Frank Welker
Encyclopedia
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor
who specializes in voice acting
and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.
’s 1972 film Dirty Little Billy
. His next film role was in The Trouble with Girls, portraying a college kid from Rutgers University
who befriends Elvis Presley
. He later co-starred with Don Knotts
in Universal
's How to Frame a Figg
. Welker also appeared in two Disney films, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes
, and Now You See Him, Now You Don't
.
His on camera television appearances included roles in Love American Style, The Partridge Family
, and The Don Knotts Show
. He played a prosecutor in highly acclaimed ABC
special The Trial of General Yamashita and as Captain Pace beside Richard Dreyfuss
' Yossarian
in Paramount
television’s pilot, Catch-22
. He also appeared on Laugh In, The Dean Martin
Roast, The Mike Douglas Show
, The Tonight Show
, Merv Griffin
, The Smothers Brothers Show
, The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour, Laugh Trax, and as one of the cast members in the 1985 special of That Was the Year That Was
with David Frost
. In the latter show, he appeared alongside Jim Staahl and Howie Mandel
. Frank also played an on camera role of a voice actor on an episode of Simon and Simon and in the film The Informant
as Matt Damon
's father.
. In 1994, he played the voice role of Horror, a talking book, in the movie The Pagemaster
. As of 2002, Welker was the voice of both Fred Jones and Scooby-Doo
. Welker is so closely connected with the character Fred, that anytime the character appears in a cartoon (with the exception of A Pup Named Scooby-Doo
), it is Welker providing the voice. Welker's next major character voice for was Marvin White, in the 1973 Hanna Barbera series Super Friends
. He also provided the voice for Marvin's dog, Wonder Dog
(which was inspired by Scooby Doo). Welker would continue to provide voices for many other cartoon characters for the Hanna Barbera Company for several years.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Welker became a very busy actor, providing the voice for many popular cartoon characters in multiple shows including the villainous Doctor Claw
in Inspector Gadget
, Mister Mxyzptlk
and Darkseid
in Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show
, various G.I. Joe
heroes and villains, Ray Stanz and Slimer
in The Real Ghostbusters
, and Hefty Smurf in The Smurfs
. He also voices various characters on The Simpsons
such as Santa's Little Helper
and Snowball 2. He provided the voice of Fall Apart Rabbit in the 1993 Disney series "Bonkers
" and other various voices for the show, as well as the voice of Runt and other various characters in "Animaniacs
" He also provides the voice (both speaking and non-speaking) of Nibbler
in the cartoon TV series Futurama
. He has voiced several characters for Family Guy
.
Welker performed as voice double for Leonard Nimoy
in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
, and provided voices for The Thing in 1986's The Golden Child
, Sharptooth in 1988's The Land Before Time
and its sequels, Sil in Species
, the Hellhound in 1989's All Dogs Go To Heaven
and Malebolgia
in 1997's Spawn
. He has also created the vocal effects for different animals in films including: the monkey Abu in Aladdin, its two sequels and the TV series adaptation
, Arnold the Pig
in the TV film Return to Green Acres.
In 2005, Welker became the new voice of Garfield
, succeeding the original actor Lorenzo Music
, who passed away in 2001 (Welker and Music had previously worked together in The Real Ghostbusters). Welker voiced Garfield in Garfield Gets Real
, Garfield's Fun Fest
, Garfield's Pet Force, and also in the new series The Garfield Show
.
Welker has also provided voices for many video game characters including Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
and The Shadow Blot in Epic Mickey
.
In 2011, Welker returned as the voice of Road Runner
, K-9
, Hector the Bulldog, Bertie
, and Mugsy
in The Looney Tunes Show
.
Welker provided the voice of Batman
in a Scooby-Doo
crossover segment of the Batman: The Brave and the Bold
episode, "Bat-mite presents: Batman's Strangest Cases!".
Some of his most recent work is for the new live action film Mr Popper's Penguins. He also reprised his role as Gargamel
's cat Azreal for the 2011 live action film The Smurfs
.
animated series. He voiced several Decepticon
s, including the leader Megatron, Soundwave
, Skywarp
, Mixmaster, Laserbeak
, Buzzsaw, Rumble
, Frenzy
, Ravage
, and Ratbat
, as well as Autobot
s Mirage
, Trailbreaker
, and Sludge
. With the release of The Transformers: The Movie
animated film in 1986, he took on the role of the Autobot Wheelie
and afterwards, took over the role of Galvatron
(which coincidentally was voiced by his Star Trek III castmate Leonard Nimoy).
