Time for the Voice Actor of the Week.
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| Clancy Brown Image by Gage Skidmore, found on Flickr (License) |
Many of my readers might not say the same, but I was familiar with Clancy Brown's voice work well before I saw him in anything live action. However, compared to most voice actors with Brown's career, he actually has a respectable onscreen resume as well. The first live-action thing I ever saw him in was an episode of The Practice, in which he played an assistant district attorney, going to court against the partners at Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt. Since then, I've seen him in many more live-action things. CW's The Flash, Highlander, Sleepy Hollow, The Shawshank Redemption.
But b efore that, I had heard Brown in countless animated projects. Literally, I can't count how many things I've seen him in. But off the top of my head, I've heard his voice in Justice League and its follow-up Justice League: Unlimited, Megas XLR, A.T.O.M., Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series, Teen Titans, and Jackie Chan Adventures.
If you're like me, then the character you most associate with Brown is probably none other than Lex Luthor, who many would call the archenemy of Superman. (I think there are several contenders for that title, but Luthor is definitely one of them.) Whether you're used to Gene Hackman or even Jesse Eisenberg, I think we can all agree Brown brings something different to the table when it comes to playing Luthor. With not a lot of deviation from his normal speaking voice, Brown brought a low growl to Luthor's character. Even when speaking calmly, Luthor sounded menacing and conniving. But Brown also succeeded in giving Luthor a certain fierceness whenever the situation called for it.
I also remember Brown fairly well from Jackie Chan Adventures, in which he played Captain Augustus Black, friend of our martial artist protagonist and head of the fictional secret agency Section 13. For this character, Brown used more or less the same speech pattern as for Luthor. However, the character was nowhere near as malicious as Luthor and might have actually been a fairly effective foil for Luthor had they been in the same universe.
There have been a few villainous characters Brown voiced, that all had more or less the same vocal pattern, but a different one from Luthor. The characters of Siege from Mighty Ducks, Alexander Paine from A.T.O.M., Trident from Teen Titans and Gorrath on Megas XLR all affected a rather gravelly, brutish voice. This voice really differentiated these characters from the likes of Luthor. And while each of the characters had drastically different personalities, the speaking style Brown gave them really played up their aggression.
Brown provided an interesting performance as the character of Surtur from Thor: Ragnarok. In this portrayal, he seemed to somehow mix the aforementioned vocal affectations. Surtur wasn't as calm and conniving as Luthor, but he also wasn't quite as loud and aggressive as Siege.
Brown has already built up an impressive amount of roles, both in voice over and onscreen, and I hope he continues to deliver quality voice work. While he has a knack for different kinds of villains, it is fairly obvious that his voice is well-suited to a wide variety of roles. I think it would be refreshing to see Brown play one of the main characters in a show - perhaps someone who acts as the second in command to the main hero, or is even some sort of mentor figure for them. We've seen him play that kind of role in Sleepy Hollow, but he should play a character who is more prominent in the series, contributes more, and has more of a direct effect on the plot. I wouldn't even mind seeing or hearing Brown as the main character of a series as long as he's got a good supporting cast.
Thor: Ragnarok, Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series available for streaming on Disney+.
Justice League and Justice League: Unlimited are available for streaming on HBO Max.
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