Tom Kenny - Actor

Tom Kenny

Tom Kenny Headshot

Actor

Birth Name: Thomas James Kenny

Birth Date: July 13, 1962

Age: 63 years old

Birth Place: Syracuse, New York

Spouses: Jill Talley

Many lay claim to the title "voice of a generation," but voice actor Tom Kenny takes the phrase to a whole new level. A stand-up comedian with an ear for music, Kenny first gained notice with appearances on late-night talk shows and sketch comedy series such as "The Edge" (Fox, 1992-93) and "Mr. Show with Bob and David" (HBO, 1995-98). But as funny as his live performances were, it was Kenny's distinctively reedy, shape-shifting voice that turned out to be his greatest talent.

Starting in the 1990s, Kenny became an in-demand voice actor, giving life to such characters as the nervous Heffer Wolfe in "Rocko's Modern Life" (Nickelodeon, 1993-96); the suave narrator and bumbling Mayor on "The Powerpuff Girls" (Cartoon Network, 1998-2005); and the eponymous, optimistic sea sponge in "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Nickelodeon, 1999- ). His affinity for fast-paced, slightly absurd comedy later found him work on cult shows such as "Futurama" (Fox/Comedy Central, 1999-2003, 2010-13) and "Adventure Time" (Cartoon Network, 2010- ). And with his expansion into video game series such as "Spyro the Dragon" (1999) as well as feature films including "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (2009) and "Frankenweenie" (2012), Tom Kenny's status as the hardest-working voice in show business was complete.

Born in the summer of 1962 in Syracuse, New York, Kenny counted future comedy star Bobcat Goldthwait among his friends and pursued his musical interests in The Tearjerkers, a local pop band. Though the band achieved only minor success with the single "Syracuse Summer," Kenny's experiences in the spotlight emboldened him to pursue comedy full-time.

After appearing as a rival clown in Goldthwait's directorial debut "Shakes the Clown" (1992), Kenny landed his first TV stand-up gig on an episode of "Late Night with David Letterman" (NBC, 1982-1993), which he followed with a stint as host of the weekly music video series "Friday Night Music" (NBC, 1990-94) and a series regular role alongside wife Jill Talley on the freewheeling cable series "Mr. Show with Bob and David" (HBO, 1995-98). It was Nickelodeon who first took a chance on Kenny's expressive voice when, in 1993, they hired him as the voice of Heffer Wolfe, among others, in "Rocko's Modern Life," centered on an Australian wallaby and his gang of quirky friends.

Other roles soon followed on shows such as the sci-fi themed "Dexter's Laboratory" (Cartoon Network, 1996-2003); "CatDog" (Nickelodeon, 1998-2005); and the superhero-powered "The Powerpuff Girls," which spawned a feature film in 2002. His work even caught the eye of music video directors -- and future "Little Miss Sunshine" (2006) helmers --Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, who in 1996 cast Kenny and Jill in the fantastical Georges Mélies-inspired video for Smashing Pumpkins' orchestral single "Tonight, Tonight."

But it was 1999 that proved to be the turning point for the motor-mouthed actor. In quick succession he landed the prime roles of SpongeBob, Gary the Snail and others in "SpongeBob Squarepants"; was cast as multiple voices on the slacker-centric "Mission Hill" (The WB, 1999-2000, Cartoon Network, 2002); and contributed voices to the adaptation of the popular comic strip "Dilbert" (UPN, 1999-2000). Kenny's pop background and vocal talent clearly influenced his work, with musical numbers peppering episodes of "PowerPuff" and "SpongeBob."

In fact, Kenny later went on to record an entire album in character, SpongeBob Squarepants: Best Day Ever, with the help of Beach Boys visionary Brian Wilson and former Ramones drummer Tommy Ramone. Another box Kenny checked off that year was in the digital realm, when he was chosen to voice the title purple dragon in "Spyro the Dragon" (Playstation, 1999), a fantasy adventure game, a character he revisited several sequels.

The 2000s saw Kenny's reign over the animated landscape grow even larger. His reedy, flexible voice was heard on a wide variety of animated series, including the fairytale farce "The Fairly Oddparents" (Nickelodeon, 2001- ); the whimsical "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends" (Cartoon Network, 2004-09); and the martial arts adventure "Xiaolin Showdown" (The WB, 2003-06). Kenny's ability to inhabit virtually any character was on full display when he was cast as the possibly-insane-but-really-just-lonely Ice King in "Adventure Time," a surreal story about a boy and his magical dog brother.

In addition to lending his voice to fan-resurrected TV favorite "Futurama" and the best-selling video games "Final Fantasy X" (PlayStation 2, 2001) and "Final Fantasy X-2" (PlayStation 2, 2003), it was also during this time that Kenny branched out into feature films. After working on high-profile movies such as "Hoodwinked" (2005) and "The Ant Bully" (2006), Kenny landed the role of Wheelie, a peaceful Autobot, in Michael Bay's raucous blockbuster "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (2009). And, in a whiplash-inducing turn, Kenny brought the classic Rabbit to life in "Winnie the Pooh" (2011) before reprising Wheelie in the even-less comprehensible "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" (2011).

