The Top 100 Voice Artists Of All Time

Board 8 user and moderator RySenkari did a list of who he believed to be the top 100 (English language) voiceover artists of all time. He did two seperate lists of 100: one for males, and one for females.

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#100 (Male): Dante Basco Notable roles: Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Jake Long (American Dragon: Jake Long)

While many may be chanting "Rufio!" at the mention of his name, Dante Basco has been far more well known for his voice-over roles as late, particularly when he voiced the emotionally-conflicted Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender, arguably stealing the show with his portrayal of the Fire Nation prince. Basco's ability to play both serious and comedic characters has taken him far to this point in what I'm sure will be an outstanding voice acting career. He could use a bit more range, but his distinctive voice is well suited for a variety of characters, and he's already carved out a niche in the industry.

#100 (Female): Annick Obonsawin Notable roles: Sierra (Total Drama World Tour), Inez (Cyberchase)

Annick Obonsawin's standout role to date has undoubtedly been Sierra, the creepy, neurotic stalker from Total Drama World Tour. Love her or hate her, Sierra was definitely one of the show's funniest characters, and Ms. Obonsawin's amazing performance is certainly one of the major reasons why, arguably the best voice over performance of all of 2010. With a variety of roles in a burgeoning voiceover career (Inez from Cyberchase is surprisingly adorable with Annick voicing her, and her supporting roles in cartoons like Franklin have been show-stealers as well). With such a fantastic start to her voice-over career, Annick Obonsawin may soon be one of the all-time greats.

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#99 (Male): Michael Reisz Notable roles: Matt Ishida (Digimon 01-02), Kevin Levin (Ben 10)

A talent who might be overlooked by typical voiceover enthusiasts, Michael Reisz has quietly established a fairly long resume, voicing a lot of younger male characters (most of them either troubled or simply mischievous). He has a pretty good range and has voiced characters from all over the emotional spectrum, bringing his excellent acting skills to his roles. He currently serves as the narrator for the E! network, keeping up his consistent track record of quality voicework.

#99 (Female): Jodi Forrest Notable roles: Jade (Beyond Good And Evil), Sissi Delmas (Code Lyoko)

Perhaps the most talented English language voice artist in France, Jodi Forrest is gifted with a tremendous vocal range which she brings to a variety of roles in cartoons and video games. She voices a number of characters in the cult animated hit Code Lyoko, including the bratty Sissi and the strict teacher Mrs. Hertz. Perhaps her best role, however, is that of the intrepid reporter Jade in Beyond Good And Evil, bringing an emotional involvement to the role that made her character one of the most well-received in gaming history. We're all hoping Jodi returns for the sequel.

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#98 (Male): Rino Romano Notable roles: Luis Sera (Resident Evil 4), Tuxedo Mask (Sailor Moon)

A multi-talented actor with a number of prominent roles, Rino Romano's smooth voice and skilled emotional range has brought him to a prominent place in the voice acting industry. He's one of several actors (including several on this list) to portray Batman in an animated series, taking on the role in "The Batman" on WB a few years back. He was the first and probably best Tuxedo Mask, portraying the character before leaving Canada to take on more voice acting opportunities in Los Angeles. He was outstanding as Luis Sera and the dark horse of the game, effecting a skilled accent and great comic timing to help make the character one of the series' best.

#98 (Female): Jen Taylor Notable roles: Cortana (Halo), Princess Peach (Mario series)

Jen Taylor is most well known for voicing some of the most iconic characters in video game history, including a magnificent performance as Cortana, one of the most memorable in all of gaming and a role that's received numerous deserved accolades. It's almost overshadowed her roles with Nintendo, where she's done an outstanding job over many games as the sweet, pretty voice of Princess Peach. Despite a limited number of roles, Jen Taylor's impressive range has scored her a spot on this list, and as the years go by and the roles keep coming in, she could climb the list even further.

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#97 (Male): Johnny Yong Bosch Notable roles: Vash the Stampede (Trigun), Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach)

Who knew a Power Ranger would become one of the most prolific voice actors in the American anime industry? While he is frequently accused of being overused, and his voice is often easy to discern in his roles, Bosch brings a high level of talent to the variety of characters he plays, expressing their varying temperaments and always seeming to have fun with his roles. His "heroic" voice is a recognizable staple of anime dubs, and directors, for good reason, seem to keep casting him again and again. He does get the occasional chance to show off a bit of range, his role as Emil in Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World was one of the more impressive performances in recent video game memory.

