Tara Lyn Strong (née Charendoff; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as ''

The New Batman Adventures ''The New Batman Adventures'' (often shortened as ''TNBA'') is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, which aired on Kids' WB from September 13, 1997 to January 16, 1999. Produced by Warner Br ...

'', ''

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

'', ''

Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013 and is based on the DC Comics fictional superhero team. The series was announce ...

'', ''

Rugrats ''Rugrats'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The show focuses on a group of toddlers; most prominently— Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, and twins Phil and Lil, a ...

'', ''

The Powerpuff Girls ''The Powerpuff Girls'' is an American superhero animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera (later Cartoon Network Studios) for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Telev ...

'', ''

The Fairly OddParents ''The Fairly OddParents'' is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. The series follows the adventures of Timmy Turner, a 10-year-old boy with two fairy godparents named Cosmo and Wanda who grant him ...

'', ''

The Proud Family ''The Proud Family'' is an American animated television series created by Bruce W. Smith that originally ran on Disney Channel from September 15, 2001, to August 19, 2005. A revival, known as '' The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder'', was announ ...

'', ''

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 Cl ...

'', ''

Ben 10 ''Ben 10'' is an American media franchise created by Man of Action Studios, produced by Cartoon Network Studios and owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The series centers on a boy named Ben Tennyson who acquires the Omnitrix, an alien device resem ...

'', ''

Chowder Chowder is a thick soup prepared with milk or cream, a roux, and seafood or vegetables. Oyster crackers or saltines may accompany chowders as a side item, and cracker pieces may be dropped atop the dish. New England clam chowder is typically ...

'', ''

Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! ''Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!'' is an American children's educational Flash animated television series created by Bob Boyle. The series was produced by Bolder Media (a joint venture of Frederator Studios and the Mixed Media Group) and Starz Media ...

'', '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'', ''

Unikitty! ''Unikitty!'' (stylized as ''UniKitty!'') is an American animated television series developed by Ed Skudder and Lynn Wang for Cartoon Network and produced by The Lego Group and Warner Bros. Animation. The series stars the character of the s ...

'', and '' DC Super Hero Girls''. She has also voiced characters in the video games ''

Mortal Kombat X ''Mortal Kombat X'' is a 2015 fighting video game developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the tenth main installment in the ''Mortal Kom ...

'', ''

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom in collaboration with Eighting. It is an updated version of '' Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds''. The game features characters from both Capcom's video game franchises and comic book se ...

'', ''

Jak and Daxter ''Jak and Daxter'' is an action-adventure video game franchise created by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin and owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series was originally developed by Naughty Dog with a number of installments being outsourc ...

'', '' Final Fantasy X'', '' X-2'', ''

Blue Dragon Blue Dragon may refer to: Biology * '' Glaucus atlanticus'', a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Glaucidae * '' Glaucus marginatus'', a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Glaucidae * '' Pteraeolidia ianthina'', a she ...

'', and '' Batman: Arkham''. She has earned Annie Award and

Daytime Emmy 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 (N ...

nominations and won an award from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.

Early life

Strong was born Tara Lyn Charendoff in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada, on February 12, 1973, the younger daughter of Syd and Lucy Charendoff. Strong has called her

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

background "a big part of her identity". She has an older sister named Marla. At age four, Strong became interested in acting and volunteered to be a soloist at a school production. She worked with the

Yiddish Theater Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Central European Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satiric or nostalgic revu ...

, where she memorized her lines phonetically because she did not know the

Yiddish language Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

. Strong also performed with the Toronto Jewish Theater, where she acted in ''A Night of Stars'' and was featured in an audiotape for " Lay Down Your Arms" with the Habonim Youth Choir, singing the lyrics in both English and

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

Career

Strong's first professional role was Gracie in Limelight Theater's production of ''

The Music Man ''The Music Man'' is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments ...

'' at the age of 13. She had a guest role in the action series '' T. and T.'' Her first major cartoon role, also at the age of 13, was the title role in ''

Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater ''Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater'' is an animated series based on the Japanese character Hello Kitty, produced by DIC Enterprises and animated by Toei Animation. The series involves Hello Kitty and her friends (and occasionally family) doing t ...

''. Strong starred in the short-lived CBC Television sitcom '' Mosquito Lake''. She took improv classes at

The Second City The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise and is the oldest ongoing improvisational theater troupe to be continually based in Chicago, with training programs and live theatres in Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City Theatre o ...

in Toronto and continued acting in both animated and live-action shows and films, before moving to Los Angeles in January 1994. Strong is the voice of numerous animated characters, including main roles in ''

'' as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, ''

'' and ''

'' as Raven; ''

Fillmore! ''Fillmore!'' is an American animated television series created by Scott M. Gimple The Fairly OddParents ''The Fairly OddParents'' is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. The series follows the adventures of Timmy Turner, a 10-year-old boy with two fairy godparents named Cosmo and Wanda who grant him ...

'' as

Timmy Turner This article features an extensive cast of characters from the Nickelodeon animated series ''The Fairly OddParents'', created by Butch Hartman. Main Timmy Turner Timothy Tiberius Turner is a 10-year-old boy who was given fairy godparents to gran ...

and

Poof Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...

