Line #58 Creator/TonyJay


1	[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tonyjay.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:220:The baritone boom of [[EvilSoundsDeep cartoon villainy]].]]
3
4	Tony Jay (2 February 1933 -- 13 August 2006) was a British actor who played mostly villainous roles with a deep, highly distinctive voice, both in live-action and animation. His natural speaking voice just ''oozed'' magnificence.
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6	He died at 73 in August 2006 from complications from endoscopic surgery.
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8	----
9	!![[WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDameDisney Of my roles, I am justly proud]]:
10	* ''Film/TimeBandits'' - (Voice of the Supreme Being)
11	* ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook2'' - (Shere Khan)
12	* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame\|Disney}}'' - (Judge Claude Frollo, a role he described as his “bid for immortality”)
13	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Reboot}}'' - (Megabyte)
14	* ''[[WesternAnimation/SecretSquirrel Super Secret Secret Squirrel (1993-1995)]]'': [[DaChief The Chief]] (a Cape buffalo).
15	* ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' - (Monsieur D'Arque)
16	* ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'' - (Elder God, Mortanius[[note]]In ''[[VideoGame/BloodOmenLegacyOfKain Blood Omen]]'' only, before the introduction of the Elder God in ''[[VideoGame/LegacyOfKainSoulReaver Soul Reaver]]'', [[TheOtherDarrin replaced by Alistair Duncan in]] ''[[VideoGame/LegacyOfKainDefiance Defiance]]'' once the two characters had to both appear in the same game[[/note]])
17	* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateDarkAlliance'' - (Xantam)
18	* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987'' - (Dregg)
19	* ''WesternAnimation/MightyDucksTheAnimatedSeries'' - (Wraith)
20	* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'' - (Baron Mordo)
21	* ''WesternAnimation/{{TaleSpin}}'' - (Shere Khan again, only as a CorruptCorporateExecutive this time).
22	* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' - (narrator of "Transformation". It was also his last role before he died.)
23	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' - (narrator; some episodes, most notably "Gunga Dot")
24	* ''Film/AustinPowers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' - (narrator)
25	* ''WesternAnimation/MightyMax'' - (Virgil, the mentor and [[PlayingAgainstType a rare sympathetic role]], and even narrating a number of the later toy commercials)
26	* ''Series/LoisAndClark'' - (ComicBook/LexLuthor's assistant Nigel, a rare live role)
27	* ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVIHeirTodayGoneTomorrow'' (CD version): Captain Saladin, Underworld Gate.
28	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' - (Anubis)
29	* ''VideoGame/TheBardsTale'' - (the 2004 version, as TheNarrator)
30	* ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryTheMovie'' - (Mr. Lickboot. "[[invoked]][[MemeticMutation We've got to have...MONEEEYY....]]")
31	* ''WesternAnimation/TheTick'' - (Chairface)
32	* ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island'' - (Toplofty)
33	* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout\|1}}'' - (Lieutenant)
34	* ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' - (appears around the midpoint and near the end as The Transcendent One)
35	* ''VideoGame/ArmedAndDangerous'' - (King Forge)
36	* ''Weird Answer Kommand'' - The Boss.
37	* ''VideoGame/{{Sacrifice}}'' - ([[BlindSeer Mithras]])
38	* ''WesternAnimation/SkeletonWarriors'' - Golden Skull (the narrator of the opening and closing scenes for each episode)
39	* ''VideoGame/XMenLegends'' - (Magneto, but only for the first game as he fell ill before the second one began development)
40	* ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFourTheAnimatedSeries'' - (Galactus and Terrax, but after season 1 he only played the former)
41	* ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' - Narrator
42	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' - Dr. Lipschitz, additional voices
43	* ''VideoGame/ReturnToCastleWolfenstein'' - OSA Director
44	* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' - Minister Campio in [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E20CostOfLiving "Cost of Living"]].
45	* ''WesternAnimation/MissSpidersSunnyPatchFriends'' - The voice of Spiderus, who at first seemed to be a villain, but was later revealed simply to be a grump at times and later became a father. He got to sing in this one.
46	* ''WesternAnimation/Xyber9NewDawn'' - Machestro
47	* ''WesternAnimation/InvasionAmerica'' - The Dragit.
48	* ''Series/TwinPeaks'' - Douglas Milford.
49	* ''Film/Twins1988'' - Dr Werner, a kindly MadScientist (in an instance of PlayingAgainstType).
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51	May be the only actor to appear in both TheEighties TV series ''Series/{{Beauty and the Beast\|1987}}'' and the 1991 Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon feature film ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast''.
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53	!![[VideoGame/LegacyOfKain Troper...you are worthy]]:
54	* TheBigGuy: He was 6'4".
55	* EvilSoundsDeep: His deep, powerful voice is what led him to be type-cast as bad guys.
56	* LargeHam: Occasionally. Especially as [[WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDameDisney Frollo]] and [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 Lord Dregg]].
57	* OneTakeWonder: He recorded all of his lines for ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' as part of his audition. After hearing his tape the producers decided his performance was perfect, and that there was no point bringing him in just to record the same lines over again, so they sent him a paycheck and used the recording as it was.
58	* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Whenever he did an American accent, he sometimes did so well you could barely recognize his voice, but usually, his standard RP accent slipped in and out.
59	* TypeCasting: He was mainly cast in villainous roles, especially the EvilBrit type. This has mostly to do with his voice having a truly chilling, menacing tone while still being very clear and suitable for a more cultured BigBad.
60	** PlayingAgainstType: While largely known for portraying villains, Jay was just as capable of doing more heroic roles, such as Dr. Lipschitz the baby psychologist on ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', the [[BigGood OSA Director]] on ''VideoGame/ReturnToCastleWolfenstein'', TheSmartGuy Virgil on ''WesternAnimation/MightyMax'', and a small role as the friendly farmyard bull in ''WesternAnimation/{{Thumbelina\|1994}}''. To a lesser extent, the scientist who Philium Benedict has "detained" as punishment for the shorting out of the weather laser in ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut''. And on ''Series/TwinPeaks'', where he plays the DirtyOldMan Douglas Milford whose most villainous trait is his SiblingRivalry with his brother Dawyne. Also, Spiderus on ''WesternAnimation/MissSpidersSunnyPatchFriends'', who was more of a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, or at worst a CrankyNeighbor. Even in ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'', where he's most known for playing the Elder God from ''Soul Reaver'' onwards, he first played Mortanius in ''Blood Omen'', who is a WellIntentionedExtremist and the TokenGoodTeammate of the Circle of Nine.
61	** This was used to set up a SubvertedTrope in ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', where he portrayed [[Myth/EgyptianMythology Anubis]]. EverybodyHatesHades, but in this case, Anubis was not a bad guy, just an honest god doing a job.
62	** Apparently his TypeCasting was so well known, that it was even emulated by certain voice actors (eg, Richard Waugh's performance as Albert Wesker from the ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' series was cited to have been based on that of Tony Jay's performance as [[WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook2 Shere]] [[WesternAnimation/TaleSpin Khan]]). His voice also served as an inspiration for Helmut Bakaitis' performance as The Architect from ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded''.

Context Creator / TonyJay