Jeffrey Glenn Bennett (born October 2, 1962)
is an American voice actor who voiced Johnny Bravo in the
eponymous television series, Dexter's Dad in ''
Dexter's Laboratory
''Dexter's Laboratory'' is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. It follows Dexter, a short, enthusiastic boy-genius with a hid ...
'', Brooklyn in ''
Gargoyles'' and
Kowalski
Kowalski (; feminine: Kowalska, plural: Kowalscy) is the second most common surname in Poland (140,471 people in 2009). ''Kowalski'' surname is derived from the word ''kowal'', meaning " lackmith".
" Jan Kowalski" is a name that is used as a p ...
in the ''
Penguins of Madagascar
''Penguins of Madagascar'' (also known as ''Penguins of Madagascar: The Movie'') is a 2014 American computer-animated spy action comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Starring the voices of Tom McGr ...
'' series (replacing
Chris Miller). In 2012, Bennett was awarded an
Annie Award
The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally desi ...
for his role in ''The Penguins of Madagascar'' and in 2016, he was awarded an
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
for his role in ''
Transformers: Rescue Bots''. He has been listed among the top names in the voice-over field.
Early life
Bennett was born in 1962, in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.
He got his acting training on the stage at the
Alley Theatre
The Alley Theatre is a Tony Award-winning theatre company in Houston, Texas. It is the oldest professional theatre company in Texas and the third oldest resident theatre in the United States. Alley Theatre productions have played on Broadway at L ...
in Houston, before moving to
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
with his family in 1990.
Career
Bennett's first role in the voice-over industry was Horace "I.Q." Boothroyd the Third in ''
James Bond Jr.
''James Bond Jr.'' is an American animated television series based on Ian Fleming's ''James Bond'' franchise. It follows the adventures of James Bond's nephew, James Bond Jr.
The series debuted in September 1991 and ran for 65 episodes bef ...
''.
Afterwards, more roles came which included
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
in ''
Gargoyles'', Petrie in
''The Land Before Time'' series from the second film onward (replacing the late
Will Ryan
William Frank Ryan (May 21, 1949 – November 19, 2021) was an American voice actor, musician and singer. He provided the voice of Petrie in the 1988 animated film ''The Land Before Time''.
He was also known for his voice work as Eugene Meltsner ...
),
Jitters A. Dog in ''
Bonkers'', Lord Camembert in ''
Biker Mice from Mars
''Biker Mice from Mars'' is an American science fiction action animated series created by Rick Ungar. The series premiered in syndication the week of September 19, 1993. It consists of three seasons of 65 episodes, with the final episode airin ...
'', Roger Dearly, Lieutenant Pug and several others on ''
101 Dalmatians: The Series'', and Dexter's Dad in ''
Dexter's Laboratory
''Dexter's Laboratory'' is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. It follows Dexter, a short, enthusiastic boy-genius with a hid ...
''.
In 1995, he played what would be his best-known role, the
title character
The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...
in ''Johnny Bravo'' and ''Johnny Bravo and the Amazon Women'' in ''
The What a Cartoon Show!''. For the character, Bennett used an
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
impersonation, which was somewhere between the young and the older Presley. In 1997, ''
Johnny Bravo
''Johnny Bravo'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. It is the second of the network's Cartoon Cartoons, which aired from ...
'' was made into a television series. A cult hit show, it continued from 1997 to 2004, receiving praise and multiple Annie Award nominations, including one for Bennett.
He has also provided various voices in the animated series ''
Freakazoid!
''Freakazoid!'' is an American superhero comedy animated television series created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini and developed by Tom Ruegger for the Kids' WB programming block of The WB. The series chronicles the adventures of the title characte ...
'', voicing characters such as The Huntsman, Cave Guy, Candle Jack, Lord Bravery, and many others.
Later, he did the voices of Drixenol "Drix" Koldriliff in ''
Ozzy and Drix
''Ozzy & Drix'' is an American animated television series based on the 2001 film '' Osmosis Jones''. It serves as a spiritual successor to the film. It centers on Osmosis "Ozzy" Jones, a cheeky-chappy white blood cell, and Drix, a level-headed c ...
'' (replacing
David Hyde Pierce
David Hyde Pierce (born April 3, 1959) is an American actor and director of stage, film and television. He starred as psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' from 1993 to 2004, and won four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Screen ...
