| 1 | For most adults, it isn't easy to change the apparent gender of their voices. It can be done -- some are practiced enough to pull it off, and some can just pull it off by natural talent -- but otherwise, the voice will just sound goofy. A man imitating a woman will speak in a ridiculous falsetto, and a woman imitating a man will put on the deepest baritone she can muster. If the goofy voice is part of a joke in a comedy, it can still work. When done deliberately to make a manly-sounding girl or vice versa, it's this trope. |
| 2 | |
| 3 | CrossDressingVoices is a SubTrope, which is an animation trope about adult women doing young boys' voices or adult men doing falsettos. DisguisedInDrag and SweetPollyOliver are related tropes for visually impersonating the other gender. Not to be confused with VocalDissonance, which is when a person's natural voice does not seem to fit their appearance. See also VoiceChangeling, who can mimic a specific person's voice. |
| 4 | |
| 5 | ---- |
| 6 | !!Examples: |
| 7 | |
| 8 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 9 | |
| 10 | !!![[AC:Imitating a Feminine Voice]] |
| 11 | |
| 12 | [[folder:Advertising]] |
| 13 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJo8I_jBgd4 This commercial]] features a young male moving into a new town, where every girl he meets sounds like a man. The only girl who ''doesn't'' sound like that is a very homely girl. [[spoiler:It turns out that the commercial is for Ajinomoto Stadium -- the girls sound like that because they've been constantly screaming at the games.]] |
| 14 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZvIkbweQg Two]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZRNvI19Lkk commercials]] for Honeycomb Cereal involve girls turning into the Craver (i.e. the personification of their hunger) with unambiguously male voices. The former gets points for the girl blurting "Yeah!" in the craver voice but her normal-sounding voice for "Honeycomb!" They stand out all the more given that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj05UZ-Vlpk other]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3ofearDLMo girl cravers]] have been given higher-pitched voices to distinguish them from the boy cravers. |
| 15 | [[/folder]] |
| 16 | |
| 17 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 18 | * The ''Manga/LuckyStar'' dub has Creator/DerekStephenPrince play a number of female extras. |
| 19 | ** The original Japanese version subverts this, by having a female voice actor (Creator/{{Kujira}}) voicing female characters... with a ''male-sounding voice''. (She also voices Orochimaru in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', for those interested.) |
| 20 | * And to complete the triangle, Derek Stephen Prince voiced Ma Toad in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. |
| 21 | * In the ''Manga/GoldenBoy'' dub, one female minor character (who is seen for about 15 seconds in one episode), who is rather fat and unattractive, is voiced, rather badly and for laughs, by a man. |
| 22 | ** That man, by the way, is none other than Creator/SpikeSpencer. |
| 23 | * ''Literature/ShangriLa'' has two female-looking transgender characters obviously voiced by males. |
| 24 | %%ZCE* Creator/MichaelBell had a few of these on ''Anime/{{Voltron}}''. |
| 25 | * On ''Anime/SonicX'', the maid Ella is voiced by Creator/MikePollock, who also plays Dr. Eggman in the same show. |
| 26 | * ''Manga/PeaceMakerKurogane'''s [[DudeLooksLikeALady resident pretty boy]] [[UnsettlingGenderReveal Souji Okita]]. |
| 27 | * ''Manga/MyBrideIsAMermaid'' (more prominent in the first OVA) Lunar's Papa talks alternately between his {{Moe}} voice and his manly voice. |
| 28 | * In the Japanese version of ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'', Moro's voice is provided by Miwa Akihiro, who has found something of a niche portraying mysterious older female characters. |
| 29 | ** He also did the voice of the Witch of the Waste in ''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle''. |
| 30 | * Chimpette from the Zanpakuto arc of ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' is voiced by a woman (Creator/MitsukiSaiga)... who usually voices male characters, and uses a male voice for the role. Probably because the character (one half of Renji's Zanpakuto spirit Zabimaru) [[GenderBender was originally a male baboon]]. |
| 31 | ** The dub similarly opted to cast Creator/MaryElizabethMcGlynn as Chimpette, using a voice even deeper and huskier than many of her previous roles to match the original Japanese performance. |
| 32 | * The English dub voice of Grell Sutcliffe in ''Manga/BlackButler'' sounds like she's trying to sound more feminine, which is quite appropriate seeing as Grell is [[AmbiguousGenderIdentity debatably a trans woman]]. Whether this is on purpose or by accident... |
| 33 | ** Many people actually ''preferred'' Grell's voice in the English dub compared to [[Creator/JunFukuyama Grell's seiyuu]] and found it to be one of the better decisions in the anime. Which is ironic, because Grell was the VA (Daniel Fredrick)'s first big role. |
| 34 | * The Swedish dub for ''Manga/{{Galaxy Express 999}}'' had over half the female cast voiced by a man. And... not very discreetly either. Imagine a female android entering a train cabin, she is completely naked, and looks like she is made of crystal, with long flowing crystal like hair. Then she speaks and you hear the voice of an old man... it. is. HORRIBLE... |
| 35 | * In the Japanese dub of ''Papuwa'', the character Harada Umako is done by Creator/KoujiIshii to play up the fact that she's the manliest character in the show despite being the sole female. Subverted in the English dub, however, by Creator/JoanneBonasso speaking broken English in a faux Russian accent. |
| 36 | * ''Manga/DragonBall'': |
| 37 | ** Ugly old crone Uranai Baba was initially voiced by Creator/JunpeiTakiguchi, who gave her a hoarse, wizened voice. In ''The Revenge of King Piccolo'' video game, Creator/ChristopherSabat does her voice in the English version, trying his best to imitate her usual English VA, Creator/LindaYoung. Before Linda Young ever voiced the character, Baba was voiced in the Majin Buu arc and her one appearance in the Cell arc by Christopher Forbis (mainly Dr. Briefs and Dodoria) who gave a rather convincing rasp to his performance. Many mistook it for Laurie Steele, the actress for young Krillin. In the Ocean Group dub of the Buu arc, Baba's voiced by Brian Drummond. |
| 38 | * Kaoru Hanase from ''Anime/TamakoMarket'', the beautiful florist who just so happens to be voiced by Creator/DaisukeOno. |
| 39 | * In an episode of ''Anime/LupinIIITheWomanCalledFujikoMine'', Oscar (Creator/YuukiKaji) goes undercover in drag. |
| 40 | * James in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' whenever he dresses like a woman. He can pull off a rather decent-sounding female voice [[Creator/ShinichiroMiki in the Japanese version]], but in the dub (at least when voiced by Creator/EricStuart), he speaks in a cheesy [[Franchise/TheMuppets Miss Piggy]]-esque falsetto voice that can actually be quite funny (''especially'' in [[Recap/PokemonS1E15BattleAboardTheStAnne "Battle Aboard the St. Anne"]]). |
| 41 | -->"Like wow, don't I make, like, the COOLEST girl?" |
| 42 | * In the first sequel series of ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'', the villain Gel Sadra is a woman, but is voiced by Creator/MasaruIkeda, who gave her a voice more like that of a flamboyant man. This was to drive home how X's alterations made her inhumanly creepy, although this confused producers of the ''Anime/EagleRiders'' dub, who initially [[ShesAManInJapan translated her as a man]] until they had to explain away later episodes. |
| 43 | * PlayedForLaughs in ''WebAnimation/InfernoCop'', where every character is voiced by a small cast of ''male'' voice actors. Including crying pregnant women and babies that turn into sea creatures. |
| 44 | * In the 9Go! English dub of ''Anime/{{Tamagotchi}}'', it's clearly obvious that Flowertchi is voiced by a male. And to add onto it, [=KuroMametchi=] (an actual male) talks in the same voice when disguising as Lovelin in one episode, proving both are voiced by that same actor! |
| 45 | [[/folder]] |
| 46 | |
| 47 | [[folder:Audio Plays]] |
| 48 | * Creator/TheFiresignTheatre, being all men, do both male and female characters on their albums. The eeriest is definitely Phil Austin. |
| 49 | [[/folder]] |
| 50 | |
| 51 | [[folder:Fairy Tales]] |
| 52 | The Big Bad Wolf of ''The Wolf and the Seven Young Goats'' tries to trick the Goats that he's their mother by trying to imitate their mother's voice but fails the first time around. He than decides to [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext get the blacksmith's help to make his voice sound higher]]. |
| 53 | [[/folder]] |
| 54 | |
| 55 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 56 | * Works with most AbridgedSeries, since they are not supposed to be taken seriously. |