#97 (Female): Maryke Hendrikse Notable roles: Susan Test (Johnny Test), Lunamaria Hawke (Gundam Seed Destiny

It might be hard to pronounce her name, but it isn't hard to see Maryke's very impressive range among the numerous roles she plays, able to twist her voice into a variety of tones and flavors to suit her latest character. Though some of the shows she works on may be very unpopular (she has prominent roles on Johnny Test and Bratz), it's hard to deny the talent she brings to her many roles. Contrast a character like Lunamaria with the quirky Susan Test and you get an idea of the amount of talent she possesses. Obscure, yes, but highly skilled, and worthy of a spot on the list.

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#96 (Male): Brian Doyle-Murray Notable roles: Captain K'nuckles (Flapjack), The Flying Dutchman (Spongebob Squarepants)

Though not as well known as his little brother Bill, Brian brings his distinctive voice and similar comedic gifts to a variety of roles in a number of (usually highly quirky) comedic cartoons. His scenes as the Flying Dutchman in Spongebob are always memorable, his bit part as Jack, Hank Hill's elderly barber in King of the Hill, is disturbingly hilarious, and his performance as K'nuckles is the centerpiece of one of the most uproarious animated shows of the past few years. Though Brian Doyle-Murray may never be a big screen star, his voice roles have made him a well-loved contributor to the entertainment industry and one of voiceover acting's brightest stars.

#96 (Female): Olivia D'Abo Notable roles: Tak (Invader Zim), Luminara (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

One of two Wonder Years females to make the jump to voiceover stardom (Danica McKellar is also a rising star in the voiceover world), Olivia's jump has come as a natural extension of her musical talents. Her pretty British voice (which she disguised masterfully in her Wonder Years role) comes into full effect in her voiceover roles, she voiced Jane in the small screen series of Disney's Tarzan, and her role as Luminara in The Clone Wars brings a quiet dignity to the Jedi mistress. Her role as Tak in Invader Zim, however, may be her best, as she brings an almost psychopathic twinge to the scheming Irkan girl, making Tak's episode of Invader Zim one of the series' best, if not the best.

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#95 (Male): Sam Vincent Notable roles: Edd (Ed, Edd, and Eddy), Billy (Martin Mystery)

Sam Vincent is one of those voice actors who's gone an awful long way with mostly one voice. In this case, it's that distinct, light, nasally voice that has landed him a ton of roles as various nerdy characters over the years, most notably Edd. Still, despite a relative lack of vocal range (though he is capable of sounding a lot more deeper and mature with his voice, which is impressive when he does it), his comedic skills keep audiences laughing time and time again, and not just because his voice mostly sounds funny. As long as people are looking for hilarious nerds, Sam Vincent will have work for a long, long time.

#95 (Female): Emilie-Claire Barlow Notable roles: Sailor Venus (Sailor Moon), Courtney (Total Drama series)

Though Emilie-Claire's true talents lie in the field of jazz singing (she's legitimately one of the best female jazz singers in the world), she's parlayed that golden voice into a fantastic voiceover career, starting as Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus (she was Mars one season and Venus the next, once she became Venus she was PERFECT), and she's even shown some range, using a more matronly voice for characters like Lo's mom in Stoked. And of course, whenever she's called on to sing, she nails it right out of the park. One of the very best of the Toronto-area voice actresses.

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#94 (Male): Danny Mann Notable roles: Hector (Heathcliff), Ferdinand (Babe)

Danny Mann is an example of an actor who's done a little bit of everything, one of the most versatile and prolific actors on the list. He's been a fixture of the industry for the last 45 years, voicing everything from humans to cats to dogs and everything inbetween. He's also talented at producing animal sounds, voicing Radcliffe's pet dog in Pocahontas and providing a number of other animal sounds for series such as W.I.T.C.H., showing that Frank Welker isn't the only one to have cornered the market on animal noises. A versatile talent, Danny Mann more than deserves his spot at #94.

#94 (Female): Hilary Haag Notable roles: Hitomi (Appleseed), Riku Harada (D.N.Angel)

One of the very best at voicing cute little girls, Hilary Haag has been a very prolific figure in the anime voice dubbing community with a large number of roles to her name. She played the role of the lead character in Super Milk Chan, perhaps the funniest role of her career, though she's also been featured in a number of serious shows. Other roles she's performed include Tessa in Full Metal Panic and Becky in Pani Poni Dash. Definitely one of the funniest voice actresses in all of anime.

