Nov. 26-28, 2021 NorthEast Comic Con & Collectibles Extravaganza – Tickets ON SALE NOW
Appearing at the NorthEast Comic Con November 26-28, 2021, voice actor Billy West is best known for his roles on The Ren and Stimpy Show and Futurama. He voices some of the main characters from Futurama, including Philip J. Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Zapp Brannigan and Zoidberg.
Best known for his work on Ren & Stimpy, Doug and Futurama
West has a career in radio and television that began in the 1980’s when he did comedic impersonations for Charles Laquidara’s Big Mattress morning show on Boston’s WBNC FM radio network. By the mid-90s, he had moved to doing impersonations of Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott on The Howard Stern Show, giving him greater exposure. From there, West became involved with the Nickelodeon shows Doug, and Ren & Stimpy. Portraying the title characters on both shows, West saw his voiceover work reach an even larger, yet younger audience. This led to Warner Bros. hiring him for the film Space Jam in 1996. Featuring Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan and the cast of Looney Tunes, West voiced Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, two characters whom he has sporadically voiced throughout the next decade. In addition to his many animated television and movie roles, he is the voice of the iconic Red M&M.
Voice actor, singer, songwriter
As guitarist and singer-songwriter for the band Billy West and The Grief Counselors, he released their first album, Me-Pod in 2004. His band, The Shutdowns (playing Oldies from 1980 to 1984) opened for Roy Orbison, The Shutdowns also opened for: The Association, The 4 Seasons, and Jan and Dean. Billy supplied lead guitar and vocals. “I played a a little bit of guitar with the great Pete Wolf, frontman vocalist for the Mighty J.Geils band. When Aerosmith separated in the 80’s, my old Fender Telecaster and I were honored to play live with the inimitable Steven Tyler on a couple of occasions.” In 1982, West sang lead, doing an impersonation of Mike Love, on a Beach Boys-inspired tune, “Another Cape Cod Summer This Year,” by studio band ROUTE 28, written and produced by Erik Lindgren on his Arf! Arf! Records label. West has collaborated with Los Lobos, as well as Penn Jillette, Kramer and Deborah Harry of Blondie on Tattoo of Blood, played live with Brian Wilson, including the guitar solo on the Beach Boys tune “Do it Again” on Late Show with David Letterman, in the mid 1990s. The Futurama episode “Proposition Infinity” features the track “Shut up and Love Me” which was written and played by Billy and Greg Leon, under the name Wailing Fungus
Video game characters voiced by Billy West include Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in numerous Looney Tunes video games.
Other video game characters West has voiced include:
- Stimpy in The Ren & Stimpy Show: Veediots! (1993), Nicktoons Racing (2000), and Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots (2007).
- Dr. Zoidberg in The Simpsons Game (2007).
- Additional Voices in Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly (2002).
- Ricky Sr. and O’Toole in Open Season (video game) (2006).
- Sparx in The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (2007).
- Philip J. Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg and Zapp Brannigan in Futurama (2003).
- Nash and Zam in Crash Nitro Kart (2003).
- Voices for the player character in Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000).
- Murfy in Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc (2003).
- Muttley and L’il Gruesome in Wacky Races: Starring Dastardly and Muttley (2001).
- Additional Voices in Mad Dash Racing, for the Xbox.
- Red in M&M’s: The Lost Formulas (2000).
- Hamton J. Pig in Tiny Toon Adventures: Toonenstein.
- Atomic Bomberman in Atomic Bomberman.
- Emilio Baza in Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned.
- Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time.
- The Yak in Nicktoons MLB (2011).
- Fire Kraken, Freeze Blade, Food Fight, Chill Bill and Rocky Roll in Skylanders: Swap Force, Skylanders: Trap Team and Skylanders: SuperChargers.
- The narrator in Minecraft: Story Mode (2015).