Voice acting can be a tricky business to make a name for yourself in. Unlike live-action performances where your face is always on the screen, there is a certain level of anonymity that comes with voice-over performances. Of course, while those who closely follow the voice acting industry (not to mention casting agents) are sure to know who these people are, a particular performer could voice a whole murderers' row of beloved characters, and a good portion of the audience could likely go their whole lives without realizing it's all the same person.
Some voice actors have transcended this, becoming so iconic that it'd almost be remiss for you not to know their names. One major example is Kevin Conroy, who famously voiced the Dark Knight in Batman: The Animated Series. And lest we forget Tara Strong, or even Star Wars' Mark Hamill, who experienced a career renaissance thanks to the voice-over sphere. However, if there is one more voice actor who absolutely deserves to be a household name of this caliber, it's Phil LaMarr.
LaMarr has been one of the most prolific voice actors in the game for the better part of the last three decades. He has portrayed so many iconic characters across various different projects and genres in that time, it's honestly a shock that while he is certainly revered in the world of animation, more mainstream audiences and critics have yet to fully embrace him as being one of the greatest performers of all time -- something he certainly deserves. Because if you grew up in the 1990s, 2000s or even the 2010s, chances are you grew up with Phil LaMarr in one way or another.
LaMarr's career in the world of television voice acting began in 1984 when he portrayed the character of Woody on NBC's Mister T cartoon. He largely disappeared from the animated television scene until the '90s, when he began what would become a meteoric rise in the industry. During this period in time, LaMarr played smalls roles on such TV shows as Johnny Bravo and The Wild Thornberrys, and would even go on to voice multiple characters on King of the Hill. In 1999, he landed a job on Futurama as Planet Express bureaucrat Hermes Conrad, which has gone on to become one of his most iconic roles. Shortly thereafter, he also began playing Ollie Williams on Family Guy.
After appearing on a few more shows, LaMarr landed his very first lead role in an animated television series in 2000, playing the character of Virgil Hawkins/Static on Static Shock. Of course, that was far from the only time he would voice a superhero. One year later in 2001, LaMarr began voicing Green Lantern John Stewart, on Justice League, later reprising the role for Justice League Unlimited. LaMarr has voiced many other comic book characters over the years, such as Robbie Robertson on The Spectacular Spider-Man, Gambit on Wolverine and the X-Men and Aquaman on Young Justice. However, his time playing the Green Lantern is what many comic fans are likely to remember him for, and rightly so, given the intensity he brought to the role.
Before we get too far away from 2001, you can't really talk about the career of Phil LaMarr without talking about Samurai Jack. Another one of the voice actor's early leading roles on television, LaMarr voiced the eponymous protagonist of Genndy Tartakovsky's beloved action cartoon, which originally ran from 2001 to 2004, before seeing a revival in 2017.
LaMarr has also played a major role in the Star Wars canon. On the fan-favorite animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, LaMarr voiced the character of Jedi Master Kit Fisto, as well as Bail Organa. He would later reprise his role as Princess Leia's adoptive father in Star Wars Rebels. And though he's already portrayed numerous iconic animated characters, LaMarr shows no signs of stopping, and his voice remains a TV fixture to this very day -- appearing on such shows as Rick and Morty, Craig of the Creek, The Jellies! and Harley Quinn.
Bear in mind, all of LaMarr's famous roles listed here still only make up a fraction of his voice acting catalog. Going into every single animated role he's ever played would probably take days. That said, some others that do bear mentioning just to convey the impressive scope of his career are Black Vulcan on Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Hector Con Carne and Dracula on The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, the Earth King on Avatar: The Last Airbender, Bolbi Stroganofsky on The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and, of course, Wilt on Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends -- a character who would go on to become the focus of a made-for-TV movie.
On top of all of that, LaMarr's career in the world of animated television is only half the story. In addition to playing in numerous animated films, the actor has also managed to carve out a nice career for himself in both live-action TV shows and movies. In fact, LaMarr is probably just as well known in comedy circles for his time starring in and writing for Mad TV as he is in superhero circles for his time as Static or the Green Lantern. Over the years, he also made appearances on programs such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Lucifer and Supergirl. Plus, we can't forget his role as Marvin in director Quentin Tarantino's legendary 1994 film Pulp Fiction, or even his uncredited cameo in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2. And even that still leaves his extensive resume of work in the world of video games. Simply put, this is someone who really has done it all.
So, the next time you find yourself in a conversation regarding some of the best voice actors in the animation industry -- or even just the best actors in general -- be sure to give Phil LaMarr a mention. Because you can just about guarantee that any person you talk to will know exactly who he is, even if they don't realize it at first.