom.

Movies and Cartoons: Bolt (2008) as well as the direct-to-video Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse, several series, and video games.

Characters: Tom

Also Known For: Actor, director, and writer best known for his work on multiple Disney series. Best known roles are S.T.A.N. in Aaron Stone, Curtis the Caveman and Vice Principal Hackett in Phil of the Future, and Emperor Kuzco in The Emperor’s New School. Film appearances include Inspector Gadget, Galaxy Quest, Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Scooby-Doo, Crazy as Hell, Malibu’s Most Wanted, EuroTrip, Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, The Day After Tomorrow, Meet the Fockers, The Island, The Beach Party Threshold of Hell, Reno 911!: Miami, What We Do Is Secret, Knocked Up, Transformers, Finding Amanda, Weather Girl, Atlas Shrugged: Part 2, Scary Movie 5, Gridlocked, Nobody, My Neighbor Totoro, and Babylon. TV appearances include Spun Out, Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud, Jeopardy!, ER, 3^rd Rock from the Sun, Becker, Just Shoot Me!, The Drew Carey Show, Bull, The Norm Show, Nash Bridges, The King of Queens, The Wayne Brady Show, The Hughleys, Grounded for Life, Will & Grace, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The District, Birds of Prey, Charmed, Reno 911!,  Wife and Kids, Smallville, Unscripted, How I Met Your Mother, Scrubs, Crossing Jordan, The Replacements, Monk, Higglytown Heroes, Cavemen, Family Guy, The Good Guys, Warehouse 13, Raising Hope, Wilfred, Bones, NCIS: Los Angeles, Community, Suburgatory, Alien Mysteries, Men at Work, Modern Family, The League, Hot in Cleveland, Veep, The Magicians, The Librarians, Swedish Dicks, Shameless, Grey’s Anatomy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, CSI: Vegas, White House Plumbers, and Running Point. Video game appearances include Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorland, Blue Heat: The Case of the Cover Girl Murders, Redneck Rampage, and Microshaft Windows 98. Web series appearances include Classroom, Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show, and Turnt. Has appeared in commercials for Zima, Honda Civic, Circuit City, Cookie Crisp, Bud Light, Miracle Whip, Got Milk?, Fruit of the Loom, and Budweiser.

Personal Life: I can’t find anything about his personal life.

Later Life: Appeared in a Canadian court in 2015 after 2 people staying in his Toronto condo discovered a home security camera and reported it to the police. Although voyeurism charges were later dropped, he was convicted of mischief regarding the incident in 2017.

Trivia: Replaced John Kassir in the role of Ralph Wiley in a stage production of Reefer Madness.

366. John DiMaggio

Dates: 1968-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Plainfield, New Jersey. Graduated from North Plainfield High School in 1986. Attended Rutgers University.

Movies and Cartoons: Bolt (2008), Wreck-It-Ralph (2012), Zootopia (2016), and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) as well as the direct-to-video Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure, and various series.

Characters: Saul, Beard Papa, Jerry Jumbeaux Jr., Woolter, Jesse, Moose Driver, and Pig Reporter

Also Known For: Actor best known as Bender in Futurama, Jake the Dog in Adventure Time, Marcus Fenix in the Gears of War series, Dr. Drakken in Kim Possible, Hak Foo in Jackie Chan Adventures, The Scotsman in Samurai Jack, Brother Blood in Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go!, Shnitzel in Chowder, Fu Dog in American Dragon: Jake Long, Hammerhead and Sandman in The Spectacular Spider-Man, Aquaman in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, King Zog in Disenchantment, Jocktopus in Fish Hooks, Wakka and Kimahri in Final Fantasy X, Rath in the Ben 10 franchise, Crosshairs, Leadfoot, Nitro Zeus, Transit and Stratosphere in the Transformers film franchise, and Gonza in Princess Mononoke. Film appearances include Dr. Dolittle 2, Barnyard, Happily N’Ever After, TMNT, Underdog, Bee Movie, Scoob!, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, No Time to Spy: A Loud House Movie, Despicable Me 4, The Animatrix, Castle in the Sky, and Pom Poko. TV appearances include Law & Order, Cracker, My Name Is Earl, Bones, Modern Family, The Newsroom, Superior Donuts, Historical Roasts, Better Call Saul, Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, Interview with the Vampire, Perry Mason, Rugrats, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Duck Dodgers, Dave the Barbarian, Static Shock, The Powderpuff Girls, The Batman, The Simpsons, Justice League Unlimited, The Boondocks, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Afro Samurai, SpongeBob Squarepants, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, All Grown Up!, Tak and the Power of Juju, Back at the Barnyard, The Penguins of Madagascar, Generator Rex, Pound Puppies, The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, The Problem Solverz, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Green Lantern: The Animated Series, The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange, Kaijudo, Brickleberry, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Avengers Assemble, Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., TripTank, Lego DC Comics: Batman Be-Leaguered, All Hail King Julien, The Adventures of Puss in Boots, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show, The Loud House, Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures, Skylanders Academy, Rick and Morty, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, Star Wars Resistance, Cleopatra in Space, Spitting Image, The Casagrandes, Inside Job, Angry Birds Mystery Island, and Invincible. Video game appearances include The Space Bar, T’ai Fu: Wrath of the Tiger, Final Fantasy X, Crash Nitro Kart, Spawn: Armageddon, X-Men Legends, Spider-Man 2, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, Shadow of Rome, Yakuza, Final Fantasy XII, Halo 3, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, Crash of the Titans, The Simpsons Game, Valkyria Chronicles, Crash: Mind over Mutant, Afro Samurai, MadWorld, Final Fantasy XIII, Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Swamp, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Generator Rex: Agent of Providence, Guild Wars 2, Destiny, Lego Dimensions, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Hearthstone, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, and MultiVersus.