| 57 | ** Subverted in ''WebVideo/GantzAbridged'', in which at first Kishimoto is voiced by Creator/{{hbi2k}} (who admits his lady voices suck, as seen in ''WebVideo/BerserkAbridged''), with her voice being commented on by other characters. After she clears her throat, her voice changes with an actual woman ([=Cassius614=]) voicing her from that point on. |
| 58 | ** As mentioned above, hbi2k voiced Casca from ''WebVideo/BerserkAbridged'' and {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d this in WebVideo/GantzAbridged. |
| 59 | ** One often-praised aspect of ''WebVideo/NarutoTheAbridgedSeries'' is [[Creator/MasakoX Masako's]] believable female voices, such as Ino, [[DudeLooksLikeALady Haku]](?), and Hinata. Meanwhile, Vegeta voices Sakura in the finest Miss Piggy tradition, and does a less exaggerated but no more convincing voice for Temari. |
| 60 | ** In ''WebVideo/RanmaOneHalfAbridged'', Mythros voices both Boy and Girl Ranma. It is more of a low seductress rather than the typical over-the-top Miss-Piggy falsetto. |
| 61 | ** Both applied and subverted in ''WebVideo/RanmaOneHalfTheAbridgedChronicles'', as Akane is voiced by [=ZomgRuler=] and assorted random females by [=EliteslayerX,=] but the two admitted to not being able to do female voices and put up a casting call for the remaining important characters. All other female characters are voiced by women. |
| 62 | ** [[{{Crossdresser}} Lita]] in ''WebVideo/SailorMoonAbridged'' [[NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent doesn't even bother]], instead firmly a JiveTurkey. |
| 63 | ** Tea and Mai in ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries''. When Rebecca showed up, Creator/LittleKuriboh just brought in his (now-ex) wife to do a guest voice. |
| 64 | *** Lampshaded in Episode 50: |
| 65 | ---->'''Joey:''' [[VerbalTic Nyeh]], Mai Valentine, you sound like a man! That is completely normal for this series, but still, what the hell?! |
| 66 | ** So far averted in ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'', where female voices are provided by actual females... except in the case of Princess Snake, voiced by [=LordQuadros=], who does ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid The Abridged Series.'' Everything about her is a ShoutOut to [=LordQuadros=]' own project and its source material, the disconcertingly growly voice included. |
| 67 | ** ''WebVideo/TruncatedPowerRangers'' doesn't even try to disguise the guy voice for the Pink Ranger. |
| 68 | ** In ''WebVideo/WeddingPeachAbridged'', Hinagiku was originally voiced by the brother of Toku Tenshi, the AbridgedSeries creator. When he had to vacate the role, she assumed the voice of Hinagiku, but voiced the character as an [[RecursiveCrossdressing exaggeration and affectionate parody of her brother's performance]]. |
| 69 | ** Yuki Nagato, a virtually silent schoolgirl, is voiced in ''WebVideo/TheAbridgingOfHaruhiSuzumiya'' as a ScaryBlackMan. |
| 70 | ** Katara is a major case of this in ''WebVideo/AvatarTheAbridgedSeries''. It breaks near the end of Season 1 when her [[TookALevelInBadass new level in badass]] comes with a female voice actor. |
| 71 | ** There is absolutely no effort to make the voices of any female character in [[https://www.youtube.com/user/purpleeyeswtf PurpleEyesWTF's]] ''[[WebVideo/CodeMENT Code Ment]]'' sound female, and it works perfectly. It is worth a mention that C.C., the MysteriousWaif in [[Anime/CodeGeass the source anime]], does sound sufficiently feminine and the same goes to Milly and Nunnally. |
| 72 | ** ''Manga/KOn'' doesn't have a single male character of note. ''WebVideo/KOnTheAbridgedSeries'' is performed by a group called "Just 5 Guys." Do the math. (Some attempt falsettos [[StylisticSuck with varying success]], but Abridged-Mio goes for the "are we sure she's not transgender?" approach.) |
| 73 | ** ''WebVideo/PokemonTheBridgedSeries'' refers to this case as a medical condition called "Falsettosis". Misty suffers from this in the first episode, where she is voiced by xJerry64x, but averted in all other episodes where she is played by the female [[TheOtherDarrin Nowacking]]. |
| 74 | ** Both Tsubaki and Yuki's mom in ''WebVideo/MiraiNikkiTheAbridgedSeries'' both sound like men. It's actually worse for the latter, as it ''really'' [[PervertDad adds to her creepiness]] (which of course, [[BlackComedy makes it even funnier]]). |
| 75 | ** In the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants WebVideo/GrandmasKissesDub'', [=SpongeBob=]'s grandmother is given a [[VocalDissonance very deep, manly voice]]. [[RuleOfFunny It is hilarious.]] |
| 76 | ** Wacarb, the creator of ''WebVideo/UltraFastPony'' (a ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' abridged series) voices all the characters in the show... leading to some very funny moments as the only female characters that sound remotely female are Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Cheerilee, and possibly Applejack. Likely the strangest of the lot are Rarity, with her deep voice and thick Aussie accent, and her sister, who sounds like a bear eating rocks. |
| 77 | * WebAnimation/SoThisIsBasically normally uses female voice actors for female characters, but ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3vYbF3_TAk So This Is Basically]] WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' has Ruby voiced by [[Creator/BrendanBlaber JelloApocalypse himself]]. The comments are keen to point out how perfectly he imitates her ''actual'' actor, Lindsay Jones. |
| 78 | [[/folder]] |
| 79 | |
| 80 | [[folder:Films -- Animation]] |
| 81 | * Furlecia of ''WesternAnimation/ArloTheAlligatorBoy'' is a female hairball with a masculine sounding voice, courtesy of [[Series/QueerEye2018 Jonathan Van Ness.]] |
| 82 | * Edna Mode of ''Franchise/TheIncredibles.'' She's played by the director Brad Bird himself because he couldn't find anyone else who could pull off the Japanese/German accent he wanted. |
| 83 | ** Supposedly, he did talk to Lily Tomlin, who had the voice he wanted, but she ended up saying something along the lines of "Why do you need me when you can do the voice fine?" |
| 84 | ** Interestingly, dubbed versions [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Incredibles_characters#Edna_Mode varied between using male and female voice actors for her.]] |
| 85 | * The 1989/1990 Afrikaans dub of ''WesternAnimation/LuckyLukeDaisyTown''. With the exception the female singing voices, all of the speaking cast are, for some reason, male and the female characters' voices are noticeably falsetto (this includes the main dance-hall singer's one non-singing line). The dub of the [[WesternAnimation/LuckyLuke1983 1980s animated series]] (mostly with the same cast) averted this by actually having female voice actors. |
| 86 | * ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'': |
| 87 | ** Larry King as Doris the Ugly Stepsister in ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek 2}}'' doesn't even bother with a falsetto. |
| 88 | ** Neither does Regis Philbin in ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird'', as the other stepsister. Given that the Ugly Stepsisters are traditionally played by men in drag (traditionally called "dames") in the pantomime of Cinderella, that was probably deliberate. |
| 89 | ** In the British release of ''Shrek 2'', Larry King was replaced by a talk show host who is more well known in the UK, Jonathan Ross. While still hardly feminine, his somewhat more high pitched, lispy-sounding voice could be considered more convincing. In the Spanish dub, the role is taken by sports journalist Michael Robinson, who takes the same approach as King. |
| 90 | * Roz, the dispatcher in ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' is voiced by Pixar story man Bob Peterson. |
| 91 | * Both of Granny Goodness' appearances in movies in the WesternAnimation/DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies line have this. In ''WesternAnimation/SupermanBatmanApocalypse'', Creator/EdAsner reprises the role. In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueGodsAndMonsters'', she's voiced by Creator/KharyPayton. |
| 92 | [[/folder]] |
| 93 | |
| 94 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 95 | * In ''Film/{{Carefree}}'' (1938), Connors pretends to be "Miss Satsuma Naguchi," a reporter for the Honolulu ''Daily Bugle,'' over the telephone. His voice is funny, but not remotely convincing; maybe he was hoping it would be chalked up to a bad long distance line. In any case, Stephen seems to buy it until he realizes that the caller is in a phone booth just a few yards away from him. |
| 96 | * ''Film/SomeLikeItHot'''s very premise is about two male musicians dressing up as women to join an all-girl band to hide from the mob. Creator/JackLemmon had a fairly high voice already, and was able to do a decent tongue-in-cheek female voice while not having to adjust his natural voice very much. Creator/TonyCurtis on the other hand had to rely on a professional voice actor (Creator/PaulFrees) to dub his female voice. |
