Rob Paulsen Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Rob Paulsen
Paulsen in 2024
Born	Robert Frederick Paulsen III (1956-03-11) March 11, 1956 (age 69) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Michigan-Flint
Occupation	Voice actor voice director
Years active	1978–present
Spouse(s)	Carol Anne Schnarr (m. 1979; div. 1982) Parrish Todd (m. 1983)
Children	1

Robert Frederick Paulsen III (born March 11, 1956), known as Rob Paulsen, is an American voice actor and voice director. He is famous for giving voices to many characters in animated TV shows and movies. He won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program and three Annie Awards for his roles as Yakko and Pinky in the Animaniacs cartoons.

Rob Paulsen has voiced many other well-known characters. These include Hadji in The New Adventures of Jonny Quest, Raphael in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, and P.J. Pete in Goof Troop and A Goofy Movie. He also voiced Jaq in Cinderella II: Dreams Come True and Mac in The Looney Tunes Show.

Early Life and Dreams
Amazing Voice Career
Awards and Recognition
Meeting Fans
Personal Life and Giving Back
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Dreams

Rob Paulsen was born in Detroit, Michigan, on March 11, 1956. His parents were Bob and Lee Paulsen. He grew up in Grand Blanc, Michigan, and finished high school there in 1974.

When he was young, Rob loved to sing in choirs and act in school plays. But his biggest hero was the ice hockey player Gordie Howe. Rob first dreamed of becoming an NHL player. He thought acting was a second choice.

He went to the University of Michigan-Flint for a short time. In 1978, he left college and moved to Los Angeles. He wanted to start a career in show business, even though his father did not approve. He first worked as a musician before becoming a full-time voice actor.

Amazing Voice Career

Rob Paulsen's first voice acting job was in 1983. He played Snow Job and Tripwire in the mini-series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.

Early Roles and Live-Action Fun

A few years later, his career really took off. He voiced characters like Corky on The Snorks and Marco Smurf on The Smurfs. He also played Boober in Fraggle Rock and Hadji in The New Adventures of Jonny Quest.

In the 1980s, Rob also acted in live-action movies. He had roles in films like Eyes of Fire and Warlock. He also appeared in TV shows such as MacGyver.

Rob also became a popular voice for commercials. He was the announcer for the TV show Cheers. He was also the voice of Mr. Opportunity for Honda cars and the dog in Taco Bell kids meal commercials. One of his most famous commercial roles was in the first "Got Milk?" ad in 1993. This commercial helped make the "Got Milk?" campaign very successful.

Famous Cartoon Characters

From 1987 to 1995, Rob Paulsen voiced Raphael and other characters in the original 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. This show was a huge hit and became a pop culture icon. Rob has said that Raphael's voice is very close to his own natural voice.

He returned to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles world as Donatello for the 2012 series on Nickelodeon. This show ran for five seasons. He also voiced the 1987 Raphael again in special crossover episodes. Rob now works as the voice director for the newer series, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which started in 2018.

Paulsen with Pinky at Anthrocon 2007

In the early 1990s, Rob continued to star in animated shows. In 1993, he voiced Yakko Warner in Animaniacs. This became one of his most popular roles. He also voiced Pinky from Animaniacs and its spin-off show Pinky and the Brain. For his work as Pinky, he won several Annie Awards and a Daytime Emmy.

He also voiced many characters in Tiny Toon Adventures, including Fowlmouth and Arnold the Pit Bull. Rob continues to voice Yakko and Pinky in the 2020 Animaniacs revival on Hulu.

Other Cool Voices

Rob Paulsen has lent his voice to many other characters. These include:

Steelbeak in Darkwing Duck
Brick and Boomer in The Powerpuff Girls
Experiment 625 / Reuben in Lilo & Stitch: The Series
Jack Fenton and The Box Ghost in Danny Phantom
Carl Wheezer in The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius
Mark Chang in The Fairly OddParents
Peck the Rooster in Barnyard
Gordon in Catscratch
P.J. Pete in Goof Troop and A Goofy Movie
Spike in many Land Before Time movies and the TV series.
Autobots like Air Raid and Slingshot in The Transformers.

Video Game Voices

Rob Paulsen has also voiced characters in many video games. He played:

Fluffy the Chinese-crested dog in 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue
Morte in Planescape: Torment
Anomen Delryn in Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Gray Fox in Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Tobli and Lian Ronso in Final Fantasy X-2
The lead character in Bubsy
Jaq and The Grand Duke in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
The Riddler in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

Awards and Recognition

Rob Paulsen has been nominated for an Annie Award for his role as Pinky four years in a row. He won the award in 1996, 1997, and 1999. In 1999, he also won a Daytime Emmy Award for voicing Pinky.

In 2023, he was nominated for the Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice Performance in an Animated Program for his work in the 2020 Animaniacs series.

Meeting Fans

Paulsen at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con

Rob Paulsen often attends big events like San Diego Comic-Con. He also does "Rob Paulsen Live" seminars across the U.S. At these events, he talks about his career, signs autographs, and meets fans. Sometimes, fans ask him to sing the famous "Yakko's World" song, where he names all the countries in the world very quickly using his Yakko voice.

In 2011, Rob started a weekly audio podcast called Talkin' Toons with Rob Paulsen. On this show, he talked with other voice actors about their careers and the voice acting world.

Personal Life and Giving Back

Rob Paulsen married his second wife, Parrish Todd, in 1983. They have one son and live in Agoura Hills, California.

Rob is very supportive of different charities. He has raised money for cancer research. He works with GOALmodels, a program for teenagers, and supports Camp Will-A-Way, a camp for children with developmental disabilities. He also donates money from his autographs to the Wounded Warrior Project and Operation Smile.

In 2016, Rob was diagnosed with throat cancer. He went through treatment, and his cancer later went into remission. After his battle with cancer, he wrote a book called Voice Lessons: How a Couple of Ninja Turtles, Pinky, and an Animaniac Saved My Life.