Personal Life: Married to actress Kate Miller since 2014.

Later Life: Currently lives in Los Angeles and New York City.

Trivia: Classmate to political strategist Steve Schmidt. Has won an Annie Award for his role as Bender in Futurama.

367. Daran Norris

Dates: 1964-present

Early Life and Career: Born Daran Morrison Nordland in Ferndale Washington. Graduated from Ferndale High School in 1983. Has been an actor since 1988 beginning with TV commercials for Pop-Tarts and moving into film, television, and voice work in the 1990s.

Movies and Cartoons: Bolt (2008) as well as the Stitch! and The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder series.

Characters: Louie

Also Known For: Actor who’s appeared and voiced characters in more than 400 films, video games, and TV shows. Best known as Gordy in Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, Cliff McCormick in Veronica Mars, Cosmo, Mr. Turner, Jorgen Von Strangle, and Anti-Cosmo in The Fairly OddParents franchise, Buddha Bob in Big Time Rush, Spottswoode in Team America: World Police, Knock Out in Transformers: Prime, Jack Smith in American Dad!, and Tasuki Mercurymon in Fushigi Yugi and Digimon Frontier. Film appearances include Hobgoblins, Vice Academy, Billy Frankenstein, In the Bedroom, Comic Book: The Movie, The Killer, Akira, Doomed Megaopolis, Meltdown, They Were Eleven, Ah! My Goddess: The Movie, The Little Polar Bear, Asterix and the Vikings, Escape from Planet Earth, and Seal Team. TV appearances include Mad TV, Becker, Grounded for Life, Ben 10: Race Against Time, Gym Teacher: The Movie, Party Down, Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union, Desperate Housewives, Dog with a Blog, iZombie, The Real O’Neals, The Thundermans, Oh Yeah! Cartoons, Rocket Power, Jason and the Heroes of Mount Olympus, Time Squad, Oswald, Samurai Jack, The Powderpuff Girls, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Tutenstein, Johnny Bravo, Danny Phantom, Duck Dodgers, Loonatics Unleashed, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, The Replacements, W.I.T.C.H., Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, Chowder, WordGirl, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, DC Super Friends, T.U.F.F. Puppy, Generator Rex, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Back at the Barnyard, The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Turbo Fast, Wabbit, Mixels, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show, The Loud House, Bunsen Is a Beast, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Victor and Valentino, The Casagrandes, and Hailey’s On It!. Video game appearances include Dilbert’s Desktop Games, Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu, King’s Quest VIII: Mask of Eternity, Spider-Man, Ground Control, Scorpion King: Rise of the Akkadian, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Mark of Kri, Minority Report, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, The Hobbit, Armed & Dangerous, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, Onimusha Blade Warriors, Tales of Symphonia, EverQuest II, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, Nicktoons Movin,’ Nicktoons Unite!, Doom 3, Madagascar, Kingdom of Paradise, Ratchet: Deadlocked,  Naruto: Ultimate Ninja, God Hand, Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island, Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots, Bee Movie Game, Ninja Gaiden II, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Kung Fu Panda: Legendary Warriors, Final Fantasy XIII, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Has also done voice work in Pop-Tarts and Burger King commercials.

Personal Life: Married twice and is bisexual with his spouses being different genders. First was to voice actress Mary Elizabeth McGlynn from 1988 until their divorce in 2012. They have 2 children. Second and currently is to actor Ray Garcia since 2021.

Later Life: Lives in Bay City, Texas where he’s a board member and director of the Community Actors of South Texas.

Trivia: Was supposed to star as Phil Hartman in a movie but that project has yet to be in development as of 2022.

