Josh Robert Thompson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Josh Robert Thompson
Thompson in 2021
Born	(1975-03-11) March 11, 1975 (age 50)
Occupation	Actor comedian
Years active	2000–present
Known for	The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson The Howard Stern Show

Josh Robert Thompson (born March 11, 1975) is an American actor and comedian. He is famous for his amazing voice impressions of many well-known people. You might know his voice from The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, where he was the voice of the robot sidekick Geoff Peterson. He also does celebrity impressions on shows like Family Guy and The Howard Stern Show.

Josh Thompson can sound just like Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Donald Trump. On The Kelly Clarkson Show, he uses his Morgan Freeman voice to play "God," the game announcer. He also performs stand-up comedy and has toured with Craig Ferguson.

Early Life and Acting Beginnings

Growing Up in Ohio

Josh Thompson was born on March 11, 1975. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. He learned a lot about acting by watching classic TV shows. He loved seeing how actors could become different characters.

When he was eight, his grandmother gave him a tape recorder. He used it to make his own radio shows, doing all the voices himself. The next year, he acted in a play called Peter Pan in Cleveland.

High School and Moving to Los Angeles

In high school, Josh had a small part in the play Oklahoma!. When he delivered his one line, the audience laughed and clapped. He realized then that he loved performing. He and his friends started making their own short films and TV-style shows. He finished high school in 1993.

A few years later, Thompson moved to Los Angeles. He performed on local TV and did stand-up comedy. He also studied TV, Radio, and Film Production at California State University, Fullerton. He uses his middle name, Robert, professionally because another "Josh Thompson" was already a registered actor.

Career Highlights

Radio Appearances and Famous Impressions

Josh Thompson's impression of Arnold Schwarzenegger first became famous in 2003. He pretended to be Schwarzenegger and called into a TV show called Fox & Friends. The hosts believed it was really the governor for a short time!

This prank caught the attention of The Howard Stern Show. Thompson's "Fake Arnold" impression became a regular part of the show. He also did other voices like Robert De Niro and Michael Jackson on different radio shows.

The Howard Stern Show Pranks

In 2005, Thompson's "Fake Arnold" character joked about a plan to "blow up the moon." A TV host named Joe Scarborough actually believed it and talked about it on his show! He later apologized when he found out it was a joke.

In 2006, Thompson tricked Star Trek actor George Takei. Takei thought he was talking to Governor Schwarzenegger on the phone. This prank was so good that it was named one of the best moments on the show that year. Thompson has continued to make appearances on the show, doing various voice impressions.

Television Work

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

In 2007, Josh Thompson appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as Governor Schwarzenegger. He became a regular on the show, doing impressions of Robert De Niro and providing the voice of Morgan Freeman.

Starting in 2010, Thompson became the voice of Geoff Peterson, Craig Ferguson's robot skeleton sidekick. At first, he used pre-recorded clips. But by 2011, he started performing Geoff's voice live on almost every episode. He even did Geoff's voice when the show traveled to Paris, France.

Thompson often used his other impressions while voicing Geoff. He even did his Morgan Freeman impression for Freeman himself when the actor was a guest on the show. Freeman gave Thompson's impression a "thumbs-up" and called it "outstanding."

In 2014, Thompson also took over voicing Sandra Peterson, a remote-controlled rhinoceros head on the show. Craig Ferguson has called Thompson a "comedic genius." After The Late Late Show ended in 2014, Thompson returned in 2015 to perform stand-up comedy.

The Josh Robert Thompson Show

In 2015, Thompson started an online campaign to help fund a pilot episode for his own show, The Josh Robert Thompson Show. His fans helped him raise over $51,000, which was more than his goal!

The audio for the pilot was mixed at Skywalker Ranch, a famous studio. Ben Burtt, a well-known sound designer, even watched some of the process. He thought Thompson's George Lucas sketch was very funny. Thompson later shared his pilot episode on social media in 2018.

Voice Acting in Cartoons and Movies

Since 2011, Thompson has voiced many characters in popular animated shows like Family Guy, American Dad!, and Skylanders Academy. He also appeared on The Cleveland Show. Since 2017, he has been the announcer for the Writers Guild of America Awards.

You can hear his Morgan Freeman impression as "God" on The Kelly Clarkson Show during their game segments.

Josh Thompson has also lent his voice to movies. He was the narrator in Yogi Bear (2010) and voiced characters in The Angry Birds Movie (2016) and The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature (2017). He also had on-camera roles in films like Nowhere Girl (2014).

Other Projects

Thompson has appeared in advertisements, including one for More Than insurance where he did his Morgan Freeman impression as a character named "More Than Freeman."

In 2018, he starred in a web series called "F#cking 40," which won "Best Web Series" at a film festival. In 2025, he made a guest appearance on Red Letter Media’s "Wheel of the Worst" series.

Original Characters

Besides his impressions, Josh Thompson has created his own unique characters. These include a TV preacher called the Rev. Apostle BG, a gay cabaret singer named Robin Sooper, Gary the Ogre, and Snorky Lopez, a Mexican raccoon.

Filmography

Television Roles

Film Roles

Video Game Roles