Summary

• Celebrity voice actors often face criticism for being seen as a publicity gimmick, but some surprise performances excel in their roles without relying on their fame.
• Vin Diesel's deep, resonant voice brought childlike wonder to the Iron Giant, while Mark Hamill's portrayal of the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series is considered one of the best.
• Serena Williams made a cameo in Avatar: The Last Airbender, James Woods provided a charismatic take on Hades in Hercules, and Ron Perlman's voice captured the threat of The Lich in Adventure Time.

Many classic animated series over the years have featured voice performances from talent famous for other endeavors. Celebrity voice actors are often criticized by fans of animated mediums, their presence being seen as a gimmick to stir up publicity. Voice acting is also a very different beast from traditional acting, and the two skills don't always overlap as easily as one would think. Not only that, but a voice cast laden with big names often draws roles away from prominent voice actors who could have otherwise gotten the role. That said, some surprising performances avoided those issues.

Some celebrity voice actors not only excel in their roles, however, but aren't even used as a main selling point. Despite being famous, many voice actors are chosen for their skill instead, their reputation only being ancillary to their ability to perform. Though a well-known name in the credits always goes far, many notable voice roles for animated characters over the years have quietly had famous origins, including in some of the best animated shows and movies of all time.

10 Vin Diesel as The Iron Giant

The Iron Giant is an animated classic, headed by Brad Bird. Famous for creating other notable family-friendly animated films such as Ratatouille and The Incredibles, Bird had a unique challenge in casting voice work for the Iron Giant. While he doesn't say more than a few words at a time, the Iron Giant needed a voice that was deep, yet friendly, and unmistakably metallic.

Luckily, Vin Diesel was able to provide these unique qualities in spades. His ability to capture the robot's trademark childlike wonder with the deep, resonant voice of a giant helped propel the film into critical acclaim. Diesel would go on to provide voice work for more alien characters with a limited vocabulary, playing Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy. Still, the Iron Giant remains one of Vin Diesel's best movie roles.

9 Mark Hamill as The Joker

Batman: The Animated Series is known for being the greatest animated Batman show of all time. Remaining the definitive version of Batman in the eyes of many, the series is responsible for many innovations that have gone on to become staples in other Batman media, including the creation of Harley Quinn and the addition of Mr. Freeze's tragic backstory. But the animated series is also known for bringing to life one of the most iconic versions of the Joker, with the help of Mark Hamill.

Better known for playing Luke in the original Star Wars series as well as its sequels, Hamill playing such a villainous character may come as a shock to some. But Hamill excelled in the role, often acting in the sound booth as though he were on set, incorporating physicality into his performances that the animators would sometimes use for reference. Mark Hamill's trademark spine-chilling laugh made him not only a fantastic voice for the clown prince of crime but one of the best portrayals of the Joker of all time.

8 Christian Bale as Howl

Few actors can claim to possess the range of Christian Bale, his career spanning everything from serial killers to iconic superheroes. But his voice roles may not be too popular, even though where he's equally capable of transforming into a diverse roster of characters. One of the most surprising is Christian Bale's role in 2004's Howl's Moving Castle, the classic Studio Ghibli film.

The English dub of an anime film is not a usual place to find such a prolific Hollywood actor. Christian Bale requested a part in any Ghibli role headed by legendary director Hayao Miyazaki after seeing his previous film, Spirited Away. To his amazement, and that of anime fans, Bale was given the role of the titular Howl, channeling his enthusiasm into the charming young wizard's personality.

7 Diedrich Bader as Judah

Bojack Horseman is one of the most critically acclaimed animated series to come out of the last decade, roping in big names like Will Arnett and Aaron Paul to voice prominent characters over multiple seasons. The Netflix series is no stranger to niche celebrity cameos, but one minor character has an actor no one would suspect at first listen. Judah, the assistant to hotshot agent (and humanoid cat) Princess Carolyn, was voiced by Diedrich Bader, who originally got his start in the sitcom The Drew Carey Show.

Though Judah stands out among the cast of Bojack Horseman as a calm, unemotional, efficient professional in a world of dramatic creatives, previous roles his actor has taken are far from this description. Diedrich Bader is known by millennials as Lawrence in the hit comedy Office Space, a crass construction worker who serves as a foil to the sterile purgatory of white-collar office work: the exact setting Judah excels in. Judah gains a more prominent role as the series goes on, even marrying Princess Carolyn in the series finale.

6 Serena Williams Played A Minor Role In Avatar: The Last Airbender

While it originally aired as a children's cartoon on Nickelodeon, Avatar: The Last Airbender is highly regarded as one of the greatest animated series of all time by fans and critics alike. Avatar: The Last Airbender frequently hired screen actors for their voices, a tradition carried over by its sequel series, The Legend of Korra. But one little-known cameo in the series is instead a famous athlete, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Serena Williams.