Welker also returned to two of his Transformers roles when he portrayed Megatron and Soundwave as part of a spoof in the third season episode of Robot Chicken
, aired shortly after the release of the live action film. In Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
, he reprises the roles of Soundwave and Ravage, and also provides voices for Grindor, Devastator, and Reedman. He does not voice Megatron in any of the three live action films (Hugo Weaving
was chosen for the role, instead). However, Frank did voice Megatron in the two video games based on the first two films.
At BotCon 2010 on June 26, 2010, it was revealed that Welker had been cast once again as Megatron in the new series Transformers: Prime
.
He voiced Shockwave
, Barricade
and Soundwave
in the film Transformers: Dark of the Moon. This adds to his already large roles in Transformers
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who specializes in voice acting
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.
Acting career
Welker's first on camera film role was as a bar fight participant in Stan DragotiStan Dragoti
Stan Dragoti is an Albanian American film director, whose work includes the comedies Mr. Mom and Love at First Bite....
’s 1972 film Dirty Little Billy
Dirty Little Billy
Dirty Little Billy is a western film released in 1972 and was the directorial debut of Stan Dragoti. It stars Michael J. Pollard as Billy the Kid....
. His next film role was in The Trouble with Girls, portraying a college kid from Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
who befriends Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
. He later co-starred with Don Knotts
Don Knotts
Jesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
in Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
's How to Frame a Figg
How to Frame a Figg
How to Frame a Figg is a 1971 Universal comedy about a bungling bookkeeper's assistant, Hollis Alexander Figg in the Dalton city hall, who finds himself framed for embezzlement...
. Welker also appeared in two Disney films, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes
The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes
The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes is a Disney film from 1969, starring Alan Hewitt, Kurt Russell, Frank Webb, and Joe Flynn. It is released by Buena Vista Distribution Company....
, and Now You See Him, Now You Don't
Now You See Him, Now You Don't
Now You See Him, Now You Don't is a 1972 Walt Disney film starring Kurt Russell, a student at the fictional Medfield College. It is the sequel to the 1969 film The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes....
.
His on camera television appearances included roles in Love American Style, The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family is an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career. The series originally ran from September 25, 1970 until August 31, 1974, the last new episode airing on March 23, 1974, on the ABC network, as part of a Friday-night lineup...
, and The Don Knotts Show
The Don Knotts Show
The Don Knotts Show was a variety program aired by NBC as part of its 1970-71 lineup.Long relegated to the role of sidekick, which he had portrayed for many years in several television series and films, Don Knotts was the headliner here. Each week, he and his guests put on standard TV variety fare...
. He played a prosecutor in highly acclaimed ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
special The Trial of General Yamashita and as Captain Pace beside Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...
' Yossarian
Yossarian
This article is about a "Catch-22" character. For the meerkat from "Meerkat Manor", see List of "Meerkat Manor" meerkats - Yossarian.Capt. John Joseph Yossarian is a fictional character and protagonist in Joseph Heller's novel Catch-22 and its sequel Closing Time...
in Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
television’s pilot, Catch-22
Catch-22
Catch-22 is a satirical, historical novel by the American author Joseph Heller. He began writing it in 1953, and the novel was first published in 1961. It is set during World War II in 1943 and is frequently cited as one of the great literary works of the twentieth century...
. He also appeared on Laugh In, The Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
Roast, The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that aired in syndication from 1961 to 1982, distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations.The program featured light banter with...
, The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
, Merv Griffin
Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show on Group W Broadcasting...
, The Smothers Brothers Show
The Smothers Brothers Show
The Smothers Brothers Show is an American fantasy sitcom featuring the Smothers Brothers that aired on CBS on Friday nights at 9:30 p.m. ET from September 17, 1965 to September 9, 1966, co-sponsored by Alberto-Culver's VO5 hairdressing products and American Tobacco...
, The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour, Laugh Trax, and as one of the cast members in the 1985 special of That Was the Year That Was
That Was the Year That Was
That Was the Year That Was is a live album recorded at the hungry i in San Francisco, containing performances by Tom Lehrer of satiric topical songs he originally wrote for the NBC television series That Was The Week That Was, known informally as TW3...
with David Frost
David Frost
Sir David Frost is a British broadcaster.David Frost may also refer to:*David Frost , South African golfer*David Frost , classical record producer*David Frost *Dave Frost, baseball pitcher...
