Maurice LaMarche facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maurice LaMarche
|
|
|---|---|
LaMarche at the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con
|
|
| Born | March 30, 1958 |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Robin G. Eisenman
(m. 1991) |
| Children | 1 |
Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor famous for bringing many cartoon characters to life. You might know him as the voice of The Brain from Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain, Egon Spengler from The Real Ghostbusters, and Kif Kroker from Futurama.
For over 40 years, he has voiced hundreds of characters in movies, TV shows, and video games. Some of his other well-known roles include Chief Quimby in Inspector Gadget, Big Bob in Hey Arnold!, and Mr. Big in the Disney movie Zootopia.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Comedy
Maurice LaMarche was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on March 30, 1958. His family moved to Timmins, Ontario, when he was a baby. As a child, LaMarche loved watching cartoons and TV shows from the 1960s.
In high school, he discovered that he was great at imitating people's voices. His friends encouraged him to perform in a school variety show. His act, where he pretended to be different celebrities working as waiters, was a big hit. This was the beginning of his journey into comedy.
Career Journey
Stand-Up Comedy
At 19, LaMarche moved to New York City to try stand-up comedy. He later moved to Los Angeles and started performing in comedy clubs across the United States. He even appeared on popular TV shows like The Merv Griffin Show.
LaMarche became a successful comedian, opening for famous performers like Rodney Dangerfield and George Carlin. However, after facing some difficult family tragedies, he decided to stop performing stand-up comedy. He felt it was time to focus on a different path and put all his energy into voice acting.
Voice Acting Career
LaMarche's voice acting career began in Canada in 1980. After moving to Los Angeles, he landed the role of Chief Quimby in Inspector Gadget. Soon after, he was cast as the voice of Egon Spengler in the popular cartoon The Real Ghostbusters.
This role made him a star in the voice-acting world. He went on to work on many hit shows, including Tiny Toon Adventures, Taz-Mania, and Batman: The Animated Series.
The Voice of The Brain
In 1993, LaMarche got one of his most famous roles: The Brain in Animaniacs. The character, a genius mouse who wants to take over the world, became so popular that he got his own show, Pinky and the Brain.
To create the voice, LaMarche was inspired by a famous actor and director named Orson Welles. His performance as The Brain was so good that he won an Annie Award, which is a special award for animation.
Famous Roles in Futurama
Fans of the show Futurama know LaMarche as the voice of many characters. He plays Kif Kroker, the quiet and loyal assistant to Zapp Brannigan. He also voices the dramatic robot actor Calculon, the news anchor Morbo, and Lrrr, the ruler of the planet Omicron Persei 8.
His work on Futurama won him two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance.
Other Notable Voice Work
LaMarche has voiced hundreds of other characters. He was the voice of Yosemite Sam in The Looney Tunes Show and Grumpy in the Disney series The 7D. He also voiced the crime boss Mr. Big in the movie Zootopia and was the voice of Popeye in commercials for Long John Silver's.
In the show The Critic, he once voiced 29 different characters in a single episode, showing his amazing range as a voice actor.
Personal Life
LaMarche married Robin G. Eisenman in 1991. They have one son together.
Selected Filmography
Here are some of the many projects Maurice LaMarche has worked on.
Animation
- The Real Ghostbusters (1986–1991) as Egon Spengler
- Tiny Toon Adventures (1990–1995) as Dizzy Devil
- Animaniacs (1993–1998) as The Brain, Squit
- Pinky and the Brain (1995–1998) as The Brain
- Hey Arnold! (1996–2004) as Big Bob Pataki
- Futurama (1999–present) as Kif Kroker, Calculon, Morbo, Lrrr, and others
- Codename: Kids Next Door (2002–2008) as Father
- The Looney Tunes Show (2011–2014) as Yosemite Sam
- The 7D (2014–2016) as Grumpy
- Disenchantment (2018–2023) as Odval
- Animaniacs (2020–2023) as The Brain
Film
- Cool World (1992) as Vincent Whiskers
- Space Jam (1996) as Pepé Le Pew
- Wakko's Wish (1999) as The Brain, Squit
- Hey Arnold!: The Movie (2002) as Big Bob Pataki
- Team America: World Police (2004) as Alec Baldwin
- Futurama: Bender's Big Score (2007) as various characters
- Wreck-It Ralph (2012) as Root Beer Tapper
- Frozen (2013) as King Agnarr
- Zootopia (2016) as Mr. Big
- Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) as Root Beer Tapper
Video Games
- Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000) as Yoshimo
- Futurama (2003) as various characters
- The Simpsons Game (2007) as William Shakespeare
- Batman: Arkham City (2011) as Mr. Freeze, Calendar Man
- Skylanders series (2013–2015) as Night Shift, Dive Clops
- Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (2017) as N. Brio
See also
In Spanish: Maurice LaMarche para niños