The dawning of Kenny's second decade as a voice actor found him even busier than before. Having voiced numerous characters in Tim Burton's stop-motion adventure "Frankenweenie," about a boy who loves his dog beyond the grave, Kenny lent his voice to a slacker forest ranger on "Brickleberry" (Comedy Central, 2012-15) and the nefarious Doctor Octopus in "Ultimate Spider-Man" (Disney XD, 2012-17).

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Credits

Plankton: The MovieStream

Voice
SpongeBob / Random Student / Gary / French Narrator
Movie
2025
71%

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants

Voice
SpongeBob SquarePants
Movie
2025

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Self
Special
2024

Batman: Caped CrusaderStream

Voice
Firebug
Series
2024
94%

Super Bowl LVIII Live From Bikini Bottom

Host
Sports
2024

Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks MovieStream

Voice
SpongeBob
Movie
2024

Adventure Time: Fionna and CakeStream

Voice
Simon Petrikov
Series
2023
100%

Frog and ToadStream

Voice
Mink
Series
2023

Agent ElvisStream

Voice
Scatter
Series
2023
64%

Dicks: The MusicalStream

Actor
Backpack
Movie
2023
68%

He-Man and the Masters of the UniverseStream

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Ork-0/RK Units
Series
2021

The Patrick Star ShowStream

Voice
Laszlo
Series
2021

Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under YearsStream

Voice
SongeBob SquarePants
Series
2021

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the RunStream

Voice
SpongeBob/Gary/French Narrator
Movie
2020
66%

Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?Stream

Voice
Series
2019

Paradise PDStream

Voice
Chief Randall Crawford
Series
2018

Final SpaceStream

Voice
HUE
Series
2018

CharmingStream

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Blessing Fairy
Movie
2018

Soundtracks: Songs That Defined HistoryStream

Actor
Bob Sanders
Series
2017

Puppy Dog PalsStream

Voice
A.R.F.
Series
2017

The Nut Job 2: Nutty by NatureStream

Voice
Buddy
Movie
2017
15%

Talking Tom and FriendsStream

Actor
Hank
Series
2016

The Powerpuff GirlsStream

Voice
Mayor
Series
2016

We Bare BearsStream

Actor
Gerald/Pilot
Series
2015

Cake WarsStream

Judge
Reality
2015

Miles From TomorrowlandStream

Voice
Leo Callisto
Series
2015

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of WaterStream

Voice
SpongeBob SquarePants/Gary the Snail
Movie
2015
80%

The Tom and Jerry ShowStream

Actor
Series
2014

ClarenceStream

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Sumo
Series
2014

BreadwinnersStream

Voice
SwaySway's Dad/Bear Ruffinbuff
Series
2014

Rick and MortyStream

Voice
Squanchy
Series
2013
90%

Uncle GrandpaStream

Voice
Dennis
Series
2013

Wander Over YonderStream

Voice
Commander Peepers
Series
2013

Ultimate Spider-ManStream

Voice
Doctor Octopus
Series
2012

FrankenweenieStream

Voice
Fire Chief/Soldier/Townsfolk
Movie
2012
87%

Winnie the PoohStream

Voice
Rabbit
Movie
2011
90%

Adventure TimeStream

Voice
The Ice King
Series
2010
100%

Sit Down, Shut UpStream

Voice
Series
2009

World's Greatest DadStream

Actor
Jerry Klein
Movie
2009
88%

WordGirlStream

Voice
Dr. Two-Brains/TJ Botsford
Series
2007

Meet the RobinsonsStream

Voice
Mr. Willerstein
Movie
2007
68%

My Gym Partner's a MonkeyStream

Voice
Jake
Series
2005

The Legend of Frosty the SnowmanStream

Voice
Mr. Tinkerton
Movie
2005

The BatmanStream

Actor
The Penguin
Series
2004

The SpongeBob SquarePants MovieStream

Voice
SpongeBob/Narrator/Gary/Clay/Tough Fish #2/Twin #2/Houston Voice
Movie
2004
68%

Comic Book: The MovieStream

Actor
Derek Sprang
Movie
2004
40%

Scooby-Doo! And the Legend of the VampireStream

Voice
Harry / Stormy Weathers / Barry / Lightning Strikes / Lifeguard 2
Movie
2003

What's New, Scooby-Doo?Stream

Voice
Sam / Harry Harrison
Movie
2002

Samurai JackStream

Voice
Manager
Series
2001

SpongeBob SquarePantsStream

Actor
SpongeBob SquarePants/Gary/Mr. SquarePants/Patchy The Pirate/Narrator
Series
1999

SpongeBob SquarePantsStream

Voice
SpongeBob SquarePants/Gary/Mr. SquarePants/Patchy The Pirate/Narrator
Series
1999

The Powerpuff GirlsStream

Voice
Series
1998

Godzilla: The SeriesStream

Voice
Series
1998

CatDogStream

Voice
Series
1998

Johnny BravoStream

Voice
Series
1997

Dexter's LaboratoryStream

Voice
Valhallen
Series
1996

Mr. Show With Bob and DavidStream

Actor
Series
1995

Rocko's Modern LifeStream

Voice
Series
1993

Shakes the ClownStream

Actor
Binky the Clown
Movie
1991
43%

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