. In the latter show, he appeared alongside Jim Staahl and Howie Mandel
Howie Mandel
Howard Michael "Howie" Mandel is a Canadian stand-up comedian, television host, and actor. He is well known as host of the NBC game show Deal or No Deal, as well as the show's daytime and Canadian-English counterparts. Before his career as a game show host, Mandel was best known for his role on...
. Frank also played an on camera role of a voice actor on an episode of Simon and Simon and in the film The Informant
The Informant (2009 film)
The Informant! is a 2009 American fact-based comic drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh. It depicts Mark Whitacre's involvement as a whistle blower in the lysine price-fixing conspiracy of the mid-1990s as described in the 2000 nonfiction book The Informant, by journalist Kurt Eichenwald. The...
as Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
's father.
Voice acting career
Welker's first voice role came in 1969, as Fred Jones in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!Scooby-Doo, Where are You!
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! is the first incarnation of the long-running Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo. It premiered on September 13, 1969 at 10:30 a.m. EST and ran for two seasons on CBS as a half-hour long show. Twenty-five episodes were produced...
. In 1994, he played the voice role of Horror, a talking book, in the movie The Pagemaster
The Pagemaster
The Pagemaster is a 1994 adventure fantasy film starring Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Patrick Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg, Frank Welker, and Leonard Nimoy...
. As of 2002, Welker was the voice of both Fred Jones and Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo is an American media franchise based around several animated television series and related works produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969...
. Welker is so closely connected with the character Fred, that anytime the character appears in a cartoon (with the exception of A Pup Named Scooby-Doo
A Pup Named Scooby-Doo
A Pup Named Scooby-Doo is the eighth incarnation of the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo. This spin-off of the original show was created by Tom Ruegger and premiered on September 10, 1988 and ran for three seasons on ABC as a half-hour program, until August 17, 1991...
), it is Welker providing the voice. Welker's next major character voice for was Marvin White, in the 1973 Hanna Barbera series Super Friends
Super Friends
Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1986 on ABC as part of its Saturday morning cartoon lineup...
. He also provided the voice for Marvin's dog, Wonder Dog
Wonder Dog (Super Friends)
Wonder Dog is a fictional canine superhero from the original Super Friends television series. The character appeared in both the animated series, as well as the comic book of the same name, but wasn't incorporated into the DC Universe until 2008....
(which was inspired by Scooby Doo). Welker would continue to provide voices for many other cartoon characters for the Hanna Barbera Company for several years.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Welker became a very busy actor, providing the voice for many popular cartoon characters in multiple shows including the villainous Doctor Claw
Doctor Claw
Dr. Claw is a partially seen character who is the main villain in the animated television series Inspector Gadget and the films that followed...
in Inspector Gadget
Inspector Gadget
Inspector Gadget is an animated television series that revolves around the adventures of a clumsy, simple-witted cyborg detective named Inspector Gadget – a human being with various bionic gadgets built into his body. Gadget's arch-nemesis is Dr...
, Mister Mxyzptlk
Mister Mxyzptlk
Mr. Mxyzptlk , sometimes called Mxy, is a fictional impish supervillain who appears in DC Comics' Superman comic books.He was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and first appeared in Superman #30 . He is usually presented as a trickster, in the classical mythological sense, in that he enjoys...
and Darkseid
Darkseid
Darkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
in Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1984 to 1985 on ABC...
, various G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a military-themed line of action figures and toys in Hasbro's G.I. Joe franchise. The toyline lasted from 1982 to 1994, producing well over 500 figures and 250 vehicles and playsets. The line reappeared in 1997 and has continued in one form or another to the...
heroes and villains, Ray Stanz and Slimer
Slimer
Slimer is a fictional green ghost featured in the 1984 supernatural comedy movie Ghostbusters , whose popularity soared from the subsequent spinoff animated television series The Real Ghostbusters. Slimer later starred in his own Slimer! cartoons when The Real Ghostbusters was extended to a...
in The Real Ghostbusters
The Real Ghostbusters
The Real Ghostbusters is an American animated television series based on the 1984 film Ghostbusters. The series ran from 1986 to 1991, and was produced by Columbia Pictures Television, DiC Enterprises, and Coca-Cola Telecommunications. "The Real" was added to the title after a dispute with...