), Clay Bailey on ''
Xiaolin Showdown
''Xiaolin Showdown'' is an American animated television series that aired on Kids' WB and was created by Christy Hui. Set in a world where martial arts battles and Eastern magic are commonplace, the series follows Omi, Raimundo, Kimiko, and Clay, ...
'', Mister Boss and Mister Fizz in ''
Codename: Kids Next Door'', Raj on ''
Camp Lazlo'', Principal Luna and Jan Rongetes (janitor and Swedish air guitarist) on ''
Class of 3000'', Azmuth in ''
Ben 10 Alien Force
''Ben 10: Alien Force'' is an American animated television series created by team Man of Action (a group consisting of Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, and Steven T. Seagle), and produced by Cartoon Network Studios. It takes place five ...
'' and ''
Ben 10: Ultimate Alien'',
Smee
Mr. Smee is a fictional character who serves as Captain Hook's boatswain in J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and 1911 novel ''Peter and Wendy''.
History
Mr. Smee seems an oddly genial man for a pirate; Ba ...
and Bones on ''
Jake and the Never Land Pirates
''Jake and the Never Land Pirates'' (titled ''Captain Jake and the Never Land Pirates'' for the fourth season and associated merchandise) is an American animated musical and interactive preschool children's television series shown on Disney Junior ...
''.
Since 2006, Bennett has voiced the role of
The Man With the Yellow Hat and also voices neighborhood farmer
Mr. Renkins in the
PBS Kids
PBS Kids is the brand for most of the children's programming aired by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. Some public television children's programs are not produced by PBS member stations or transmitted by PBS. Instead, ...
TV series ''
Curious George
Curious George is a fictional monkey who is the title character of a series of popular children's picture books written by Margret and H. A. Rey. Various media, including films and TV shows, have been based upon the original book series.
Geor ...
''. The series was awarded
Daytime Emmys
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
for
Outstanding Children's Animated Program in 2008, 2010 and 2012.
Bennett has also done the voices of the
Joker and other characters on ''
Batman: The Brave and the Bold'',
Dorkus in ''
Planet Sheen
''Planet Sheen'' is an American CGI-animated television series. It is the third and final installment in the ''Jimmy Neutron'' franchise, the second and final spin-off television series of the film '' Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'', and a spin-off ...
'', several characters (Keswick, Larry and Ollie) on ''
T.U.F.F. Puppy
''T.U.F.F. Puppy'' is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. It premiered on October 2, 2010, on Nickelodeon along with '' Planet Sheen'', which premiered a half hour earlier. ''T.U.F.F. Puppy'' is Hartma ...
'',
Red Tornado
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...
on ''
Young Justice
Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes.
The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen ...
'', and
Kowalski
Kowalski (; feminine: Kowalska, plural: Kowalscy) is the second most common surname in Poland (140,471 people in 2009). ''Kowalski'' surname is derived from the word ''kowal'', meaning " lackmith".
" Jan Kowalski" is a name that is used as a p ...
, Chuck Charles and the team's computer in ''
The Penguins of Madagascar
''The Penguins of Madagascar'' is an American computer-animated television series co-produced by DreamWorks Animation and Nickelodeon. It stars nine characters from DreamWorks' animated film ''Madagascar'': the penguins Skipper ( Tom McGrath) ...
''.
In 2012, he was awarded the
Annie Award
The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally desi ...
for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting in a Television Production for his role as Kowalski. He was also nominated for a
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
for
Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program, but lost to
June Foray
June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American voice actress. She was best known as the voice of such animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, Nell Fenwick, Lucifer from Disney' ...
.
In 2016, Bennett won the Daytime Emmy Award for
Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for his performance as Mayor Lusky on ''
Transformers: Rescue Bots''.
Personal life
Bennett has been married to Susan E. Welby since 1988 and has one daughter born in 1998. A legal separation was filed in 2016, but they later reconciled.
Filmography
Film
Animation
Anime
Video games
Live-action
AudioBooks
Advertising
Other
Awards and nominations
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Jeff
1962 births
Living people
20th-century American comedians
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American comedians
21st-century American male actors
Male actors from Houston
American impressionists (entertainers)
American male stage actors
American male video game actors
American male voice actors
Annie Award winners
Audiobook narrators
Cartoon Network people
Daytime Emmy Award winners
Disney people