| 97 | * ''Film/WhiteChicks''. It does not work at all, because the film expects us to buy that nobody sees through their disguises. Their Miss Piggy voices combined with the "No plastic surgeon is ''that bad''" look to completely ruin the suspension of disbelief. |
| 98 | ** It does help that the people the Wayans are supposed to be interacting with seem to be really lacking in the intelligence department. "You can get ''knee implants''?!" |
| 99 | * Creator/RobinWilliams managed an almost convincing voice in ''Film/MrsDoubtfire''. It may have helped that he played an old woman, not a young one. A British one, at that. |
| 100 | * Edna Turnblad in ''Theatre/{{Hairspray}}'' '''is''' this trope. She's a female character who was played by drag queen Divine in the [[Film/Hairspray1988 original movie]]. Harvey Fierstein originated the role on Broadway. |
| 101 | ** Creator/JohnTravolta in the [[Film/Hairspray2007 2007 movie]] plays it more realistically, with a distinctly softer lilt than Fierstein's. Other stage versions have Ednas that barely try to sound feminine at all. |
| 102 | *** Also a case of RealityIsUnrealistic; several critics asked why Travolta was doing that weird voice, when he's actually playing Edna with a passable Baltimore accent. |
| 103 | ** Many fans of the original stage show despised Travolta's interpretation specifically because he was too believable a woman. Edna was intended to be played like a drag queen, and Travolta said there was "nothing gay about Hairspray" and somehow managed to de-gay the word "fabulous." |
| 104 | * In ''Film/{{Orgazmo}}'', one of the women the titular character has to do a porno with is nicknamed "T-Rex" because she's so rotund. She probably has the deepest voice of any character in the film. Anyone who's since seen ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' will recognize that Trey Parker is dubbing her. Apparently the overweight middle-aged actress who was such a good sport to appear in the film didn't have a scary enough voice. |
| 105 | * Averted: In ''Film/ToWongFooThanksForEverythingJulieNewmar'', Creator/PatrickSwayze's drag voice is the second most convincing, aiming for soft and breathy rather than falsetto. The most convincing of all the drag queens, disturbingly, is John Leguizamo as Chi Chi Rodrigues, who only has to go up maybe half an octave. |
| 106 | ** That's because he has done drag as part of his comedy routine in the past, and already had a little experience in that area as opposed to macho men Swayze and Wesley Snipes. |
| 107 | * Creator/DustinHoffman does a pretty convincing female voice in ''Film/{{Tootsie}}''. This is the reason his character speaks with a southern accent, as Hoffman found he was more able to hit the right register with one. |
| 108 | ** And then averts it: "..taxi......taxi.....[[AccentSlipUp TAXI!]]" |
| 109 | * Creator/LievSchreiber has done two drag roles, and he doesn't even bother to disguise his (rather deep and masculine) voice. One was [[https://youtu.be/AOZT63AbKYo Chris from Mixed Nuts]], who complains "My voice doesn't suit me." The other is [[https://youtu.be/906pQ5ZHUBI Vilma,]] who Schreiber described as a "gay man who wears women's clothing." He does, however, make his voice sound kind of gentler than normal. |
| 110 | * In ''Film/KungPowEnterTheFist'', a GagDub kung-fu film, Steve Odekirk voices nearly everyone. This results in humorously falsetto female voices. |
| 111 | * In ''Film/SiebenZwerge'', the camera zooms in on Snow White singing beautifully while behind her. The camera then moves around her, showing her from the front and revealing that she isn't actually singing. The camera then moves to the window next to it, revealing that one of the ''dwarfs'' had been singing the whole time. |
| 112 | * Creator/MontyPython's Creator/TerryJones plays female characters in several sketch and film appearances, typically affecting a high-pitched but fairly gruff voice. |
| 113 | ** ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'': Terry plays the woman who argues with Dennis in the "Constitutional Peasants" scene. |
| 114 | ** ''Film/MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian'': Terry much more prominently plays Brian's skeptical no-nonsense mother. In one scene he takes it full circle by having her in turn pretend to be male in order to take part in a stoning. |
| 115 | [[/folder]] |
| 116 | |
| 117 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 118 | * ''Series/SummerHeightsHigh'', hit Australian TV-show. Chris Lilley voices a girl in high school and is actually pretty good at it without making his pitch much higher, more of making it more bitchy like the average teenage girl in any country. Also voices the 'gangsta' idiot kid where he sends his voice lower and the Drama Teacher where he adds a slight lisp and says the hilarious dialogue pretty straight to comedic effect. |
| 119 | * Creator/PeterSellers was able to produce scarily realistic women's voices, notably "Breathy Kensington Thing", who made several cameo appearances on ''Radio/TheGoonShow''. |
| 120 | * In one episode of ''The Friday Night Project'', guest host Creator/DavidTennant appeared in a Doctor Who sketch as the female companion. He doesn't look half bad, but the voice is just weird- it's like he sounds like a woman and doesn't sound like one at the same time. |
| 121 | ** And then there's Davina... |
| 122 | * While ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' specialized in screechy and goofy woman voices, Series/TheKidsInTheHall usually played women's voices dead straight, e.g. Bruce [=McCullough=] and Scott Thompson as Cathy and Kathy. |
| 123 | ** Kevin [=MacDonald=], in particular, worked very hard in ''[[Film/KidsInTheHallBrainCandy Brain Candy]]'' at nailing the closeted gay man's aggrieved wife's pain and tone of voice. |
| 124 | * The guys in ''Series/TheWhitestKidsUKnow'' often go with the "Creator/MontyPython" variety of female voices when they do drag roles; Darren is the only one who half sounds like a woman when he does it (though he has a high-pitched voice to begin with). |
| 125 | ** Although Timmy can be pretty convincing as well in the role of suburban moms and other such middle-aged females... |
| 126 | * To see how the professionals do it, watch ''[[Series/{{Maury}} The Maury Povich Show]]'' when he has you guess whether that's a woman or a drag queen... |
| 127 | * Used brilliantly by Colin Lane in an episode of ''[[Series/ThankGodYoureHere Thank God You're Here]]''. Colin, a male, was dressed up as a heavily pregnant woman. As soon as he was forced to say something, he effected the deepest voice he could, eventually culminating in this exchange (paraphrased due to a faulty memory). |
| 128 | --> '''Merrick Watts as an Obstetrician''': Obviously you don't want to give birth as a male.\ |
| 129 | '''Colin''': You wanna start something, mate? |
| 130 | * In ''Series/{{Eureka}}'', S.A.R.A.H., the AI who manages Sheriff Carter's "Smart House", has a female persona. However, Douglas Fargo, her creator and the town's resident ButtMonkey, based her voice on himself doing a female impression. (He claims he wanted to use Sarah Michelle Gellar, but she hadn't returned his calls). It's just obvious enough to freak out Carter. |
| 131 | ** Note also that Fargo used code from B.R.A.D. as part of S.A.R.A.H.'s AI, so there's further gender issues |
| 132 | * Gypsy from ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' was voiced by men throughout the series. One used a falsetto, while another inhaled. It was later averted in the Netflix revival season, where Gypsy was voiced by a woman. |
| 133 | * In the ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' episode where they all try to quit smoking, Lily's "smoker's voice" is dubbed over by Harvey Fierstein. |
| 134 | * In 1964, in honour of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's 400th birthday, Music/TheBeatles performed a skit on a part of ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'' in their show "Around The Beatles". Music/JohnLennon played the role of Thisbe in a very deep male voice. [[https://youtu.be/y24geONER0k Can be found on YouTube multiple times.]] |
| 135 | * Averted and subverted in the ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' "Gap Girls At The Mall" sketch. Creator/ChrisFarley, Creator/DavidSpade, and Creator/AdamSandler dress in drag impersonating teenage girls at the mall. In an intentional case, the three simply use high-pitched versions of their own voices. This becomes a [[Funny/SaturdayNightLive Crowning Moment of Funny]] for Farley, in a skit where they're eating French fries, [[spoiler:Spade's character says to Farley's character: "I thought you were trying to lose weight?" Farley breaks character by using his normal voice and saying, "Lay off me, I'm starving!"]] This has become MemeticMutation for those familiar with Farley's career. |
| 136 | * In an episode of ''Series/FamilyMatters'', Eddie, Steve, and Waldo go to a convent disguised as nuns to find Myra when they think she's joining up with them. Eddie and Steve put on ridiculous voices. [[CloudCuckooLander Waldo]], on the other hand, does not. |
