Most people picture a cartoon cast as a big group of actors, one per role. In practice, a handful of long running animated shows lean heavily on a small circle of performers who each cover a whole crowd of characters. You may have heard one person talk to themselves across a scene without ever noticing.
The eight performers below each voice at least five distinct characters in a single series. Everything here comes from well known credits tied to the shows themselves, and many of these actors have been at it for decades.
Dan Castellaneta in The Simpsons
Dan Castellaneta is best known as Homer Simpson, the show’s bumbling father. He also voices Grampa Simpson, whose rambling stories are a staple of the series.
Beyond the family, he plays Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie and Mayor Quimby. Those voices sound nothing alike, from Willie’s Scottish growl to Quimby’s Kennedy style drawl. That’s five major roles in one show, with plenty of smaller ones on top.
Hank Azaria in The Simpsons
Hank Azaria has long been the voice of Moe Szyslak, the town bartender, and Chief Wiggum, the lazy head of Springfield’s police. He’s also behind Comic Book Guy and Professor Frink.
Carl Carlson, Homer’s coworker, rounds out a clear list of five. Azaria also voiced Apu for years, though he stepped away from that role in 2020. Even without Apu, his Simpsons résumé is enormous.
Harry Shearer in The Simpsons
Harry Shearer covers much of Mr. Burns’s power plant. He voices Mr. Burns himself, along with the devoted assistant Waylon Smithers.
He also plays Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner and Dr. Hibbert. Shearer’s roles span the whole of Springfield, from the school to the church to the clinic. It’s a rare case where an actor voices both a boss and his assistant in the same scene.
Nancy Cartwright in The Simpsons
Nancy Cartwright is the voice of Bart Simpson, which makes her one of the few women known for playing a young boy on a hit series. She originally auditioned for Lisa before asking to read for Bart.
Her other roles include Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum, Todd Flanders and Kearney. Most of them are children or teens, yet each has a distinct sound. Nelson’s mocking laugh and Ralph’s dazed delivery are easy to tell apart from Bart’s mischief.
Tom Kenny in SpongeBob SquarePants
Tom Kenny voices SpongeBob, the cheerful sponge who gives the series its name. He also plays Gary the snail, whose meows are only one of Kenny’s contributions to the show.
The French narrator, Patchy the Pirate and TV reporter Perch Perkins are his as well. Because many of these characters appear in the same episodes, he often ends up in conversation with himself. The show has run for more than two decades, and Kenny has kept these roles going throughout.
Billy West in Futurama
Billy West plays Philip J. Fry, the delivery boy who wakes up in the thirty first century. He also voices Professor Farnsworth, the elderly inventor, and Dr. Zoidberg, the lobster like doctor.
Add Captain Zapp Brannigan and the head of Richard Nixon, and you have five distinct comedic personalities. Fry’s easygoing tone, Farnsworth’s creaky whine and Zoidberg’s warble show a wide vocal range. The show has returned in new seasons, and West has continued with these roles.
Seth MacFarlane in Family Guy
Seth MacFarlane created Family Guy and also voices its central figures. He plays Peter Griffin, the father, and Stewie, the scheming baby with a theatrical English accent.
He also voices Brian the talking dog, the leering neighbor Glenn Quagmire and news anchor Tom Tucker. Peter, Brian and Quagmire frequently share scenes, so MacFarlane often carries several sides of a conversation. That makes him one of the most visible multi role performers on television.
Trey Parker in South Park
Trey Parker co created South Park and performs a big share of its voices. He plays Stan Marsh and Eric Cartman, two of the four main boys.
He also voices Randy Marsh, Mr. Garrison, Mr. Mackey and Clyde Donovan. Together with his partner Matt Stone, who voices other main characters, Parker has kept the show running for decades with a small voice team. It’s an unusually tight setup for such a long lasting series.
