If you knew who did the voice over acting for many of the commercials you watch you might be surprised. A lot of them won’t show their faces so it’s their voices you’ll have to hear to guess who it is. With some actors and actresses it’s very easy to tell, but others can alter their voice just enough that you really have to listen in order to distinguish them from any other voice actor. A few of them might actually surprise you they’re so good at it.
Here are just a few actors that have lent their voice to various products.
5. Fred Savage – Honda
So this is post-Wonder Years, when his voice has finally reached its appropriate level and no longer squeaks occasionally. Fred Savage hasn’t done a whole lot with his career but he hasn’t been idle either. Aside from being in Austin Powers: Goldmember, he’s also made several TV appearances as well and been kept rather busy. As of now he is supposedly going to be Honda’s new spokesperson.
4. Robert Downey Jr. – Planters Peanuts
Given the cocky attitude of Mr. Peanut it’s not too surprising that the role went to Robert Downey Jr. After all, this is the guy that still plays Tony Stark to such an awesome degree. He’s got attitude he hasn’t even tapped yet and it shows in this little TV spot. Why Downey would even bother doing voice acting though with all the roles he takes on is kind of odd, but it is nice to see him diversify.
3. Ed Harris – Home Depot
Some might say that Ed Harris has a very distinctive voice and isn’t hard to place. But he’s also one of those actors you really have to get into, otherwise you might know the voice but his name could elude you for a little while. He’s been a very successful actor throughout his career and it’s no wonder why someone would want to use his voice for any commercial given that it’s rough enough to be convincing and yet steady and neutral enough to be pleasing to the ear.
2. John Goodman – Dunkin Donuts
This is another actor that a lot people can recognize by his voice if they’ve ever watched Roseanne or any of his many films. If you don’t really keep up on his acting career though you might have missed him for a while simply because he is one of those actors that’s been known to fall off the radar by doing small roles and taking on lesser known projects. The great thing about John Goodman is that whenever he comes back it’s like he never left, he just picks up and gets it going again.
1. Will Arnett – GMC
Now this might be the one that stumps people. Will Arnett is very well known to many fans and as such his voice can be very distinctive. In many truck commercials however you might note that the man doing the voice over tends to put a bit of a growl into his voice during part of it. Whether this is because trucks are thought to be a man thing or whatever, that throaty growl kind of mask’s Arnett’s usual tone and makes it kind of difficult to equate the voice with the man.
Voice over jobs seem more like a way to pass the time for some actors, but it could also be a way for them to unwind and kick back between jobs.