368. Jenny Lewis

Dates: 1976-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mother was a professional singer. Father was a member of the Harmonica Gang. Made her professional debut in a Jell-O commercial. Later appeared in commercials for Mattel’s Barbie and Baby Skates, Toys “R” Us toy stores, the Black & Decker popcorn maker, and Kellogg’s Corn Pops among others. Was featured in the sitcom Life with Lucy in 1986 as well as small roles on various TV shows. Formed Rilo Kiley with Dave Rock, Pierre De Reeder and then-boyfriend Blake Sennett in 1998.

Movies and Cartoons: Bolt (2008)

Characters: Assistant Director

Also Known For: Singer-songwriter, musician, and actress who was the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and keyboardist for the indie rock band Rilo Kiley. Has also been a member of Jenny and Johnny and Nice as Fuck. Film appearances include Trading Hearts, Troop Beverly Hills, The Wizard, Big Girls Don’t Cry…They Get Even, Foxfire, Little Boy Blue, and Pleasantville. TV appearances include Baby Makes Five, The Twilight Zone, Life with Lucy, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, The Golden Girls, Mr. Belvedere, Growing Pains, Baby M, Roseanne, Baywatch, Perry Mason: The Case of the Defiant Daughter, Brooklyn Bridge, Daddy, Murder, She Wrote, Runaway Daughters, Talk to Me, Get Real, American Dad!, Comedy Bang Bang, and A Very Murray Christmas. Albums include Rilo Kiley, Take-Offs and Landings, The Execution of All Things, More Adventurous, Under the Backlight, Rkives, Rabbit Fur Coat, Acid Tongue, The Voyager, On the Line, Joy’All, I’m Having Fun Now, and Nice as Fuck.

Personal Life: She’s had a couple boyfriends named Blake Sennett and Jonathan Rice whom she’s collaborated with in her music career and not much else.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Two of her songs are featured on Bolt’s soundtrack.

369. Chris Williams

Dates: 1968-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Missouri. But spent the first 25 years of his life in Kitchener, Ontario in Canada. Father was director of Counseling Services at the University of Waterloo, where Williams graduated with a degree in Fine Arts. Later enrolled in the animation program at Sheridan College in Oakville. Was recruited by Disney and moved to Los Angeles after graduating from Sheridan.

Movies and Cartoons: Bolt (2008), Frozen (2013), and Frozen II (2019) as well as a few shorts.

Characters: Oaken

Also Known For: American-Canadian animation film director, screenwriter, and voice actor. Has worked behind the scenes of Mulan (1998), The Emperor’s New Groove (2000), Lilo & Stitch (2002), Brother Bear (2003), Chicken Little (2005), Meet the Robinsons (2007), Bolt (2008), The Princess and the Frog (2009), Tangled (2010), Winnie the Pooh (2011), Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Frozen (2013), Big Hero 6 (2014), Zootopia (2016), Moana (2016), Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), Frozen II (2019), Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), and Moana 2 (2024) as well as several shorts. Non-Disney projects include The Willoughbys, Nimona, and The Sea Beast.

Personal Life: Has been married to Ashley Sealey since 2004. They have 2 children.

Later Life: Left Disney in 2018 to join Netflix.

Trivia: None.

370. Ed Asner

Dates: 1929-2021

Early Life and Career: Born Eddie Asner in Kansas City, Missouri and grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. Parents were Jewish immigrants from Ukraine and Lithuania. Father ran a second-hand shop and junkyard. Attended Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas and the University of Chicago where he studied journalism until a professor advised him that there was little money to be made in the profession so he switched to drama. Later debuted as the martyred Thomas Becket in a campus production of Murder in the Cathedral. Eventually dropped out of school, worked as a taxi driver, steel worker, on the assembly line for General Motors, and other odd jobs before being drafted into the military in 1951. Served in the US Army Signal Corps from that year to 1953 during the Korean War and appeared in plays that toured Army bases in Europe. Following his military service, Asner helped found the Playwrights Theatre Company in Chicago but left for New York City before company members regrouped as the Compass Players in the mid-1950s. Later made frequent guest appearances with the successor to Compass, The Second City. Made his TV debut in 1957 and scored his first Broadway role in 1960. Made his film debut in 1962.

Movies and Cartoons: Up (2009) as well as the shorts George and AJ, Dug’s Special Mission, and Carl’s Date, various series, several direct-to-video installments, and a few video games.

