Changes: Billy West

Revision as of 13:53, 13 June 2014

This page is about the actor. For the character from The Silence of the Clamps see Billy West (character).

William Richard "Billy" West (born April 16, 1950) is an American voice actor. He provided the voice for many characters.

Characters Voiced

Video

An example of Billy West doing some of his more famous voices.

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+{{Voice
-'''Billy West''' (born '''William R. West''' on [[April 16]] [[1952]] in [[Detroit, Michigan]]) is an [[United States|American]] [[voice actor]], known for such roles as ''[[The Ren and Stimpy Show]]'' and ''[[Futurama (animated series)|Futurama]]''.
+|name = Billy West
+|image = [[File:BillyWest.jpg|250px]]
+|gender = Male
+|birth = April 16, 1950
+|voices = [[Philip J. Fry]]<br>[[Hubert J. Farnsworth]]<br>[[John A. Zoidberg]]
+|regular or guest = Regular
+|appearance = [[Space Pilot 3000]]
+}}
+''This page is about the actor. For the character from [[The Silence of the Clamps]] see [[Billy West (character)]].''
-West provided the voice of [[Stimpy]] in [[Nickelodeon (TV channel)|Nickelodeon]]'s ''[[The Ren and Stimpy Show]]'' from 1991 until 1996, and he provided the voice of Ren from 1993-1996 (after Ren's original voice and series creator [[John Kricfalusi]] was fired by Nickelodeon). West's roles in ''[[Futurama]]'' include [[Philip J. Fry]], [[Professor Hubert Farnsworth]], [[Dr. Zoidberg]] and [[Zapp Brannigan]]. The part of Zapp Brannigan was originally going to be voiced by [[Phil Hartman]], however, Hartman's death occurred prior to production. So West assumed the role. In an interview for the web site TVsquad.com, Billy West states that the voice itself of Zapp Brannigan was an imitation of Phil Hartman, but that the actual vocalizations of the character were based on old-time radio announcers.<ref>[http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/06/15/billy-west-the-tv-squad-interview/ TVsquad.com interview] Accessed January 18th</ref>
+'''William Richard "Billy" West''' (born April 16, 1950) is an American voice actor. He provided the voice for many characters.
-West voiced [[Bugs Bunny]] and [[Elmer Fudd]] in the 1996 feature ''[[Space Jam]]'' and had a full-time stint as a castmember on ''[[Howard Stern|The Howard Stern Show]]''.  His work also includes voices on ''[[The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius]]'', and the original (Nickelodeon) version of ''[[Doug]]''.
-== Cancer ==
+== Characters Voiced ==
+*[[7¹¹ Clerk]]
+*[[Alternate Farnsworth]]
+*[[Alternate Fry]]
+*[[Alternate Zoidberg]]
+*[[Antonin Scalia's head]]
+*[[Bill McNeal]]
+*[[Enos Fry]]
+*[[Farmer]]
+*[[Fry]]
+*[[Gearshift]]
+*[[Glurmo]]
+*[[God Entity]]
+*[[Gorgak]]
+*Gus (hobo)
+*[[Hubert J. Farnsworth]]
+*[[Humorbot 5.0]]
+*Igpee
+*[[John A. Zoidberg]]
+*[[Judge Ron Whitey]]
+*[[Ken]]
+*[[Lars Fillmore]]
+*[[Leo Wong]]
+*[[M5438]]
+*[[Nannybot 1.0]]
+*Mixmaster Festus
+*[[Norman]]
+*[[Robot Santa's Elves]]
+*[[Rat Man]]
+*[[Richard M. Nixon|President Richard Nixon's head]]
+*[[Robo-Puppy]]
+*[[Robot Elders]]
+*[[R.J.]]
+*[[Sheldon]]
+*[[Sinclair 2K]]
+*[[Singing Wind]]
+*[[Smitty]]
+*[[The Dark One]]
+*[[The Zookeeper]]
+*[[Treedledum]]
+*[[Vladimir]]
+*[[Zapp Brannigan]]
+== Video ==
-West revealed on the [[October 4]] [[2006]] edition of ''[[The Adam Carolla Show]]'' that he was diagnosed with [[prostate]] [[cancer]].  He said it was the scariest moment of his life, especially since he considered himself a healthy person.  West had surgery to eliminate the cancer, and the crew of the show commented on how good he looked, considering that the surgery had taken place only two weeks prior.<ref>[http://adamradio.wordpress.com/2006/10/04/adam-with-billy-west-tommy-la-sorta-and-dimitri-martin/ The Adam Carolla Show Blog]. Accessed November 1, 2006.</ref>
+[[File:Billy West - Futurama Voices|425px]]<br />
+''An example of Billy West doing some of his more famous voices''.
-== Major roles ==
+[[Category:Actors|West]]
-{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
+[[Category:Futurama]]
-|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