| 137 | * Creator/EricIdle is probably the only member of the Creator/MontyPython group who doesn't speak in a shrill, high voice when imitating a woman. |
| 138 | * When the Second Doctor puts on a HarmlessLadyDisguise in ''Series/DoctorWho'', he speaks in an alarmingly convincing female voice. |
| 139 | * The episode "You Gotta Have Hope" from ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'' starts with a burly black man singing Music/PuffTheMagicDragon in falsetto. None of the girls auditioning the performers is impressed. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UvERvpxWmo Here's the clip.]] |
| 140 | -->'''Blanche''': Thank you. That was... very odd. |
| 141 | [[/folder]] |
| 142 | |
| 143 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 144 | * Multiple Music/PDQBach works call for singing by a countertenor (that is, a man singing in the vocal range of a woman). Naturally played for laughs. |
| 145 | ** There's TruthInTelevision here: Contraltos (female tenors) exist; so do countertenors (male altos). Compositions are sometimes written seriously specifying these ranges. |
| 146 | *** The part of Baba the Turk (a bearded lady) in Music/IgorStravinsky’s opera ''The Rake's Progress'' is frequently played by a countertenor. |
| 147 | *** Countertenors and falsetto singers are also called upon to take operatic roles originally written for ''castrati''. Sometimes the director will cast a female singer instead. |
| 148 | * Both the male and female voice in [[https://youtu.be/wGz3Neb9Ik8 this song,]] "Shoes by Tiga," are done by the same man (the aforementioned [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tiga_(3).jpg Tiga]]) with the help of audio-editing software. |
| 149 | * On the Music/ThePogues' album ''Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash'', Shane [=MacGowan=] does both the male and female parts in "The Gentleman Soldier". His female voice is of the screechy, Pythonesque variety. |
| 150 | * Eurobeat singer Davide di Marcantonio often did this, likely with the aid of pitch-shifting, especially in [[https://youtu.be/2I1FfJ9TPTY Rose & John - Living in America.]] |
| 151 | * White Town's "Your Woman". On surface level anyway - the TitleDrop is "I could never be your woman", yet vocalist/[[IAmTheBand sole consistent member]] Jyoti Prakash Mishra doesn't attempt to make his voice sound feminine. However, Mishra has also said he meant the POV of the song to be ambiguous, and that it could also be about [[IncompatibleOrientation a straight man being in love with a lesbian, or a gay man being in love with a straight man]]. |
| 152 | * Music/NeilSedaka, especially in [[https://youtu.be/SsYIiY2wnyU&feature=related this song.]] |
| 153 | * Carole Pope of Canadian band Rough Trade is a ButchLesbian with a very deep voice. [[https://youtu.be/qsJHtzdvfKg See for yourself.]] |
| 154 | * Jack White (of the Music/TheWhiteStripes) sang the secondary lead vocal on Electric Six's "Danger! High Voltage" using a distinctly more feminine inflection. The video features a woman miming to his vocal part. |
| 155 | * Nick Pitera, who is capable of singing all the vocal parts of [[https://youtu.be/Zp1BYzIVi0U multiple Disney movies,]] both male and female. |
| 156 | * Russel Mael of Music/{{Sparks}}, who usually has an [[https://youtu.be/QAzESJ62irI insanely feminine voice.]] |
| 157 | * Philip Bailey of Music/EarthWindAndFire was usually indistinguishable from the female backing singers that the band hired when singing in his trademark falsetto. |
| 158 | * The song "Brighton Rock" by Music/{{Queen}} was originally supposed to be a duet, with both a male and female vocalist. Unfortunately, the band had trouble finding an appropriate female vocalist, so Freddie Mercury ended up singing both parts himself. |
| 159 | ** A similar case with "Barcelona" by Music/FreddieMercury: although there was a female singer (Montserrat Caballe), Mercury recorded the song himself. |
| 160 | * In Music/FleetwoodMac songs from 1975 onwards, it's sometimes hard to tell who is singing, as Music/StevieNicks (female) and Lindsay Buckingham (male) have very similar voices. |
| 161 | * Music/{{Eminem}} frequently plays female characters in his songs. |
| 162 | ** On "Kim", he's particularly convincing, perhaps aided by how the subject matter of the song means most of Kim's lines are sobs and screams. |
| 163 | ** Despite being able to do a convincing female voice, when rapping as the female character in "Superman", his voice is digitally pitched up instead and sounds squeaky and silly - probably to reinforce the [[MisogynySong contempt]] he feels for her. |
| 164 | ** He often [[NerdyNasalness pinches his nose]] and speaks with an effeminate, lispy accent in order to voice stupid or condescending female characters. |
| 165 | ** On "Fast Lane", he briefly imitates Music/NickiMinaj's voice and flow in order to hit on her. |
| 166 | * Music/RobZombie does a duet with himself in "Demonoid Phenomenon." One of the voices is digitally altered to sound vaguely feminine. |
| 167 | * Eddie Vedder uses his normal singing voice in the Music/PearlJam song "Daughter." |
| 168 | * Music/{{KMFDM}} recorded a version of Music/{{Madonna}}'s "Material Girl" with deep-voiced En Esch singing all the original lines unaltered. |
| 169 | * Music/VelvetUnderground: The female voice on the track "Sunday Morning" from ''Music/TheVelvetUndergroundAndNico'', which many believe to be Music/Nico, is actually Music/LouReed, putting on a hardly unrecognizable imitation of a female voice! |
| 170 | * Stefan Poiss of Music/MindInABox, despite his normally bass-baritone voice, does a decent female impersonation on "Unknown", possibly aided by the vocoder. |
| 171 | * [[https://youtu.be/r8P3qxR1mk0 Luc Arbogast,]] medieval countertenor. Large, shaved head, tattooed like whoa, and has the voice of an operatic diva. |
| 172 | * A lot of Music/VanDerGraafGenerator songs have Peter Hammill doing this, including "Afterwards", "Refugees", "House With No Door", "Pioneers Over C", "Lemmings" and "A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers". |
| 173 | * TR/ST's Robert Alfons, like Stefan Poiss, is naturally a baritone, but can very convincingly perform feminine vocals, ''without'' the use of falsetto or pitch-shifting. |
| 174 | * When Bunny Bennett of Music/SteamPoweredGiraffe was transitioning from male to female, she had to work diligently to get her voice up into a more feminine range. She has largely succeeded, but still has an impressive baritone. |
| 175 | [[/folder]] |
| 176 | |
| 177 | [[folder:Puppet Shows]] |
| 178 | * ''Series/TheMuppetShow'': |
| 179 | ** Miss Piggy is probably the most famous example of this. It still works, because part of the joke is that she isn't really that feminine. Frank Oz even described her as a trucker trying to be a woman. "You're saying ''moi'' is not feminine? ''[[HypocriticalHumor Hai-YAH!]]''" |
| 180 | ** Like, Janice as well, although Richard Hunt does a more convincing female voice than Frank Oz. Fer sure. This one was averted in the first season, when Eren Ozker played Janice (with a completely different characterization). Pretty much everyone agrees that invoking this trope after her departure was an improvement. |
| 181 | * In the 1970s ''Series/SesameStreet'', many female Muppets were voiced by males. One main example was Gladys the Cow, performed by Richard Hunt. Additionally, Hunt and Jerry Nelson and Frank Oz did many other incidental/one-time female characters, many of Oz's female characters [[https://youtu.be/tMS9DRrzQT8 sounding almost exactly like Miss Piggy.]] |
| 182 | [[/folder]] |
| 183 | |
| 184 | [[folder:Radio]] |
| 185 | * Ray Goulding, ironically enough the big, burly half of Radio/BobAndRay, used the same matronly falsetto for numerous female characters. It was a lot more convincing when he was younger; in their earliest shows, he also had a breathy, right-over-the-top voice for their soap opera heroines: "Ooh, David, kiss me, my darling!" |
| 186 | * ''The Creator/ReducedShakespeareCompany Radio Show'' has special appearances by several female celebrities, whose voices sound a little deep. This is because they're not actually female celebrities, but Reed Martin, Professional Impressionist! |
| 187 | ** Female Shakesperean characters are mostly played by Adam Long. This is ''authentic'', people! |
| 188 | * Benjamin "Katon" Carignan's female voice, as heard on [[Fanfic/FobbiesAreBorange Loids are not Christmas]]. |
| 189 | * ''Radio/ImSorryIllReadThatAgain'' had Tim Brooke-Taylor as Lady Constance and [[InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals various women with a strong similarity to Lady Constance]]. Lady Constance made a comeback as one of the Ugly Sisters in the Radio 4 {{Panto}} ''Black Cinderella II Goes East'', along with Graeme Garden as Moaning Minne; as Queens Victoria and Boudicca in the ''Radio/ImSorryIHaventAClue'''s YetAnotherChristmasCarol; and as the Duchess (with Minnie as the Cook) in ISIHAC's ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'' parody. |
| 190 | [[/folder]] |
| 191 | |
