Sean Schemmel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sean Schemmel
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![]() Schemmel in 2019
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Born | Waterloo, Iowa, U.S.
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November 21, 1968
Occupation |
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Years active | 1997–present |
Spouse(s) |
Melissa Cox
(m. 1993; div. 1998)Melodee Lenz
(m. 1998; div. 2001) |
Sean Schemmel (born November 21, 1968) is an American voice actor, director, and writer. He is best known for his work in cartoons, anime, and video games. His most famous role is voicing the older teen and adult Son Goku in the English version of the Dragon Ball series.
Contents
Sean Schemmel's Career Journey
Becoming a Voice Actor
Sean Schemmel didn't originally plan to be a voice actor. He first trained to play the French horn in classical music. However, a friend encouraged him to try out for Dragon Ball Z. He auditioned for a small character who was supposed to be in the show for only a short time.
After recording for two weeks, he was surprised to learn he would be the main character! Since 1999, he has been the main English voice for Goku in almost every Dragon Ball anime series. This includes Dragon Ball, Z, GT, Kai, Super, and Daima. He also voices Goku in most Dragon Ball movies and video games. Besides Goku, he voices other characters like King Kai and Goku Black.

Other Voice Roles
Beyond Dragon Ball, Sean Schemmel has voiced many other popular anime characters. He was Amidamaru in Shaman King (2001) and Lucario in Pokémon. He also voiced Elliot Grant in Mew Mew Power.
In other animated shows, he was Firefly in G.I. Joe: Sigma 6. He also voiced Gonard in Kappa Mikey and Hawkman in DC Super Friends.
Video Game Voices
Sean Schemmel has also lent his voice to many video games. He was Makuta in Bionicle and Black Doom in Shadow the Hedgehog. He voiced Maxwell in Bullet Witch and Horace in Skullgirls. He even played Batman in The Dark Knight Rises mobile game. In Smite, he voiced Sun Wukong, a character that Goku was originally based on. He also voiced Marc Wilson in Fallout 4.
Behind the Scenes and Awards
Besides acting, Sean Schemmel has worked as an ADR Director and scriptwriter for NYAV Post. This means he helped direct and adapt Japanese anime series into English. He has also won two awards for his audiobook recordings, including an Audie Award for I Suck at ... in 2013.
Sean Schemmel's Personal Life
Sean Schemmel has been married. In a 2018 interview, he shared that he is on the autism spectrum.
Awards and Recognition
Sean Schemmel has received awards for his work:
- In 2008, he won an Earphones Award for his audiobook recording of The Big Splash.
- In 2013, he won an Audie Award for Humor for the audiobook I Suck at ....
- In 2019, he earned a Guinness World Records title. This was for the most people performing a Kamehameha at once, a famous move from Dragon Ball.
See also
In Spanish: Sean Schemmel para niños