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#93 (Male): Glenn Shadix Notable roles: The Mayor (The Nightmare Before Christmas), The Brain (Teen Titans

A multi-talented, very quirky actor, it seemed only natural that Shadix make the jump to voice acting, and with a number of memorable roles, he more than made an impression on the voice acting community before his life was tragically cut short last year. Though his role as the two-faced Mayor in the Nightmare Before Christmas was a hilarious way to show off his talents, two of his final roles, as two of the villains of the final season of Teen Titans, were perhaps his most impressive, voicing the computerized Brain as well as the strangely smart and cultured gorilla, Monsieur Mallah. With great comedic talent and excellent range, Glenn Shadix makes the list despite his fairly short resume.

#93 (Female): Brianne Siddall Notable roles: Mithos (Tales of Symphonia), Jim Hawking (Outlaw Star)

An actress specializing in voicing younger boys, Brianne Siddall has made the most of her vocal niche and has put together an impressive resume featuring a huge number of memorable characters. One of the best at portraying a range of emotions, Brianne's voices have appeared in dozens of anime series as well as numerous video games. Though Mithos and Jim are certainly outstanding and memorable roles, Brianne's cute turn as Calumon in Digimon Tamers provided one of the most humorous and adorable episodes of the series. She also voiced a large number of Power Rangers monsters, showing off the full range of her impressive vocal talents.

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#92 (Male): Michael McConnohie Notable roles: Astaroth (Soul Calibur series), Margulis (Xenosaga series)

Another highly prolific voice actor with a long career in both anime and video games, Michael McConnohie has a distinct deep voice that has helped to land him numerous roles in all sorts of projects. He is a frequent feature in anime series, playing Charles in Code Geass, Enma in Naruto, and Big Daddy in Gungrave, among many, many, MANY other roles. He also appears in a lot of video games, doing the opening narration for Final Fantasy XI and voicing Astaroth in Soul Calibur. He's another one of those actors who may not be as well known as others in his field, but you hear him in pretty much everything and he undoubtedly enhances the voiceover industry with his fine work.

#92 (Female): Colleen Clinkenbeard Notable roles: Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece), Rachel Moore (Detective Conan)

Colleen Clinkenbeard is one of Funimation's newer voice stars, but ever since she began appearing in their shows, she's been on a roll that's shown no sign of stopping. She burst onto the scene with roles like Rachel Moore in Detective Conan/Case Closed and Riza Hawkeye in Full Metal Alchemist, already showing her intensely varied vocal range. From there, she expanded her resume and took on roles like that of Monkey D. Luffy in one Piece, perhaps her most iconic to date and a role for which she's received major accolades. She's seemingly the go-to girl for Funimation these days, but is there any wonder why? With so many roles to her credit this soon into her career, she's on her way to becoming a legend of English anime voice dubbing.

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#91 (Male): Nolan North Notable roles: Nathan Drake (Uncharted series), Superboy (Young Justice)

AKA That Guy Who's Been In Every Video Game For The Last Few Years, Nolan North has had a long voiceover career but has only really risen to prominence lately, with a series of iconic roles including his most notable, as Nathan Drake in Uncharted. But it's not only Nathan's naturally suave voice that's gotten him so much praise, it's his outstanding comic timing and gift for snarkiness that has made him video gaming's equivalent of Harrison Ford. He's also skilled whenever he's called on to do motion capture, putting his whole body to use to supplement his vocal talents. Even though some gamers might be sick of him, it's hard to hate someone as versatile and talented as Nolan North.

#91 (Female): Jessica DiCicco Notable roles: Malina (The Emperor's New Groove), Leanne (Resonance of Fate)

She might not have the longest list of roles, but Jessica DiCicco is still one of the better young stars in the voiceover industry, charming toon fans with her naturally spunky voice and her gift for comic timing, most notably audible in The Mighty B, where she plays the snarky, hip-hop loving mean girl Gwen, and as Leanne in Resonance of Fate, responding to Vashyron's sometimes pervy quips with a mixture of annoyance and precociousness, in a role that has polarized a lot of the game's fans. She's one of those actresses who you can almost always pick out, but she almost always delivers.