, and Hefty Smurf in The Smurfs
The Smurfs (1981 TV series)
The Smurfs is an American animated television series that aired on NBC from September 12, 1981 to August 25, 1990...
. He also voices various characters on The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
such as Santa's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper is a recurring character in the American animated television series The Simpsons. He is the pet greyhound of the Simpson family. The dog was introduced in the first episode of the show, the 1989 Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", in which his owner abandons...
and Snowball 2. He provided the voice of Fall Apart Rabbit in the 1993 Disney series "Bonkers
Bonkers (TV series)
Bonkers is an animated American television series that aired from September 4, 1993 to February 23, 1994 in first-run syndication . The syndicated run was available both separately, and as part of The Disney Afternoon...
" and other various voices for the show, as well as the voice of Runt and other various characters in "Animaniacs
Animaniacs
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as simply Animaniacs, is an American animated series, distributed by Warner Bros. Television and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The cartoon was the second animated series produced by the collaboration of Steven...
" He also provides the voice (both speaking and non-speaking) of Nibbler
Nibbler (Futurama)
Lord Nibbler is a fictional character from the animated television series Futurama. He is voiced by Frank Welker, who provides not only his speaking lines but also the various noises he makes when not speaking English....
in the cartoon TV series Futurama
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
. He has voiced several characters for Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
.
Welker performed as voice double for Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is a 1984 motion picture released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the third feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the center of a three-film story arc that begins with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and concludes with Star Trek IV:...
, and provided voices for The Thing in 1986's The Golden Child
The Golden Child
The Golden Child is a 1986 American comedy film starring Eddie Murphy. Murphy plays Chandler Jarrell, a social worker who is confronted by a young Asian woman , who tells him that he is The Chosen One destined to save The Golden Child, the savior of all mankind, from the clutches of the demon Sardo...
, Sharptooth in 1988's The Land Before Time
The Land Before Time
The Land Before Time is a 1988 American animated adventure film directed and co-produced by Don Bluth , and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall....
and its sequels, Sil in Species
Species (film)
Species is a 1995 science fiction horror film directed by Roger Donaldson, and starring Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Alfred Molina, Forest Whitaker, Marg Helgenberger, and Natasha Henstridge...
, the Hellhound in 1989's All Dogs Go To Heaven
All Dogs Go to Heaven
All Dogs Go to Heaven is a 1989 Irish-English animated film directed and produced by Don Bluth and released by United Artists. The film tells the story of two dogs, Charlie B. Barkin and his loyal best friend Itchy Itchiford...
and Malebolgia
Malebolgia
Malebolgia is a fictional character in the Spawn universe, drawing its name from the term in Dante's Inferno used to describe Malebolge, the ditches in the eighth circle of Hell where humans who committed the sin Fraud are punished...
in 1997's Spawn
Spawn (film)
Spawn is a 1997 American superhero film loosely based on the comic book of the same name, by Todd McFarlane and published by Image Comics. Directed and co-written by Mark A.Z. Dippé , the film stars Michael Jai White in the leading role...
. He has also created the vocal effects for different animals in films including: the monkey Abu in Aladdin, its two sequels and the TV series adaptation
Aladdin (TV series)
Aladdin is an animated television series made by Walt Disney Television which aired from 1994 to 1995, based on the original 1992 feature. Coming on the heels of the direct-to-video sequel The Return of Jafar, the series picked up where that installment left off, with Aladdin now living in the...
, Arnold the Pig
Arnold Ziffel
Arnold Ziffel was a pig featured in Green Acres, an American situation comedy that was produced by Filmways, Inc., and originally aired on the CBS network from 1965 to 1971...
in the TV film Return to Green Acres.
In 2005, Welker became the new voice of Garfield
Garfield
Garfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Published since June 19, 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character, the cat Garfield ; his owner, Jon Arbuckle; and Arbuckle's dog, Odie...
, succeeding the original actor Lorenzo Music
Lorenzo Music
Lorenzo Music was an American actor, voice actor, writer, television producer and musician. His best-known roles include voicing the animated cartoon cat Garfield, and Carlton the doorman on the CBS sitcom Rhoda...
