Take a look at Mel Blanc's "resume" on IMDB

[BrokenVisage]

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000305/

So many voices over such a long time and many of them unforgetable, I think it's safe to call him the greatest voice actor ever.

 

[SirStev0]

Frank Welker

/thread

 

[SirStev0]

almost 13 hours later and no replies...

I think I owned your thread.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Frank Welker is good, but come on, comparing him to Mel Blanc is like comparing Letterman to Carson (Johnny, not Daly). Mel Blanc was the original, and he will probably never be surpassed, if only because there are so many more voice actors now than there were in Blanc's day. He was doing every voice in the cartoons; nowadays, you've got a full cast for any animated show. There are some brilliant voice actors out there; Billy West, John DiMaggio, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Dan Castellaneta, Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Patrick Warburton (he only does one voice, but he does it so damn well), Maurice LaMarche, Frank Welker, Sterling Holloway, Tress MacNeille, James Urbaniak, Peter Cullen, Jim Cummings, and like 50 more.... And none of them will ever be as good as Mel Blanc. But that's ok; they don't need to be. They're all great in their own right.

 

[kranky]

I agree, he was the king of voices. I read his autobiography and he seemed like a genuinely nice guy as well. Never was into the Hollywood "scene" - just a regular family man who felt he was really lucky to do the type of work he did. I'd recommend the book (That's Not All, Folks).

 

[Modeps]

speechless

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: Modeps
speechless

i've always liked that print, and this.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy
Frank Welker is good, but come on, comparing him to Mel Blanc is like comparing Letterman to Carson (Johnny, not Daly). Mel Blanc was the original, and he will probably never be surpassed, if only because there are so many more voice actors now than there were in Blanc's day. He was doing every voice in the cartoons; nowadays, you've got a full cast for any animated show. There are some brilliant voice actors out there; Billy West, John DiMaggio, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Dan Castellaneta, Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Patrick Warburton (he only does one voice, but he does it so damn well), Maurice LaMarche, Frank Welker, Sterling Holloway, Tress MacNeille, James Urbaniak, Peter Cullen, Jim Cummings, and like 50 more.... And none of them will ever be as good as Mel Blanc. But that's ok; they don't need to be. They're all great in their own right.

That's a two way street - I could argue that's a negative - if what you say is true then less actors would also mean less competition and thus he was able to build up an unbeatable resume and thus get more jobs based on his rep rather than beating out someone who might have done a better job.

Besides, this is just yet another example of 'classics' - there will always be someone or something that is 'untouchable' because it was first or first-best. However I simply believe it is merely impossible to compare two things from different eras and thus the argument is moot.


Anyways, my vote would go to Patrick Warburton if only because Brock Sampson's character could kick the shit out of any other voiced character in the history of forever - and its all because of Patrick Warburton's voice. (again, another example of a problem with 'classics' - there could very well be another character/voiceover that is even better but Patrick Warburton/Brock Sampson has already earned my undying fanboyism)

 

[BrokenVisage]

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy
Frank Welker is good, but come on, comparing him to Mel Blanc is like comparing Letterman to Carson (Johnny, not Daly). Mel Blanc was the original, and he will probably never be surpassed, if only because there are so many more voice actors now than there were in Blanc's day. He was doing every voice in the cartoons; nowadays, you've got a full cast for any animated show. There are some brilliant voice actors out there; Billy West, John DiMaggio, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Dan Castellaneta, Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Patrick Warburton (he only does one voice, but he does it so damn well), Maurice LaMarche, Frank Welker, Sterling Holloway, Tress MacNeille, James Urbaniak, Peter Cullen, Jim Cummings, and like 50 more.... And none of them will ever be as good as Mel Blanc. But that's ok; they don't need to be. They're all great in their own right.

Jim Cummings is my favorite, primarily for how he voiced Darkwing Duck, but you're right about Blanc doing it at a time when there wasn't a "cast" of voices. To do the voices for almost every character in a cartoon shows great versatility and his skill "speaks for itself". Hank Azaria and Seth MacFarlane are up there too in my opinion, but compared to Blanc their horizon is limited.

 

[QED]

Originally posted by: bunnyfubbles

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy
Frank Welker is good, but come on, comparing him to Mel Blanc is like comparing Letterman to Carson (Johnny, not Daly). Mel Blanc was the original, and he will probably never be surpassed, if only because there are so many more voice actors now than there were in Blanc's day. He was doing every voice in the cartoons; nowadays, you've got a full cast for any animated show. There are some brilliant voice actors out there; Billy West, John DiMaggio, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Dan Castellaneta, Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Patrick Warburton (he only does one voice, but he does it so damn well), Maurice LaMarche, Frank Welker, Sterling Holloway, Tress MacNeille, James Urbaniak, Peter Cullen, Jim Cummings, and like 50 more.... And none of them will ever be as good as Mel Blanc. But that's ok; they don't need to be. They're all great in their own right.

That's a two way street - I could argue that's a negative - if what you say is true then less actors would also mean less competition and thus he was able to build up an unbeatable resume and thus get more jobs based on his rep rather than beating out someone who might have done a better job.

Mel Blanc came from the radio era, where just about every actor/actress was expected to be able to do good voice work. If anything, he faced MORE voice talent competition than those of his successors. The fact he was able to get so many jobs with so much competition is a testimony to his talents.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: kranky
I agree, he was the king of voices. I read his autobiography and he seemed like a genuinely nice guy as well. Never was into the Hollywood "scene" - just a regular family man who felt he was really lucky to do the type of work he did. I'd recommend the book (That's Not All, Folks).

As a side note to my "Today's Random Fact" posts- It's widely told that Mel was allergic to carrots, so when he did the sound of Bugs eating a carrot, he actually used a turnip. This is incorrect- in a 1984 interview Mel said he's not allergic to carrots at all, he just didn't like them.

 

[MaxDepth]

Edward Everett Horton
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