-| '''Year''' || '''Title''' || '''Role''' || '''Other notes'''
-|-
-|rowspan="2"| [[2007]] || ''[[Futurama: Bender's Big Score]]'' || Philip J. Fry<br>Professor Hubert Farnsworth<br>Dr. John Zoidberg<br>Captain Zapp Brannigan<br>Additional characters || Voice only<br>[[Direct-to-video]]<br>[[Animated movie]]<br>[[Post-production]]
-|-
-| ''[[TMNT (2007 film)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT)]]'' || Various characters || Voice only<br>[[Post-production]]
-|-
-|rowspan="3"| [[2006]] || ''[[Bah, Humduck%21 A Looney Tunes Christmas|Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas]]'' || Bugs Bunny<br>Elmer Fudd || Voice only<br>[[Direct-to-video]]<br>[[Animated movie]]
-|-
-| ''[[Queer_Duck#The_Movie|Queer Duck: The Movie]]'' || Bi-Polar Bear || Voice only<br>[[Direct-to-video]]<br>[[Animated movie]]
-|-
-| ''[[Curious George (film)|Curious George]]'' || Manager || Voice only<br>[[Animated movie]]
-|-
-|rowspan="3"| [[2005]] || ''[[Tom %26 Jerry and the Fast and the Furry|Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry]]'' || Biff Buzzard<br>President of Hollywood<br>Squirty || Voice only<br>[[Direct-to-video]]<br>[[Animated movie]]
-|-
-| ''[[The Proud Family Movie]]'' || Board Member<br>Cab Driver || Voice only<br>[[Animated movie|Animated]] [[Television movie]]
-|-
-| ''[[Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars]]'' || Major Biff Buzzard || Voice only<br>[[Direct-to-video]]<br> [[Animated movie]]
-|-
-|rowspan="2"| [[2004]] || ''[[Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy]]'' || Popeye<br>Pappy || Voice only<br>[[Direct-to-video]]<br>[[Computer-animated]] movie
-|-
-| ''[[Comic Book: The Movie]]'' || Leo Matuzik || [[Direct-to-video]]<br>[[Live action]]
-|-
-| [[2003]] || ''[[Looney Tunes: Back in Action]]'' || Elmer Fudd<br>Peter Lorre || Voice only
-|-
-|rowspan="2"| [[2002]] || ''[[Crank Yankers]]'' || Confucious<br>Moo Shu || Voice only
-|-
-| ''[[Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring]]'' || Freddie || Voice only<br>[[Direct-to-video]]<br>[[Animated movie]]
-|-
-| rowspan="2"| [[2001]] || ''[[Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (film)|Jimmy Neutron:Boy Genius]]'' || Various characters || Voice only<br>[[Animated movie]]
-|-
-| ''[[The Oblongs]]'' || George Klimer<br>Anita Bidet<br>Additional characters || Voice only<br>[[Animated series]]
-|-
-| [[1999]]-[[2003]] || ''[[Futurama (TV series)|Futurama]]'' || Philip J. Fry<br>Professor Hubert Farnsworth<br>Dr. John Zoidberg<br>Captain Zapp Brannigan<br>Additional characters || Voices only<br>[[Animated series]]
-|-
-| rowspan="4"| [[1999]] || ''[[Rayman: The Animated Series]]'' || Rayman || Voice only<br>[[Animated series]]
-|-
-| ''[[Olive, the Other Reindeer]]'' || Mr. Eskimo || Voice only<br>[Animated movie|Animated]] [[Television movie]]
-|-
-| ''[[The New Woody Woodpecker Show]]'' || Woody Woodpecker<br>Wally Walrus<br>Smedley<br>Doug Knutts || voice only<br>[[Animated series]]
-|-
-| ''[[Queer Duck]]'' || Bi-Polar Bear<br>Other characters || voice only<br>[[Animated series]]
-|-
-| [[1998]] || ''[[Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island]]'' || Norville "Shaggy" Rogers || Voice only<br>[[Direct-to-video]]<br>[[Animated movie]]
-|-
-| rowspan="2"| [[1997]] || ''[[Extreme Ghostbusters]]'' || Slimer<br>Mayor McShane || Voice only<br>[[Animated series]]
-|-
-|  ''[[The Weird Al Show]]''  || Show announcer || [[Television series]]
-|-
-| rowspan="3"| [[1996]] || ''[[Space Jam]]'' || Bugs Bunny<br>Elmer Fudd || Voice only<br>[[Live action]]/[[Animated movie]]
-|-
-| ''[[Joe's Apartment]]'' || Ralph Roach || Voice only
-|-
-| ''[[Project G.e.e.K.e.R.]]'' || GeeKeR || Voice only<br>[[Animated series]]
-|-
-| [[1991]]-[[1996|96]] || ''[[The Ren and Stimpy Show]]'' || Stimpson J. "Stimpy" Cat (1991-1996)<br>Ren Hoek (1993-1996)<br>Mr. Horse (1993-1996) || Voice only<br>[[Animated series]]
-|-
-| [[1991]]-[[1994|94]] || ''[[Doug]]'' || Doug Funnie (1991-1994)<br>Roger Klotz(1991-1994) || Voice Only<br>until sell of series to [[Disney]].<br>[[Animated series]]
-|}
-==Other Media==
-===Radio===