| 192 | [[folder:Theater]] |
| 193 | * Most modern performances of ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'', as part of the BadBadActing of the play within a play, will deliberately have Flute unable to pull off a believable female voice ([[DisguisedInDrag or appearance]]) for Thisbe. |
| 194 | * In ''Theatre/{{Matilda}}'', Miss Trunchbull, traditionally playeneed by a tall baritone-voiced man, often suffers from this, most notably when Bryce Ryness played her on the first US tour, although Bertie Carvel, the originator of the role, performed a very convincing female voice. |
| 195 | [[/folder]] |
| 196 | |
| 197 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 198 | * Bonita Soleil from ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'', though like Doctor Girlfriend below her voice actor doesn't even attempt to give her a feminine voice. |
| 199 | ** This is used as a joke when Raz first talks to her. He finds her in her dressing room, crying in a high female voice--but the sobbing is actually a recording to help her get into character. When Bonita finally speaks, her voice is far different and the crying continues until she turns it off. |
| 200 | * Lady D from ''VideoGame/HenryHatsworthInThePuzzlingAdventure''. The game isn't voiced in the traditional sense, but when she talks, sound bites of deep, throaty coughs punctuated by VERY masculine "Yoo-Hoo"'s play. |
| 201 | * ''VideoGame/{{Stronghold}}'' uses the Monty Python variation for the game's few female characters. |
| 202 | * ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' has Creator/JasonSpisak voicing [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV Bartz]], a mimic-type character who copies the attacks of other characters and mimics their tone of voice when doing so. In the original game the only female on the hero roster was [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI Terra]], and Spizak didn't even attempt to imitate her. Then the prequel came out, and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Tifa]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX Yuna]] and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII Lightning]] joined the group, and Bartz's lines were re-recorded to be better imitations of the person he was copying. Thus, Jason Spisak had to imitate four very different-sounding female characters. ''And he pulled it off.'' His impressions are so good in fact, some wondered for a time if it was a distorted version of the original voice and didn't think it was actually him. |
| 203 | * Gruntilda and her sisters from the ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' series. Grunty and Mingella have Python-esque women's voices (SpeakingSimlish), while Blobelda's voice has almost no trace of femininity. |
| 204 | * A random male hobo in ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' does a surprisingly good impersonation of newsreader Eliza Cassan. |
| 205 | * In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVGroundZeroes'', Kaz does [[BadImpressionists some very poor quality impressions]] of female ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' characters (Naomi, Meryl and The Boss). Apparently, though, they had to be re-recorded badly because [[Creator/RobinAtkinDownes the voice actor]] got the original delivery really close, [[IronyAsSheIsCast which doesn't fit]] [[BadBadActing Kaz's character]]. |
| 206 | * ''VideoGame/NamuAmidaButsuUtena'': Ashuku Nyorai, voiced by Creator/YuusukeKobayashi, sounds surprisingly convincing for the most part except during default combined attack, where she lets out a decidedly unfeminine ''[=doRYAAAAA=]!'' |
| 207 | * ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' showcases this spectacularly during the cross-dressing pageant. Yosuke tries, but doesn't do a great job; Kanji doesn't even ''bother''. |
| 208 | * An odd example is the dub of the first ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors'' game, with the series' portrayal of Ranmaru Mori (a historical figure who was actually a boy) [[GenderFlip as a young woman]]... [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness voiced here]] [[ShesAManInJapan in English]] [[CrossDressingVoices by a guy]] (Creator/TonyOliver, in fact). All subsequent games with an English dub would follow [[Creator/NaomiShindo the original Japanese version]] by casting women as Ranmaru. |
| 209 | * Gladys, the third parasite from ''VideoGame/TheCatLady'', is voiced by a man trying to imitate a female voice... and it shows. This makes her even more creepy than she's already supposed to be. |
| 210 | [[/folder]] |
| 211 | |
| 212 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 213 | * [[spoiler:Chihiro Fujisaki]] from ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' is a frail boy who dresses as a girl to avoid the stigma of being a, well, frail boy that gets bullied because he is not the Japanese-standard of how they think a young man should look and act. His Japanese voice actor is Creator/KoukiMiyata, a guy who's been pigeonholed in "cute boy" roles. |
| 214 | ** Subverted in the English version, where the character [[CrossdressingVoices is voiced by]] [[Creator/DorothyEliasFahn a woman]]. |
| 215 | [[/folder]] |
| 216 | |
| 217 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 218 | * All of the main ponies of the ''WebAnimation/PonyDotMov'' series, except Twilight Sparkle. |
| 219 | * ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'': Strong Bad does a "growly" variation for his "Teen Girl Squad" toons. |
| 220 | * ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue''s PSA announcement on how the Internet is different from real life: an obvious guy in a pink suit saying "I ''am'' a girl. Tee hee hee." |
| 221 | * In Steve Cutts' ''Where Are They Now?'', Cutts himself voices all of the has-been cartoon characters, including [[Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit Jessica Rabbit]], giving her a gravelly [[MisplacedAccent Cockney accent]]. |
| 222 | [[/folder]] |
| 223 | |
| 224 | [[folder:Web Videos]] |
| 225 | * While Jonathan Sullivan on ''Escape Pod'' is still recognizably masculine, his girl-voices aren't parodies. |
| 226 | * ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'': |
| 227 | ** Linkara, when he reads dialog from any ladies in a comic. He has a few different female voices, ranging from "passable" to "[[Series/TheMuppetShow Miss Piggy]]". |
| 228 | ** His girlfriend Liz too. She can do a good vocal imitation of a man, but not a woman! |
| 229 | * The WebVideo/{{Wiiviewer}} doing [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Princess Peach]]. |
| 230 | * Some male {{Lets Play}}ers tend to do this. An infamous example being LetsPlay/{{Raocow}} with his [[VocalDissonance voice]] for [[Franchise/TouhouProject Marisa]]. With it being [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4OODjuvbOg#t=30s strangely bizarre]] and [[CantUnhearIt hard to get out of your head]]. |
| 231 | * ''WebVideo/PlayStationAccess'': For RuleOfFunny, they didn't get a lady to play Rob's Mum. They just got a guy to put on a white dress, not show him above the neck, and have him do a comically shrill impersonation of a middle age British woman's voice. |
| 232 | [[/folder]] |
| 233 | |
| 234 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 235 | * For some reason, all actors who have played WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'s little sister, D.W., have been male. Prepubescent, mind you. |
| 236 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'': |
| 237 | ** Dr. Girlfriend is voiced by Doc Hammer, using the lowest and most gravelly vocal register possible. This has led many to think that she is transgender (both in the fandom and the show), but the in-story justification is that she smokes a lot (Jefferson Twilight asked her if she smoked cigarettes or ''ate'' them). |
| 238 | ** Dr. Orpheus's master always takes on a different form each time he appears on the show, from a three-headed dog to ''SantaClaus'', with [[Creator/HJonBenjamin his voice]] [[MorphicResonance being the only consistent trait between forms]]. In one episode, he takes on the form of Orpheus's ex wife, thus invoking this trope. |
| 239 | * In ''WesternAnimation/MoralOrel'', Miss Censordoll is voiced by Jay Johnston. |
| 240 | ** Joe's half-sister is also voiced by a guy, but like with Dr. Girlfriend, he doesn't try to do a woman's voice, so normally, she sounds like a man. When she talks on the phone, [[ProfessionalVoiceDissonance she pinches her noise to make her voice sound higher]]. |
| 241 | * In ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', Granny Goodness was played by Creator/EdAsner. Who, it must be noted, was instructed ''not'' to try to hide his voice. Hearing an old granny with a man's voice can be rather nightmarish, which fits right into Granny's character. It may also be an extension of the [[{{Pantomime}} panto]] tradition of evil dames like Cinderella's Stepmother and Stepsisters. |
