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1[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/billy-west.jpg]]
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3->''"[[MemeAcknowledgment Not sure if this is a generic voicemail message, or I mistakenly dialed Billy West]]"''
4-->-- ''Futurama'' Promo
5
6William Richard Werstine (born April 16, 1952), known professionally as [[StageNames Billy West]], is an American voice actor and comedian born in UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}}, UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}}. Put this guy in a room, give him a script and a mic and you can do a complete show with [[ManOfAThousandVoices 20+ individual voices]] (some of which will sound like they're pitched up or down or autotuned on the track, but aren't).
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8In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' alone, he is slacker delivery boy Philip J. Fry, MadScientist Professor Hubert Farnsworth, smarmy space captain Zapp Brannigan,[[note]]A role originally written for Creator/PhilHartman, but West stepped in after Hartman was murdered in 1998[[/note]] UsefulNotes/RichardNixon (who is now President of Earth and, like many celebrities from the past, is [[BrainInAJar a head kept alive in a jar]]), and half of any background/supporting characters you see -- oh, [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Dr. Zoidberg]], the loser lobster-esque alien doctor.
9
10...and all of this after he first came to public attention as the voice of both Doug Funnie and Roger Klotz on ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' and both title characters of ''WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpy'' after Creator/JohnKricfalusi (the original voice of Ren) was fired[[note]]Ironically, Billy West auditioned for both Ren and Stimpy when the show was being created, but was given the Stimpy role after John K. decided to do Ren's voice himself. He's also stated that it was such an ordeal that he'll never work with John K. again.[[/note]]. He (along with the late Creator/JoeAlaskey) became one of few voice actors who can impersonate Creator/MelBlanc in his prime, including characterizations of WesternAnimation/BugsBunny, WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck, [[ElmuhFuddSyndwome Elmer Fudd]] and other characters from the WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes. He's also the Red M&M. Even before he was known for all these roles, West worked in radio, and was actually a cast member of ''Radio/TheHowardSternShow'' from 1989-1995.
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12He's also quite adamant about not working on projects that prioritize StuntCasting over actual voice actors which means that he's all but entirely absent from the filmographies of [[Creator/WaltDisneyAnimationStudios Disney]], Creator/{{Pixar}}, Creator/{{DreamWorks|Animation}}, and Creator/{{Illumination|Entertainment}}.[[labelnote:*]]Specifically, his issue is with casting celebrities for the sake of marketing purposes while they do nothing unique with their voice performances and simply play themselves. However, he doesn't mind some celebrity voice performances like Creator/RobinWilliams as [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} the Genie]], Creator/MikeMyers as Franchise/{{Shrek}}, and Creator/TomHanks as [[Franchise/ToyStory Woody]] because they all were playing unique characters with their voices.[[/labelnote]]
13
14Not to be confused with the guy from the video game ''VideoGame/TheAdventuresOfBayouBilly'' or Creator/BobWest, the voice of [[Series/BarneyAndFriends Barney the Dinosaur]].
15----
16!! Notable roles of Billy West include
17* Phillip J. Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg, Zapp Brannigan, UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, Leo Wong[[note]]until season 8, when he was replaced by Feodor Chin[[/note]], Officer Smitty, and many, many others in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''
18* Sorcerio, Mertz, the Jester, Pops, and the Elf King in ''WesternAnimation/{{Disenchantment}}''
19* Stimpy, and Ren and Mr. Horse in the later seasons, from ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow''
20* Doug Funnie and Roger Klutz from ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' (Nickelodeon version only)
21* WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd (and sometimes Bugs Bunny, Foghorn Leghorn and Porky Pig) in various WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes media like ''Film/SpaceJam'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow''.
22* The Red M&M in the ''Advertising/MAndMs'' commercials.
23* One of the announcers in ''VideoGame/AtomicBomberman'', the other being ''Creator/CharlieAdler''.
24* The ''Honey Nut Cheerios'' Bee in the ''Honey Nut Cheerios'' commercials
25* Cecil in ''The New Adventures of WesternAnimation/BeanyAndCecil''
26* Harvey the Wonder Hamster and the announcer from ''Series/TheWeirdAlShow''
27* Ralph Roach in ''Film/JoesApartment''
28* G.e.e.K.e.R. from ''WesternAnimation/ProjectGeeker''
29* Julius and Graham in ''Zombie College''
30* Slimer and Mayor [=McShane=] from ''WesternAnimation/ExtremeGhostbusters''
31* Shaggy Rogers in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooOnZombieIsland'' (Replacing Creator/CaseyKasem after he retired from the role due to it conflicting with his vegetarian lifestyle)
32* WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker, Wally Walrus, and Smedley in ''The New Woody Woodpecker Show''
33* Mr. Holloway in the ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' episode "The Company Man"
34* Rancid Rabbit and Mr. Sunshine from ''WesternAnimation/CatDog''
35* Chit Chatterson, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Genghis Khan, Tom Edison, John Adams, Teddy Roosevelt, Allan Pickerton, Lord Winston Churchill and several others in ''WesternAnimation/{{Histeria}}''
36* VideoGame/{{Rayman}} and Inspector Grub in ''WesternAnimation/RaymanTheAnimatedSeries''. Also voiced Murfy in ''VideoGame/Rayman3HoodlumHavoc''
37* Zam and Nash in ''VideoGame/CrashNitroKart''
