Jess Harnell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jess Harnell
Harnell in 2013
Born	(1963-12-23) December 23, 1963 (age 61) Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Voice actor
Years active	1987–present
Spouse(s)	Cara Leanne ​ (m. 2019)​
Parent(s)	Joe Harnell (father)
Musical career
Genres	Heavy metal hard rock
Instruments	Vocals

Jess Harnell, born on December 23, 1963, is a talented American voice actor. You've probably heard his voice in many of your favorite cartoons, movies, and video games! He's famous for bringing characters like Wakko Warner from Animaniacs to life. He also voiced Captain Hero in Drawn Together and was the voice of Ironhide in the first three Transformers movies. Plus, he's the voice of the main character in the Crash Bandicoot video game series. Since 1998, Jess Harnell has also been the announcer for America's Funniest Home Videos.

Early Life and Beginnings

Jess Harnell was born in Englewood, New Jersey, and grew up in a nearby town called Teaneck. His dad, Joe Harnell, was a jazz composer, so Jess grew up around music and creativity.

A Career in Voices

Jess Harnell started his amazing voice acting journey in 1989.

Early Voice Roles

• One of his first big jobs was voicing Br'er Rabbit and other animals for the Splash Mountain ride at Disneyland Park. He continued to voice Br'er Rabbit in other Disney projects, like the Kinect: Disneyland Adventures video game.
• In 1993, he became the voice of Wakko Warner in the popular cartoon Animaniacs. He also voiced Secret Squirrel in 2 Stupid Dogs.
• He also became the singing voice for the father character in the Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress attraction.
• From 1994 to 1996, he voiced characters like Sewer Urchin and Chief Louder in The Tick.

More Famous Characters

• In 1996, Jess Harnell voiced Hunter in Road Rovers.
• He also voiced Rudy's father, Joe Tabootie, in the Nickelodeon show ChalkZone.
• You might know his voice as Crash Bandicoot in several video games, including Crash Tag Team Racing and Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy.
• He was also the voice of Spyro the Dragon in some of his video games.
• He voiced Jerry in the first two seasons of Totally Spies! and Dr. Finkelstein in The Nightmare Before Christmas video games.
• In 2001, he was the singing voice of Buster in Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure.
• He voiced Captain Hero in the animated comedy Drawn Together.
• He also voices Wooton Bassett and Bennett Charles in the radio drama Adventures in Odyssey.

Transformers and Beyond

• In 2007, Jess Harnell voiced two important characters in the live-action Transformers movie: Ironhide (an Autobot) and Barricade (a Decepticon). This made him the only voice actor to play both a good guy and a bad guy in that film!
• He continued to voice Ironhide in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and Barricade in Transformers: The Last Knight.
• He also voiced a character in the Disney-Pixar movie Up.
• From 2013 to 2018, he provided the voice and singing voice for Cedric the Sorcerer in Sofia the First.
• He also voiced The Cowardly Lion in Lego Dimensions and the Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz TV show.

Music Career

Besides voice acting, Jess Harnell is also a talented musician.

• In 1995, he released his only solo album, The Sound of Your Voice.
• He is the lead singer for the band Rock Sugar, which is known for mixing pop and metal songs together. With Rock Sugar, he has released several albums, including Festival of Fire and Reimaginator.

Personal Life

Jess Harnell married his girlfriend, Cara Leanne, on November 19, 2019.

Voice Roles in Movies

Jess Harnell has lent his voice to many animated and live-action films. Here are some highlights:

• Yakko's World: An Animaniacs Singalong (1994) as Wakko Warner
• Casper (1995) for Casper's Arnold Schwarzenegger impression
• Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996) as Fat Thief
• A Bug's Life (1998) as Bus Beetle
• Wakko's Wish (1999) as Wakko Warner
• Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (2001) as Buster (singing voice)
• Finding Nemo (2003) as Seagulls
• Robots (2005 video game) as Rodney Copperbottom
• Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006) as Male Macrauchenia
• Transformers (2007) as Ironhide and Barricade
• Horton Hears a Who! (2008) as Another Who
• Up (2009) as Nurse AJ
• Toy Story 3 (2010) as Army Man
• Wreck-It Ralph (2012) as Don
• Monsters University (2013) as Fraternity Brother
• Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and others
• The Secret Life of Pets (2016) as Papillon
• Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (2017) as Grandpa Joe
• Once Upon a Studio (2023) as Scuttle

Voice Roles in Television Shows

Jess Harnell has voiced characters in many TV shows, including:

• Animaniacs (1993–1998, 2020–2023) as Wakko Warner
• 2 Stupid Dogs (1993) as Secret Squirrel
• Road Rovers (1996) as Hunter
• The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper (1996–1998) as Fatso
• America's Funniest Home Videos (1998–present) as Himself (Announcer)
• Totally Spies! (2001–2004) as Jerry
• ChalkZone (2002–2004) as Joe Tabootie
• Duck Dodgers (2003–2005) as Tosh Gopher
• Drawn Together (2004–2007) as Captain Hero
• The Super Hero Squad Show (2009–2011) as Odin and Hercules
• Special Agent Oso (2010–2012) as Professor Buffo
• Doc McStuffins (2012–2020) as Chilly
• Sofia the First (2012–2018) as Cedric the Sorcerer
• Rick and Morty (2013) as Scary Terry
• The 7D (2014–2016) as Grim Gloom
• Elena of Avalor (2016–2020) as King Hector
• Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz (2017–2020) as Cowardly Lion
• Batwheels (2022–2023) as Oswald Cobblepot / Penguin

Voice Roles in Video Games

Jess Harnell has also voiced many characters in video games:

• NASCAR Rumble (1999) as In-Game Commentator
• Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (2001) as Lo-Lo
• Kingdom Hearts (2002) as Dr. Finkelstein
• Finding Nemo (2003) as Marlin and Bruce
• Spyro: A Hero's Tail (2004) as Spyro
• Crash Tag Team Racing (2005) as Crash Bandicoot
• Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (2007) as Smuggler and Plumber
• Crash of the Titans (2007) as Crash Bandicoot
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) as Ironhide
• Kinect: Disneyland Adventures (2011) as Br'er Rabbit
• Skylanders: Swap Force (2013) as Blast Zone
• Lego Dimensions (2015) as The Cowardly Lion
• Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (2017) as Crash Bandicoot
• Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (2019) as Crash Bandicoot
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (2021) as Skidd
• Return to Monkey Island (2022) as LeChuck
• Disney Dreamlight Valley (2023) as Maui

Voice Roles in Theme Parks

You can hear Jess Harnell's voice in theme park attractions too:

• Splash Mountain (1989, 1992) as Br'er Rabbit and other characters
• Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin (1994) as Roger Rabbit
• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage (2007) as Marlin
• Transformers: The Ride 3D (2011) as Ironhide

Soundtrack Appearances

Jess Harnell has also sung on many soundtracks for shows and movies:

• Taz-Mania (1991–1995) - Theme song vocalist
• Animaniacs (1993–1999) - Wakko (singing many songs like "Wakko's America")
• Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (2001) - Buster ("Junkyard Society Rag")
• The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge (2005) - Dr. Finkelstein ("Dr. Finklestein's Song")
• Doc McStuffins (2012) - Chilly ("You Can Do It")
• Sofia the First (2013) - Cedric (all songs)

See also

In Spanish: Jess Harnell para niños