| 242 | * Another rather disturbing [[Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse DCAU]] instance happens in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', [[spoiler:when Talia, after being absent from Bruce's life for decades comes back in his life... only to reveal that it's actually ''[[UnsettlingGenderReveal her father]]'', Ra's al Ghul, who put his consciousness into her body to cheat his own body's death, and who now wants Bruce's body, as he prefers being a he]]. The last word in this phase, and all subsequent ones uttered by the villain, are in his male voice despite, his current female body: |
| 243 | -->"I did not mean for you to find out this way. But I suppose what's done is done... ''detective''!" |
| 244 | * In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', all of the member of [[YuppieCouple the Waterfall family]] are voiced by Phil Hendrie, including [[GranolaGirl Frida]]. It's less ridiculous than most examples, but still fairly Miss Piggy-esque. |
| 245 | * ''WesternAnimation/SitDownShutUp'''s [[PunnyName Sue Sezno]] is voiced by Series/{{Kenan|AndKel}} [[Series/SaturdayNightLive Thompson]]. Surprisingly enough, it works. |
| 246 | * Brendon Small's shows ''WesternAnimation/HomeMovies'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'' frequently use male voice talent for female characters. Then there's [=McGuirk=] at the Medieval Fair reading his line "in Elizabethan". |
| 247 | * One episode of ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'' shows that all of Randall's ex-girlfriends have become lesbians, and ''all'' of them are voiced by men. |
| 248 | ** Including one that may have been Creator/KevinSmith himself. |
| 249 | * ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' does this often, though slightly less so in recent seasons - especially when the female character in question is a real-world celebrity whom they're attempting to mock (such as Martha Stewart). |
| 250 | * In a ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode in which the Griffins get superpowers Peter's power is shape-shifting; at one point he disguises himself as Music/BritneySpears but he doesn't disguise his voice at all, and yet everyone falls for it. |
| 251 | * WesternAnimation/BugsBunny did this fairly often when tricking his enemies. |
| 252 | ** Speaking of which, there have been cases of Creator/MelBlanc voicing one-shot female characters when Bea Benaderet or Creator/JuneForay weren't available. |
| 253 | * In ''WesternAnimation/SonicUnderground'', once you realize Jaleel White (Steve Urkel from ''Series/FamilyMatters'') is also voicing Sonia, you cannot unhear it. |
| 254 | * On the short-lived FOX Family cartoon ''WesternAnimation/MonsterFarm'', Cowapatra (the Egyptian queen cow) is voiced by a man named Kevin Killebrew. Come to think of it, since there aren't that many female characters on the show (except for the ones that appear for one episode only), the only female character to have a female voice actress is Zombeef (voiced by Tifany Lenheart). |
| 255 | * Brian Doyle-Murray played Agnes Delrooney, the escaped lady convict and Grandma-ma lookalike from ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}''. You won't soon forget Doyle-Murray's gravelly voice saying "You know what I haven't had in a long time? A man!". He also played Coach Gills, the female goldfish coach in ''WesternAnimation/MyGymPartnersAMonkey''. |
| 256 | * There's Alice in ''WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}}'', but the voice is certainly not feminine, in fact all that's traditionally feminine about her is her breasts and her name. {{Justified|Trope}}, since she's a transgender woman, and most trans women have masculine voices due to transitioning after they've gone through male puberty. |
| 257 | ** The lunch ladies are also clearly voiced by men, with deep raspy voices to go along with their gruff, sadistic personalities. |
| 258 | * In the ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' series, DJ's mom is voiced by Clé Bennett, who also voices her son and Chef. |
| 259 | * ''WesternAnimation/WilloTheWisp1981'' had Kenneth Williams as the voices of Mavis Cruet and Evil Edna. As well as everyone else. |
| 260 | * Tim Brooke-Taylor again, as the villainous Auntie in ''WesternAnimation/{{Bananaman}}''. |
| 261 | * Tina Rex in ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' is voiced by an adult male (originally the same guy who voices [[BumblingDad Richard]]) ''before'' being pitched way the hell down. The same goes for both of Ms. Simian's voice actors. |
| 262 | ** And when the Watterson kids accidentally eat their father's hormone supplements in "The Mustache", making them hulking and hairy, Gumball and Darwin keep the same voice actors but are pitched down while Anais's voice is replaced with what's obvious an adult man's voice. |
| 263 | ** Coach Russo, Jamie's mother, has a deep male voice (also provided by Richard's voice actor). Gumball and Darwin didn't know she is a woman until the end of her debut episode. |
| 264 | * ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': |
| 265 | ** Lumpy Space Princess, who is basically series creator Creator/PendletonWard playing a ValleyGirl with little change in timbre. Lampshaded by the {{genderswap}}ped version of LSP sounding and looking the same except for some facial hair. The only time his voice sounds different is when [[HerCodenameWasMarySue LSP herself tells his story]], which had it changed to a regal British accent courtesy of Creator/PeterSerafinowicz. |
| 266 | ** LSP's best friend Turtle Princess has a low, dopey and masculine voice. Minor character Muscle Princess also has a deep and growly voice. |
| 267 | * In the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "Squidward's School for Grown Ups", when Squidward and Patrick attend an opera near the end of the episode, [=SpongeBob=] comes out [[WholesomeCrossdresser dressed as a female Viking warrior]] (prompting Patrick to comment, "[[AttractiveBentGender She's beautiful!]]") and [[https://youtu.be/BF2E090keTs sings opera in a female voice]]. |
| 268 | * Princess Pony Apehands on ''WesternAnimation/{{Spliced}}'' has a deep, obviously male voice, but the vocabulary and sentence structure of a three-year-old girl. |
| 269 | * WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}} is voiced by an adult man in every language (except Polish). She usually comes off sounding like a young teenage boy, and it especially comes out when she sings. |
| 270 | * Mother Brain of ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster'' was voiced by Levi Stubbs, who used the exact same voice he used for Audrey II. It kinda sounded like a woman, albeit a very gravelly one. |
| 271 | * The episode "Bridle Gossip" of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' has the Mane 6 afflicted by a pranking plant in various ways. Fluttershy's usually soft and ''very'' feminine voice is replaced by a [[https://youtu.be/rmGJJDL5EUA very deep sounding male voice actor,]] namely, Creator/BluMankuma. |
| 272 | * Creator/PaulFrees once voiced a minor female character in ''[[WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle Mr. Peabody's Improbable History]]'' using the same voice he used in ''Film/SomeLikeItHot'' (see above). In addition, Walter Tetely, Sherman's voice actor, also voiced a little girl character (Napoleon's daughter) in one episode. This trope is due to there not usually being any female characters in the show, and thus, there was no need for female voice actors, except on the rare occasion the major historical figure was female (i.e. Cleopatra). |
| 273 | * Grenda from ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' sounds like a professional wrestler, and is voiced by Carl Faruolo. |
| 274 | * Tina from ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' is voiced by Dan Mintz, using his natural, deep voice. In this case, it works for the character, giving her an extra layer of awkwardness. Linda is also voiced by a man (John Roberts). |
| 275 | * On ''WesternAnimation/OverTheGardenWall'', sisters Auntie Whispers and Adelaide of the Pasture are voiced by Creator/TimCurry and Creator/JohnCleese, respectively. Adelaide talks in a somewhat high-pitched voice, but Tim Curry doesn't even bother making Auntie Whispers sound feminine in the least. |
| 276 | [[/folder]] |
| 277 | |
| 278 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 279 | * A staple of many stage comedians. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOQJiZ_g3Ho For example,]] [[Creator/GabrielIglesias Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias]]. |
| 280 | * Also worth noting that, with the right software, one can sound like the opposite gender. MorphVox and others are pretty convincing if you set them up right. |
| 281 | ** This is exactly how the female voices are done in Music/{{Hyadain}}'s video game music covers, according to WordOfGod. |