38* Sparx in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyroTheEternalNight''
39* Kefin in ''Gorilla Girl''
40* Poochini in ''WesternAnimation/{{Poochini}}''
41* Howard Stern, Sylvester Stallone and Bill Clinton in ''WebAnimation/HiddenCelebrityWebcam''
42* Kyle Finster in ''WesternAnimation/SquirrelBoy''
43* Mrs. Grimley in ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger''
44* George Klimer, Anita Bidet and Mayor Johnny Bledsoe in ''WesternAnimation/TheOblongs''
45* Larvel in ''WesternAnimation/LloydInSpace''
46* Vice Principal Razinski in ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot''
47* Vangus in ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlackTheSeries''
48* Magus from ''VideoGame/TheScorpionKingRiseOfTheAkkadian''
49* Skeets in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''
50* Jimmy Proudwolf in ''WesternAnimation/WhatsNewScoobyDoo''
51* Zim in the pilot for ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' (Replaced by Creator/RichardStevenHorvitz for the show proper)
52* Pidge in ''WesternAnimation/VoltronTheThirdDimension''
53* Ellyvan in ''WesternAnimation/JungleJunction''
54* Rocket Raccoon in ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan2012''
55* ComicStrip/{{Popeye}} and Pappy in ''Popeye's Voyage: The Quest For Pappy''
56* Bashful from ''WesternAnimation/The7D''
57* Grimtrix in ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst''
58* Gobba, Lunk, and Balk from ''WesternAnimation/{{Mixels}}''
59* Sheriff Tex Avery, Sagebrush Sid, and Freddy the Fly in ''WesternAnimation/TheWackyWorldOfTexAvery''
60* Fatso in the ''WesternAnimation/CaspersScareSchool'' film
61* Muttley, Bella and most of the cameos in ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces2017''; he also reprises Muttley in ''WesternAnimation/{{Scoob}}''
62* Hamton J. Pig in ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' (following the passing of Don Messick)
63* Dr. Caliostro and Pimon in ''WesternAnimation/TimonAndPumbaa''
64* One of the Ninja Cats in ''Film/CatsAndDogs''
65* Sam Melvick in ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius''
66* Fleagor in ''WesternAnimation/TurboFast''
67* Grampa Nick in ''WesternAnimation/BigCityGreens''
68* Joe Biden, Rudy Giuliani, William Shatner, Mark Zuckerberg and others in the 2020 ''Series/SpittingImage'' revival.
69
70!!Billy West and his works provide examples of:
71* ActingForTwo: This is very prevalent in the shows he has been a part of.
72* CreatorBacklash:
73** He doesn't like talking about his work on ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'' because he hated working with John K so much. He's still willing to voice the characters in newer projects, but only when John K isn't involved (which meant he didn't participate in the infamous ''WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpyAdultPartyCartoon'').
74** He refused to continue to voice Doug and Roger for Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'', though Doug fans may be disappointed to know that it had more to do with the fact that his pay was significantly decreased than the quality of the new series.
75** He hates ''Film/LooneyTunesBackInAction'', primarily because he [[TheOtherMarty was replaced by Joe Alaskey]] as Bugs' voice halfway through production (although his work as Elmer Fudd remained), and accused director Joe Dante of being too demanding and indecisive.
76* CreatorsPest: Averted. He once stated on [[https://twitter.com/TheBillyWest/status/1364370449954611204 Twitter]] that there was never a character he voiced that he disliked because he gave them so many varieties.
77* ManOfAThousandVoices:
78** If you gave this man a script for a half-hour animated show and a microphone, he could do the voices for nearly all the characters.[[note]]This is a ''very'' slight exaggeration, as he's been known to record ''entire conversations'' between multiple characters ''in one take!!''[[/note]] He can even do things to his voice that would normally require alteration from studio recording equipment (cf. the voice of the pure EnergyBeing from the ''Futurama'' episode "Love Labors Lost in Space," which was initially thought to be technical difficulties). He's ''that'' good.
79** He even voices an old lady in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger''. It takes a sharp ear to notice, as she sounds like Fry on helium.
80** He also voiced ComicStrip/{{Popeye}} in the 2004 Direct-To-Video movie ''Popeye's Voyage: The Quest For Pappy'' - whose iconic growl is actually ''two voices speaking at the same time an octave apart,'' as demonstrated by West in a Fresh Air interview.
81** He revealed on ''Podcast/TalkinToonsWithRobPaulsen'' that he was a voice match for Creator/DellaReese, of all people, in the video game adaptation of the film ''WesternAnimation/{{Dinosaur}}''.
82* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed:
83** A handful of his most memorable voices are some variation on Larry Fine of Film/TheThreeStooges (Stimpy is basically Larry, but high-pitched so as not to sound like "a depressed old Jewish man"). He was even hired as a dialect coach for the 2012 ''Stooges'' movie.
84** His voice as Zapp Brannigan is based on Phil Hartman, who was originally cast for the role before his death. West comes pretty close to sounding like him, just a bit higher-pitched.
85* PlayingAgainstType: His voice for Magus in ''VideoGame/TheScorpionKingRiseOfTheAkkadian'' sounds a bit like [[WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}} Zapp Brannigan]], but his characterization sounds a lot more evil.
86* PromotedFanboy: West is a big Creator/MelBlanc fanboy. He stated that one of his biggest career highlights was seeing his name appear next to Blanc's during the credits of ''Daffy's Rhapsody.''
87* VocalDissonance: He claims to have based the voice of Philip J. Fry on himself when he was 25 years old. It's ''barely'' any different from the way he sounds now. He's in his 70s now and yet the very youthful voices of Fry, Doug, and the Red M&M are the voices he does that are closest to his natural speaking voice.

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