Williams was reportedly a huge fan of the series and reached out looking to lend her voice to a minor role. In the show's third season, she got her wish, playing a prison guard, Ming, who is spared a beating by fan-favorite Uncle Iroh after he breaks out of prison due to her small acts of kindness to him. To this day, the tennis star is invested enough in the franchise to debate the lore with fans on Twitter.

5 Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon

The cast of James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy is nothing short of legendary, delighting audiences with its ragtag team of sci-fi misfits and becoming a flagship series within the MCU. Yet one actor, Bradley Cooper, is frequently forgotten in this lineup, due to his role being exclusive voiceover work. That doesn't make his involvement any less important, however, as his energetic boisterousness and cynicism are a key point in the delicate balance of the Guardians' dynamic.

Bradley Cooper's movie career has seen leading roles in films like American Sniper, The Hangover, and Limitless. Part of Cooper's relative lack of recognition in the role is his ability to dive deep into the character, burying his personality and voice within the harsh stylings of Rocket Raccoon. Guardian of the Galaxy Vol. 3 brings Rocket to the forefront more to explore his origins, a testament to Cooper's ability to not let his fame overcome the character.

4 James Woods as Hades

A prominent actor of the late 80s and early 90s, James Woods made a name for himself in a slew of genre films, such as Vampires and Casino. Later, he would break into the TV landscape alongside Meryl Streep with work in the acclaimed NBC historical drama Holocaust. Yet one of Woods' most famous, yet little-attributed roles was his time as a Disney Villain, playing the god of the underworld Hades in Hercules.

James Woods put an interesting take on a Disney villain, eschewing the typical menacing personality for a more charismatic, fast-talking approach. Many of the actors who auditioned for the role opted for the former, but Woods was able to wow Disney with his unique take on the ruler of the dead. Woods would frequently emphasize the fun he had with Hades, going on to return as the character in multiple Disney spin-offs.

3 Ron Perlman as The Lich

Adventure Time began life in 2010 as a lighthearted cartoon that primarily focused on humor. Later, the series would mature to include genuine stakes, deep world-building, and more weighty emotional messages. No character better marks this transformation than The Lich, a recurring villain played by Ron Perlman. The most evil character in the franchise, The Lich is an undead monstrosity seeking to obliterate all life on the planet and needed a voice to match.

Better known for playing the titular hero in Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy in live-action, Perlman does have an impressive record as a voice actor. The cast of characters under his belt is so fast that he claims to not have ed voicing The Lich. Though he may not his performance, it excellently captured the threat of the undead being, the few words he speaks during his scant appearances throughout the series carrying the necessary weight of a world-ending threat.

2 Michael Cera as Brother Bear

Few actors have been as typecast as Michael Cera. Whether acting in big-budget films such as Scott Pilgrim vs. The World or on T.V. shows like Arrested Development, Michael Cera is infamous for more often than not playing the part of an awkward teen or young adult. What's not often recognized is Cera's start in voice acting, playing Brother Bear in 2003's The Berenstain Bears animated series at the tender age of 15. Sure enough, Brother Bear is something of a socially inept pushover as well.

Michael Cera had begun acting at a young age, appearing on-screen in commercials, little-known films, and other animated ventures such as Braceface all before the age of 18. Based on the beloved book series of the same name, The Berenstain Bears show's animation studio was based in Cera's home country of Canada, remaining relatively faithful to the source material. Cera's involvement in the show is possibly the second most distracting thing about the series, following the bizarre Mandela effect The Berenstain Bears has perpetuated regarding its title.

1 Orson Welles as Unicron

The legendary Orson Welles is an iconic figure in the entertainment industry. The director's legendary career is almost unbelievable, being responsible for creating Citizen Kane, widely hailed as one of the greatest films of all time, a radio play adaptation of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds that caused nationwide panic due to its realism, and putting on a version of Shakespeare's Macbeth with an all-Black cast in the 1930s. But a curious footnote in Welles' legendary career was his brief time as a giant robot, playing Unicron in 1986's Transformers: The Movie.

Being Orson Welles' final performance, he was in terrible health at the time of recording. Welles' lines as Unicron were beset with labored breathing, which the film's sound editors struggled to scrub out and overlay with the necessary robotic SFX. By all s, Welles hated the film, taking on the role despite his utter contempt for the concept of playing a giant, evil toy. Still, his credit as the world-eating transformer in a surprising voice performance was an unusual addition to the lengthy saga of his iconic career.