| 282 | * To avert this in real life, you have to remember that doing a convincing female voice is ''not'' a matter of how high you can go. It's a matter of ''resonance''. Most male voices, even higher-pitched ones, have a "boom" in them that women lack. Taking the boom out of your voice out will get a much more convincing result. You may sound like a woman with a deep voice, but you'll at least sound like a woman compared to the standard comedic routine of someone on helium and/or crack. |
| 283 | ** In speech (as opposed to singing) verisimilitude is not in the pitch or the timbre, as there's a fairly large overlap in both between male and female voices. For about the upper two-thirds of the tenor range and about the lower two-thirds of the alto range, speech mannerisms, subtle and less so, dominate. Skillful manipulation of these can produce a convincing voice (male, female, or genderless) in almost anyone of any sex or gender. For that matter, a person's timbre is more flexible than most people give it credit for. |
| 284 | ** There are quite a few Website/YouTube tutorials on this, mostly intended for transitioning trans women. [[https://www.youtube.com/candifla CandiFLA]] (slightly NSFW [[note]]she's a bit of an exhibitionist[[/note]]) might be the best-known. |
| 285 | * {{Drag Queen}}s are a mixed bag on this. Some manage to sound like typical women because their natural male voices are [[CampGay that high]], but others...it can be a little jarring to watch a queen elegantly lipsynch to Music/JanetJackson, then turn on the microphone and say in a deep gravelly voice, "'''How the fuck is everyone?!'''" But for many queens, the jarring difference between speech and appearance is part of the fun. |
| 286 | * Very common in early-transition trans women, as hormone reassignment doesn't effect the voice box, requiring several months of vocal therapy in order to amend the problem. |
| 287 | * Back in the late 1980s, there was a kerfuffle about a phone sex operator named Raven, who was a young black man impersonating a woman. The ads, needless to say, were false advertising. |
| 288 | [[/folder]] |
| 289 | |
| 290 | !!![[AC:Imitating a Masculine Voice]] |
| 291 | |
| 292 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 293 | * Pulled off to varying degrees of success by Mayo Suzukaze in ''Manga/RurouniKenshin''--the [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Battousai]] voice is a very convincing heroic tenor. The goofy, boyish voice Kenshin is meant to have the rest of the time drifts between believable and obviously female. |
| 294 | * Same with Creator/MasakoNozawa as the Japanese voice of Goku in the ''Franchise/DragonBall'' franchise. Nothing out-of-the-ordinary when he's a kid, but as an adult, especially a strong and powerful one, it takes some getting used to. Ditto for all of Goku's male relatives (sans Raditz), especially Bardock. In all non-Japanese dubs, this trope is averted and all these characters are voiced by men as adults and women as children. |
| 295 | * All over the place in ''Anime/{{Simoun}}'': there isn't a single male voice actor in the show. {{Justified|Trope}} in that everyone in the world of ''Anime/{{Simoun}}'' is born female, and any men are women who either chose to be so or allowed the Spring to randomly chose for them. |
| 296 | * ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon]]'''s Creator/MaddieBlaustein is an interesting case. Besides Meowth, she mostly played males, including the [[NarmCharm ridiculously gruff]] Lt. Surge. Of course, Maddie is transgender, which could possibly make her an exception if that wouldn't also make her an exceptional case of CrossdressingVoices as she also played young, soft-voiced boys [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and A.J.]] |
| 297 | * The Bakuras in ''Anime/YuGiOh'' are very obviously played by a woman, though, even with Yami Bakura, it fits due to his/their feminine looks. Its downright amusing in the last season, however, when the much more masculine Thief King Bakura sounds the same as Yami Bakura. Averted in the English and American Spanish dubs, where Bakura is voiced by a man. |
| 298 | * ''Manga/OnePiece'' gives Luffy a raspy woman's voice, courtesy of Creator/MayumiTanaka. She is really able to highlight Luffy’s childish nature and easily brings out his serious, angry and tragic sides when needed.[[https://youtu.be/LLpeOXAepXU This is most definitely award deserving voice acting.]] |
| 299 | [[/folder]] |
| 300 | |
| 301 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 302 | * ''Fanfic/EscapeFromTheMoon'': In the sequel ''The Mare From the Moon'', the voice-changing effect of Poison Joke is replicated in chapter 16, this time on Sweetie Belle (as a demonstration of the plant's abilities). Scootaloo is barely restraining herself from laughing herself sick at the results, and Spliced herself has to suppress a snort of laughter when she hears it gives Fluttershy the same voice. |
| 303 | * Abridged series again. (eg: Malachite of ''WebVideo/SailorMoonAbridged'', played by the FTM transgender [=Whip0fAlchemy=]) |
| 304 | * Several (otherwise unremarkable) attempts at [[TheAbridgedSeries abridging]] ''[[Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'' on Website/YouTube have had Kyon being voiced by an obvious female. |
| 305 | * The ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon'' motion comic has Creator/CindyRobinson, Lois Lane's voice, also voicing Braniac, although with a drastically pitched-down voice. |
| 306 | [[/folder]] |
| 307 | |
| 308 | [[folder:Films -- Animation]] |
| 309 | * Disney's version of ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'', about a young Chinese woman who secretly takes her father's place in the army, has her affecting a ridiculous deep baritone every time she speaks as a man, for comic effect. And it ''works''. It helps that her cohorts aren't any too bright... You'll notice that she does the ridiculous gravelly baritone less and less as time goes on until the big battle, when she's speaking in pretty much her normal voice (or a slightly deeper version thereof). [[FridgeBrilliance They likely assumed that, when she first met them, she was faking a deep voice because she was a man with a high pitched voice. Also, by the time she's speaking in her normal voice, they've accepted her as a friend, so they overlook "his" feminine voice, believing that it was a high pitched man.]] To add to the above, it was pretty clear she wasn't the most masculine of people - they might have assumed that she was young enough that her voice hadn't cracked yet. |
| 310 | [[/folder]] |
| 311 | |
| 312 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 313 | * Subverted in the Creator/WhoopiGoldberg movie ''Film/TheAssociate'', where she disguises herself as a white male investor to get ahead on Wall Street. At first, the DragQueen coaching Whoopi ''tries'' to get her to deepen her voice ("If I go any deeper I'll be talking out my uterus!"), but eventually she just uses a slightly-raspier version of her natural voice and fools people all the same (it helps that Whoopi already has a pretty deep voice for a woman). |
| 314 | [[/folder]] |
| 315 | |
| 316 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 317 | * Shellpeople in ''Literature/TheShipWho'' books [[WetwareCPU don't breathe and can't open their mouths]], but inputs implanted in their throats carry impulses to speakers. They learn to speak in a different way from most humans. Helva, the titular ''Ship Who Sang'', was complimented on the quality of her humming and decided to find a way to sing, ending up capable of manipulating her throat, diaphragm, and even nasal cavities in such a way that [[ManInTheMachine through her speakers]] she can sing any part she wishes, deep voiced males included. This becomes extra helpful in ''Dramatic Mission'', where combined with her recall she can play any of the parts required of her in ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''. |
| 318 | ** Carialle, ''The Ship Who Won'', idolizes Helva and took a certain degree of voice training herself. She didn't turn out to be musically inclined, but it ''does'' give her the ability to voice male and female characters in the improvisational fantasy role-playing game she plays with her [[HandyHelper brawn]] Keff. |
| 319 | [[/folder]] |
| 320 | |
| 321 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 322 | * In one of the "Gimmick of the Week" episodes of ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'', Prudence turns into a guy. No, wait. She turns into Shannon Doherty in a bad wig and mustache. Her voice was just as unconvincing. |
| 323 | * Happens in ''Series/{{Fringe}}'' when Olivia is possessed by [[spoiler:William Bell]]. Anna Torv does a pretty good job of it, too. |
| 324 | * In an episode of ''Series/OutOfThisWorld1987'', the main character pretends she's a guy over the phone. It doesn't quite work. Her friend notes that the guy had a "nasally voice". |
| 325 | * Sabrina magically turns into a guy so people will take her more seriously in ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch''. In other words, she gets a hair cut, baggy jeans, and a jersey. She sorta puts on a voice, but it's supposed to be funny because it's bad. It works, though. Though the guys she talks to think she's weird. |