Characters: Carl Frederickson

Also Known For: Actor best known as Lou Grant in The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Lou Grant. Other roles include Santa Claus in several films (most notably Elf), J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, and Uncle Ben in The Spectacular Spider-Man. Film appearances include El Dorado, They Call Me Mister Tibbs!, JFK, Too Big to Fail, Kid Galahad, The Slender Thread, The Venetian Affair, Gunn, Change of Habit, Halls of Anger, Gus, O’Hara’s Wife, Pinocchio and the Emperor of Night, Happily Ever After, Moon over Parador, The Fanatics, Hard Rain, Love and Action in Chicago, The Bachelor, Perfect Game, The Animal, Sheeba, The Heart Specialist, Christmas Is Here Again, Channels, Gigantic, Not Another B Movie, Witness Insecurity, Foodfight!, Audrey, The Games Maker, Yamasong: March of the Hollows, The Parting Glass, The Garden Left Behind, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, and Altered Reality. TV appearances include Studio One, Route 66, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Alcoa Premiere, Dr. Kildare, The Untouchables, The Eleventh Hour, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Virginian, Naked City, Ben Casey, The Outer Limits, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Slattery’s People, Gunsmoke, Profiles in Courage, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Burke’s Law, The Fugitive, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Ironside, The F.B.I., The Wild Wild West, Mission: Impossible, CBS Playhouse, The Mod Squad, Police Story, Rhoda, The Wide World of Mystery, Hawaii Five-O, Roots, The Practice, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Good Wife, Cobra Kai, Briarpatch, Working Class, Dead to Me, Great Performances, Saturday Night Live, Off the Rack, The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible, The Bronx Zoo, Tall Tales & Legends, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, The Trials of Rosie O’Neill, Fish Police, Batman: The Animated Series, Animaniacs, Dinosaurs, Spider-Man, Thunder Alley, Freakazoid!, Hearts Afire, Duckman, Roseanne, The Magic School Bus, The Story of Santa Claus, The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest, Mad About You, Adventures from the Book of Virtues, The Angry Beavers, Life with Louie, The New Adventures of Zorro, The Closer, More Tales of the City, Superman: the Animated Series, The Simpsons, Touched by an Angel, The Wild Thornberrys, Johnny Bravo, Max Steel, The Huntress, Family Guy, Dharma & Greg, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Ellen Show, King of the Hill, John XXIII: The Pope of Peace, Teamo Supremo, The Man Who Saved Christmas, ER, Duck Dodgers, Center of the Universe, The Boondocks, W.I.T.C.H., CSI: NY, WordGirl, The Sarah Silverman Program, The Cleveland Show, American Dad!, Young Justice, Royal Pains, Michael: Every Day, The Middle, Hot in Cleveland, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Regular Show, Maron, The Glades, Mom, Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas, Murdoch Mysteries, SpongeBob SquarePants, Bones, Forgive Me, MacGyver, Grace and Frankie, Doom Patrol, Modern Family, Blue Bloods, Central Park, Teen Titans Go!, and Muppets Haunted Mansion. Video game appearances include Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, and X-Men Legends.

Personal Life: Raised Orthodox Jewish and his Hebrew name was Yitzhak. Married twice. First wife was Nancy Lou Sykes from 1959 to their divorce in 1988. They had 3 children: twins Matthew and Liza, and Kate. Had a son named Charles in 1987 with Carol Jean Vogelman, which may give one an idea why his first marriage ended in divorce. Has at least one child and one grandchild with autism. Second wife was produce Cindy Gilmore from 1998 until their divorce in 2015. Had 10 grandchildren. Son Matt and daughter-in-law Nava Paskowitz founded the Ed Asner Family Center in 2017, which provides arts and vocational enrichments, counseling services, and support groups and camps to special needs individuals and their families.

Later Life: Was president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1981 to 1985. Was on the Entertainment Board of Directors for The Survivor Mitzvah Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing direct emergency aid to elderly and impoverished Holocaust survivors in Eastern Europe. Was also a member of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund a free speech organization that is dedicated to protecting comic book creators and retailers from prosecutions based on content. Served as an advisor to the Rosenburg Fund for Children an organization founded by the children of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, which provides benefits for the children of political activists. Was a board member for Defenders of Wildlife and sat on the advisory board of Exceptional Minds, a non-profit school and a computer animation studio for young adults on the autism spectrum. Supported Humane Borders, an organization based in Tucson, Arizona, which maintains water stations in the Sonoran Desert for use by undocumented migrants, with the goal of preventing deaths by dehydration and exposure. Was the master of ceremonies at that organization’s volunteer dinner in fall 2017. Served as a board member and adviser for Aspiritech, a nonprofit organization that trains high-functioning autistic persons to test software and perform quality-assurance services for companies. In 2021, Asner traveled to Monte Rio, California to support reopening, revitalization, and shifted focus of the local Monte Rio Theater. Died from natural causes in 2021 at his home in the Tarzana neighborhood in Los Angeles at 91. Buried in Sheffield Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri.

Trivia: One of the most honored male performers in TV history, having won 7 Primetime Emmys and 5 Golden Globes. Has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.