, who passed away in 2001 (Welker and Music had previously worked together in The Real Ghostbusters). Welker voiced Garfield in Garfield Gets Real
Garfield Gets Real
Garfield Gets Real is a 1999 CGI movie starring Garfield. It was produced by Paws, Inc. in cooperation with Davis Entertainment and The Animation Picture Company and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It was written by Garfield's creator Jim Davis, who started working on the script in the fall of 1996...
, Garfield's Fun Fest
Garfield's Fun Fest
Garfield's Fun Fest is a 2008 CGI movie starring Garfield. It was produced by Paws, Inc. in cooperation with The Animation Picture Company and distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. It was written by Garfield's creator Jim Davis as a sequel to Garfield Gets Real in 1999. The DVD...
, Garfield's Pet Force, and also in the new series The Garfield Show
The Garfield Show
The Garfield Show is a CGI animated television series that premiered in France on France 3 on December 22, 2008. English-language episodes started airing on Boomerang UK on May 5, 2009. It premiered in the United States on Cartoon Network on November 2, 2009 at 3:00pm...
.
Welker has also provided voices for many video game characters including Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is an anthropomorphic rabbit and animated cartoon character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney for films distributed by Universal Pictures in the 1920s and 1930s...
and The Shadow Blot in Epic Mickey
Epic Mickey
Epic Mickey is a 2010 Mickey Mouse action-adventure platforming video game designed by Warren Spector and developed by Junction Point Studios for the Wii console...
.
In 2011, Welker returned as the voice of Road Runner
Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner
Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from a series of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. The characters were created by animation director Chuck Jones in 1948 for Warner Bros., while the template for their adventures was the work of writer Michael Maltese...
, K-9
K-9 (Looney Tunes)
K-9 is a green cartoon Martian dog in the Warner Brother's Looney Tunes series of animated shorts. He is closely associated with Marvin the Martian as K-9 is Marvin's pet dog and sidekick in some Looney Tunes productions.-History:...
, Hector the Bulldog, Bertie
Hubie and Bertie
Hubie and Bertie are animated cartoon mouse characters in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. Though largely forgotten today, Hubie and Bertie represent some of animator Chuck Jones' earliest work that was intended to be funny rather than cute.-First film:Jones...
, and Mugsy
Rocky and Mugsy
Rocky and Mugsy are animated cartoon characters in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. They were created by Friz Freleng.-Character Biography:...
in The Looney Tunes Show
The Looney Tunes Show
The Looney Tunes Show is a packaged show, created for Cartoon Network, and broadcast from 2002 to 2005. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The show featured cartoon shorts from the original Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon series produced from 1930 to 1969.-External links:...
.
Welker provided the voice of Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
in a Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo is an American media franchise based around several animated television series and related works produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969...
crossover segment of the Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Batman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...
episode, "Bat-mite presents: Batman's Strangest Cases!".
Some of his most recent work is for the new live action film Mr Popper's Penguins. He also reprised his role as Gargamel
Gargamel
In the fictional world of The Smurfs, Gargamel the sorcerer is the sworn enemy of the Smurfs and the main antagonist in the show and comic books. While described as a wizard in the narration, Gargamel is not depicted as possessing real magical powers to speak of...
's cat Azreal for the 2011 live action film The Smurfs
The Smurfs (film)
The Smurfs is a 2011 American 3D family film based on The Smurfs comic book series created by Peyo and the 1980s animated TV series it spawned. It was directed by Raja Gosnell and stars Neil Patrick Harris, Hank Azaria, Jayma Mays, and Sofía Vergara. It is the first CGI/live-action hybrid film to...
.
Transformers
In the 1980s, Welker voiced many recurring characters in the TransformersTransformers
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling.Transformer may also refer to:* ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, an Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet computer manufacturer by Asus...
animated series. He voiced several Decepticon
Decepticon
The Decepticons are usually depicted as the antagonists in the fictional universes of the Transformers stoyline and related comics and cartoons, and the enemies of the Autobots and the University of California Davis Aggies...
s, including the leader Megatron, Soundwave
Soundwave (Transformers)
Soundwave is the name of several characters in the various series Transformers series. His most famous disguise is that of a microcassette recorder and has an iconic voice done by a vocoder.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, Skywarp
Skywarp
Skywarp is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers toy line. He is usually depicted as a black or purple Decepticon jet with teleportation powers.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, Mixmaster, Laserbeak
Laserbeak
Laserbeak is the name given to several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. He is almost always a mechanical bird, and is partnered with Soundwave.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, Buzzsaw, Rumble
Rumble (Transformers)
Rumble is a fictional character in the Transformers universes. In order to trademark the name, Hasbro referred to the Alternators character as Decepticon Rumble.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, Frenzy
Frenzy (Transformers)
Frenzy is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. Wired Magazine once nominated him as one 12 most ridiculous Transformers of all time.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, Ravage
Ravage (Transformers)
Ravage is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. Due to the inability to trademark the common word "ravage", he is sometimes called Battle Ravage, Command Ravage or Tripredacus Agent...