-Throughout the 1980s, Billy West provided character voices on [[Charles Laquidara]]'s ''Big Mattress]] radio show on Boston's [[WBCN]]. From [[1990]]-[[1995]], West provided ''[[The Howard Stern Show]]'' with character voices such as [[Marge Schott]], [[Larry Fine]], [[Jackie Martling]], [[Tube Bar|Red]], Ray Stern (Howard Stern's mom), [[Leona Helmsley]] and the [[Greaseman]].
-===Commercial Television===
-Billy West was the announcer of the program ''[[Screen Gems Network]]'' which ran from 1999-2001.
-Over his career, Billy West has voiced multiple characters in television commercials.
-These include (but are not limited to):
-* The red [[M&M's|M&M]].
-* [[Honey Nut Cheerios#Mascot and promotions|BuzzBee]], the honey nut bee for [[Honey Nut Cheerios]].
-* An alien for [[Pentium 4]].
-* ''Speed Racer'' for [[Volkswagen]].
-===Video games===
-West's talents have also extended into the realm of [[video game|video games]]. Characters most notably voiced by West are perhaps [[Bugs Bunny]] and [[Elmer Fudd]] in numerous [[Looney Tunes]] video games.
-Other video game characters voiced by Billy West include:
-* Philip J. Fry, Professor Hubert Farnsworth, and Dr. John Zoidberg in ''[[Futurama (video game)|Futurama]]'' ([[2003]]).
-* Ninja in ''[[I-Ninja]]'' (2003).
-* Nash and Zam in [[Crash Nitro Kart]] (2003).
-* Rayman's sidekick/guide Murfy in ''[[Rayman 3]]'' (2003).
-* Muttley and L'il Gruesome in ''[[Wacky Races Starring Dick Dastardly and Muttley (PS2 Game)|Wacky Races]]'' ([[2001]]).
-* Voice of [[Red]], the red [[M&M's|M&M]] in ''M&Ms: The Lost Formulas'' ([[2000]]).
-==Quotes==
-* "I pretty much felt I did all that I could with the character. I was ready to move on to different projects and opportunities." -On why he didn't continue voicing Doug Funnie when the show moved to ABC and became ''[[Disney's Doug]]''.
-* "I didn't even tell my mom about this junk until I was out of the woods. The whole thing just snuck up on me but never, ever did I play the victim or bemoan my fate. Life is for the living. I was a little scared before surgery 'cause of the release you sign that says there's always a very small percent chance that you'll die during the operation." - On his scare with prostate cancer. [http://billywest.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2981&PN=7&TPN=2 ''Posted on October 4th, 2006 by Billy West''] in his [http://billywest.com/forum ''fan forum''].
-== Trivia ==
-* West and Joe Alaskey are the best known voice actors who can impersonate [[Mel Blanc]] in his prime, including characterizations of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and other characters from Warner Bros. cartoons.
-* West's favorite characters that he voices are [[Philip J. Fry]] and [[Stimpy]].<ref>[http://www.billywest.com/index4.htm Billy West F.A.Q.]. Accessed October 26, 2006.</ref>
-* According to the commentary for the ''[[Invader Zim]]'' pilot episode and [[Richard Steven Horvitz|Richard Horvitz's]] interview on the first Zim [[DVD]], West was originally cast to provide the voice of [[Zim (Invader Zim)|Zim]] on the series, but the part was given to Horvitz instead. It was also disclosed on the DVD commentary that series creator [[Jhonen Vasquez]] disliked using Billy's voice as it reminded him of other cartoons, notably ''Futurama''.
-* West is also a [[singer-songwriter]] with a [[musical band|band]] called '''Billy West and The Grief Counsellors'''.
-* West briefly worked on the short-lived internet show, [http://www.billybastard.com ''Billy Bastard: Amateur Human Professional Asshole''].
-* West has been the voice talent for close to 120 different characters.
-* Recently, ''[[Futurama]]'' has been renewed for 13 new episodes. West is confirmed to reprise his original roles.  He also is an occasional contributor to ''The Adam Carolla Show'', a syndicated morning radio show that replaced Howard Stern's show along West Coast American cities.
-* West voiced the "Speed Racer" character in a late-1990's advertisement for Volkswagen's GTI, supposedly because the commercial's producers couldn't locate Peter Fernandez, the original voice of Speed.  However, the producers did locate Corinne Orr, the original voice for both the "Trixie" and "Spritle" characters.