| 326 | [[/folder]] |
| 327 | |
| 328 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 329 | * Female vocalists who utilise {{Metal Scream}}s, particularly in DeathMetal and BlackMetal bands, will frequently end up as examples of this trope. Examples include Derkéta, Music/ArchEnemy (both female vocalists), Mythic, and Music/{{Sigh}}. Granted, male vocalists' screams in both genres can end up so high-pitched that you could be forgiven for [[ScreamsLikeALittleGirl mistaking them for the screams of a woman]] (a particularly notable example of this is Music/{{Kyo}} of Music/DirEnGrey), so it works both ways. |
| 330 | [[/folder]] |
| 331 | |
| 332 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 333 | * In ''Theatre/HedwigAndTheAngryInch'', Hedwig's second husband, Yitzhak, is traditionally played by a woman. His distinctly feminine voice is the only giveaway underneath the fake facial hair and men's clothing, which emphasizes how he is a feminine person who is forced to act masculine. |
| 334 | * Traditionally, the role of adult Gary Coleman in ''Theatre/AvenueQ'' is played by a woman with a deep voice. |
| 335 | [[/folder]] |
| 336 | |
| 337 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 338 | * ''VideoGame/AkaSeka'': Creator/RieKugimiya obviously isn't even trying when voicing the little boy Yamato Takeru. Whether this is to further his TheCutie image is up for interpretation. |
| 339 | * In their appearances in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'', and ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'', Princess Zelda and Sheik always have the same voice actress[[note]]Jun Mizusawa for ''Ocarina'' and ''Smash''; Saori Seto for ''Warriors''[[/note]], resulting in Sheik having a muffled yet feminine voice. Sheik is Zelda [[SweetPollyOliver in disguise as a male Sheikah]]. |
| 340 | * ''VideoGame/{{Onmyoji|2016}}'': As if Tamamo-no-Mae (himself a GenderFlip of a female mythological figure) isn't androgynous enough, Creator/RomiPark's performance as him sounds more awkwardly nasal than convincing, which is unexpected from an AllStarCast game whose voice work is otherwise flawless. Gets even worse in his Awakened forms when she outright gives him a feminine voice. |
| 341 | [[/folder]] |
| 342 | |
| 343 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 344 | * It's quite common for pre-teen boys to be voiced by female actors. |
| 345 | ** Perhaps ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' is the most famous example, most notably Creator/NancyCartwright voicing Bart Simpson. It goes even further in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS16E10TheresSomethingAboutMarrying There's Something About Marrying]]", where Patty (who [[ComingOutStory just came out as a lesbian]]) is engaged to a woman named Veronica, [[spoiler:who's later revealed to be a man DisguisedInDrag. Creator/TressMacNeille still provided the man's actual voice, sounding like a lower version of the voice she uses for the bully Dolph.]] |
| 346 | * In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/CaptainCavemanAndTheTeenAngels'', Taffy impersonates a man during a telephone call. |
| 347 | * Done in the ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'' episode "A Shot in the D'Arc" when Joan of Arc poses as a boy in order to play on the basketball team. The disguise is basically a baseball cap, a fake mustache, and a terrible baritone. Somehow, [[ClarkKenting everyone else is fooled by her disguise]]. |
| 348 | * In ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'' episode "Trading Faces", Jimmy and Cindy are accidentally [[FreakyFridayFlip body swapped]], [[VoicesAreMental taking their voices with them]]. At school, they attempt to affect each other's voice in order to fool people. Since [[CrossDressingVoices Jimmy is already voiced by a woman]], he is unsurprisingly able to pull off a good fake of Cindy's voice. Cindy's attempts to sound like Jimmy, however, fall squarely into this trope. |
| 349 | * The late Dick Beals made a living voicing children in his career, as his voice was buffeted by his 4-foot, 7-inch body frame. He was Speedy Alka-Seltzer, and was the voice of not only Buzzer Bell on ''WesternAnimation/TheFunnyCompany'', but also Shrinkin' Violette (a girl) on the same show. |
| 350 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'': |
| 351 | ** In episode "Bubble Boy", the girls capture Rowdyruff Boy Boomer and plant Bubbles disguised as him among the others. That the other Rowdyruffs could not suspect anything, given Bubbles' normally higher-pitched voice and baby-blue eyes, [[SarcasmMode speaks volumes of their intelligence]]. |
| 352 | ** Similarly, Bubbles is the head of a poorly made male disguise in "I See a Funny Cartoon in Your Future", and again, the villain doesn't catch on to her disguised voice being abnormally high. |
| 353 | [[/folder]] |
| 354 | |
| 355 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 356 | * It is not uncommon for female gamers to deepen their voices or use voice-masking tools when going online, so that they're not constantly hit on by creepy basement dwellers with no sense of boundaries. |
| 357 | * While less common than the inverse, trans men may end up with this issue and need to take up vocal training. Plus, as mentioned above, there are other ways to change others’ perception even if you are not lucky enough to hit your desired tone naturally. This is less an issue of pitch than it is resonance in most cases. [[note]]Trans men transitioning under the age of 30 generally have their voice naturally deepen as a part of the testosterone taking effect. Though whether it’s considered “enough” is up to the individual person, it tends to be enough to avoid this issue.[[/note]] |
| 358 | [[/folder]] |
| 359 | |
| 360 | !!![[AC:Can go either way]] |
| 361 | |
| 362 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 363 | * The drag queens of ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace'' can go either way depending on the queen. Some, like Jade Jolie and Willam Belli, have naturally high voices that work great in drag, but become jarring when we see them as men. Others, like Rebecca Glasscock, Raja, and Latrice Royale have very deep male voices that they don't disguise in drag, leading to scenes where you'd have a gorgeous female body in front of you speaking in a baritone male voice (especially Rebecca who's one of the more passable queens...until she opens her mouth). |
| 364 | [[/folder]] |
| 365 | |
| 366 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 367 | * In ''VideoGame/RockBand'', a lot of the time the on-screen singer will make for something of an incongruous contrast with the original vocals. Female characters somewhat more ''often'', since most of the available songs are sung by men, but it's just as bizarre to see a big hulking mountain of a man singing in the voice of Music/AlanisMorrissette. Or, even worse/[[SoBadItsGood better]], [[VideoGame/{{Portal}} GLaDOS]]. |
| 368 | ** The same goes for ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'', where you can have [[HeavyMetalUmlaut Lars Umlaut]] sing 'Stop staring at my D-cup'. |
| 369 | *** Even better, the vocalist generally acts on stage as if their sex was based on that of their singing voice. So not only will he sing like a girl but also sway his hips. |
| 370 | *** This wasn't a problem in the earlier games, where your character didn't do the actual singing - there were two separate vocalists, one of either gender. |
| 371 | ** Of course, making your lead singer of ambiguous gender can account for songs sung by either gender. For example, [[VideoGame/FinalFight Poison]]. |
| 372 | ** While ''VideoGame/GuitarHero: Music/VanHalen'' exclusively has male lead singers because all the songs are sung by males, the backing vocals (sung by the guitarist and bassist in the game) can be either gender depending on the song, and ''anyone'' can be assigned to them. Try assigning Lars Umlaut or even Eddie Van Halen to those roles when performing "PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy", or any female to the same role when performing "Master Exploder". |
| 373 | ** In ''VideoGame/RockBand 2'' you could be forgiven for thinking the developers made a mistake by assigning a female singer to "Visions" by Abnormality. While it is a very deep vocal part, it's actually a woman doing a death metal growl. |
| 374 | [[/folder]] |
| 375 | |
| 376 | [[folder:Other]] |
| 377 | * Audio books are pretty much the biggest source of Larynx Dissonance. Most have one person playing EVERY character so, unless the book being read only has characters of one gender, this is going to happen. That said, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools Tropes Are Not Bad]]; most audio book narrators are good at acting as the characters and making the Larynx Dissonance sound less weird (and audio books are great when you want to read but aren't able to actually read the book). |
| 378 | [[/folder]] |
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