, and Ratbat
Ratbat
Ratbat is the name of several fictional characters who appeared in various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:As is the case with many Transformers characters, the various continuities in which Ratbat has appeared have portrayed him widely differently in terms of size, personality,...
, as well as Autobot
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...
s Mirage
Mirage (Transformers)
Mirage is any of several distinct fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Mirage is one of the single most re-used names in the Transformers series, and is almost entirely synonymous with characters possessing Formula One racing car alternate modes.-Transformers Generation 1:Some...
, Trailbreaker
Trailbreaker
Trailbreaker is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers toy line and animated television series. Due to trademark issues, newer toys of the character are named Trailcutter.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, and Sludge
Sludge (Transformers)
Sludge is a fictional character in the Transformer toy line and fictional series. Sludge is a slow witted but powerful Dinobot. Sludge's strength is considered to be second only to Grimlock's in the Dinobot faction...
. With the release of The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated series of the same name. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986 and in the UK on December 5, 1986....
animated film in 1986, he took on the role of the Autobot Wheelie
Wheelie (Transformers)
Wheelie is the name of two different fictional characters in the Transformers series.-Generation 1:The first Wheelie is a young Autobot who turns into a car. He has a distinctive style of speech, in which he rhymes his sentences while speaking in a high pitched voice, making him sound like a child....
and afterwards, took over the role of Galvatron
Galvatron
Galvatron is the name of several fictional Transformers, most often the recreated version of Megatron, the Decepticon leader. He was voiced by Leonard Nimoy in the 1986 Transformers movie, and then by Frank Welker in season 3 and 4 of the animated television series. Since then, other Transformers...
(which coincidentally was voiced by his Star Trek III castmate Leonard Nimoy).
Welker also returned to two of his Transformers roles when he portrayed Megatron and Soundwave as part of a spoof in the third season episode of Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
, aired shortly after the release of the live action film. In Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a 2009 American science fiction-action film directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. It is the sequel to the 2007 film Transformers and the second installment in the live-action Transformers series...
, he reprises the roles of Soundwave and Ravage, and also provides voices for Grindor, Devastator, and Reedman. He does not voice Megatron in any of the three live action films (Hugo Weaving
Hugo Weaving
Hugo Wallace Weaving is a Nigerian born, English-Australian film actor and voice artist. He is best known for his roles as Agent Smith in the Matrix trilogy, Elrond in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, "V" in V for Vendetta, and performances in numerous Australian character dramas.-Early...
was chosen for the role, instead). However, Frank did voice Megatron in the two video games based on the first two films.
At BotCon 2010 on June 26, 2010, it was revealed that Welker had been cast once again as Megatron in the new series Transformers: Prime
Transformers: Prime
Transformers: Prime, also known as Transformers: Prime –The Animated Series, is an American computer-animated television series based on the Transformers toy franchise by Hasbro. It airs on the The Hub in the United States...
.
He voiced Shockwave
Shockwave (Transformers)
Shockwave is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Throughout his incarnations, he is usually distinguished by a laser cannon in lieu of one of his hands and his distinctive face, which is featureless save a single robotic eye...
, Barricade
Barricade (Transformers)
Barricade is the name of four fictional characters in the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:Barricade first featured in 1990 as part of a Decepticon race track patrol team, his vehicle mode being a Formula One racing car....
and Soundwave
Soundwave (Transformers)
Soundwave is the name of several characters in the various series Transformers series. His most famous disguise is that of a microcassette recorder and has an iconic voice done by a vocoder.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
in the film Transformers: Dark of the Moon. This adds to his already large roles in Transformers
Transformers
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling.Transformer may also refer to:* ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, an Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet computer manufacturer by Asus...
.
Filmography
External links
- Frank Welker @ The Numbers
- "Frank Welker performing on Dean Martin show", circa 1980, 5 minutes