; ''

'' and '' All Grown Up!'' as

Dil Pickles ''Rugrats'' includes a large array of characters: family, friends, extended relatives, townspeople, and fictional characters. This is a list of characters from the Nickelodeon animated television series (original), its various movies, and the 2 ...

; ''

'' as Bubbles; ''

'' as

Ben Tennyson Benjamin Kirby "Ben" Tennyson, commonly known as Ben 10, is a fictional superhero and the title protagonist of the ''Ben 10'' franchise. An initially normal 10-year-old boy, until, during his summer vacation, he encountered the Omnitrix, an alien ...

, Upgrade, Blitzwolfer, and Buzzshock; ''

'' as Truffles; ''

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends ''Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends'' (also known as ''Foster's Home'', or simply ''Foster's'' for short) is an American animated television series created by Craig McCracken for Cartoon Network. It was produced by Cartoon Network Studios as ...

'' as Terrence; the singing voice of Meg Griffin and additional voices on ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...

''; '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' as

Twilight Sparkle Princess Twilight Sparkle, commonly known as Twilight Sparkle, is a fictional character who appears in the fourth incarnation (also referred to as the fourth generation or "G4") of Hasbro's My Little Pony toyline and media franchise, beginni ...

, ''

'' as Princess Unikitty, ''

'' as Daizy, and ''

Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz ''Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz'' is an American animated children's television series loosely based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its subsequent books, as well as its 1939 film adaptation. The series debute ...

'' as Joanni. She has also lent her voice to English-dubbed localizations of Japanese anime such as ''

Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Tohokushinsha Film, and Mitsubishi and distrib ...

'' and ''

Princess Mononoke is a 1997 Japanese animated epic historical fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network and Dentsu. The film stars the voices of Yōji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida ...

'', as well as several video games, including her work as Elisa and Ursula in '' Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops''; Paz Ortega Andrade in '' Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker'', '' Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes'', and '' Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain'';

Rikku Rikku is a fictional character in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, created by Tetsuya Nomura. Rikku first appears in '' Final Fantasy X'' as one of its protagonists, where she accompanies her cousin Yuna and others on a journey to defeat the monste ...

in '' Final Fantasy X'', its sequel ''

Final Fantasy X-2 is a 2003 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation 2. Unlike most ''Final Fantasy'' games, which use self-contained stories and characters, ''X-2'' continues the story of ''Fin ...

'', and '' Kingdom Hearts II''; Krista Sparks in '' Twisted Metal: Head-On''; Talwyn Apogee in '' Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction'' and its sequel, '' Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty''; Kiera in '' Jak and Daxter series'';

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm as a comic relief henchwoman for the supervillain Joker in '' Batman: The Animated Series'', and debuted in i ...

in '' Batman: Arkham City'' and '' Batman: Arkham Knight'', replacing

Arleen Sorkin Arleen Sorkin (born October 14, 1955) is a retired American actress, screenwriter, presenter and comedian. Sorkin is known for portraying Calliope Jones on the NBC daytime serial ''Days of Our Lives'' and for inspiring and voicing the DC Comics ...

from the franchise; and Juliet Starling, the main character of ''

Lollipop Chainsaw is a 2012 hack-and-slash video game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles. It features Juliet Starling (voiced by Tara Strong in English and by both Eri Kitamura in the PlayStation 3 version a ...

''. She also has a minor voiceover for the teddy bear Ted in the motion picture ''

Ted TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depa ...

''. In ''

'', she is the voice actor for Kluke for the Xbox 360 game, but not in the

anime series is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

She has appeared in live roles in ''

National Lampoon's Senior Trip ''National Lampoon's Senior Trip'' is a 1995 American comedy film for the National Lampoon magazine franchise, directed by Kelly Makin. It marked Jeremy Renner's film debut. Plot At Fairmount High School, Ohio in the suburbs of Dayton, a gro ...

'', ''

Sabrina Goes to Rome ''Sabrina Goes to Rome'' is a 1998 television film produced for ABC. The film is a part of the ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' TV series franchise and is the second TV film made for the series following the 1996 ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' film ...

'', '' Sabrina Down Under'', and ''

The Last White Dishwasher ''The Last White Dishwasher'' is a 2008 mockumentary short film, based on an original concept by Carlos Alazraqui, and written and directed by Claudia Duran. It tells the story of the "last white dishwasher in America." It was featured at the Los ...

''. She also made guest appearances on such shows as ''

Forever Knight ''Forever Knight'' is a Canadian television series about Nick Knight, an 800-year-old vampire working as a police detective in modern-day Toronto, Ontario. Wracked with guilt for centuries of killing others, he seeks redemption by working as a ho ...

'', '' Street Legal'', ''

Touched by an Angel ''Touched by an Angel'' is an American fantasy drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced ...

'', ''

Take Home Chef ''Take Home Chef'' is a half-hour reality cooking show starring Curtis Stone. It originally aired on TLC. Format In each episode, Stone introduces himself to a stranger in a grocery store, typically a woman in her 20s or 30s, and asks if she is ...

'', ''

Party of Five ''Party of Five'' is an American television teen and family drama created by Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman that originally aired on Fox for six seasons from September 12, 1994, to May 3, 2000. The series featured an ensemble cast led by ...

'', '' Comic Book: The Movie'', '' Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'', '' 3rd Rock from the Sun'' and ''

The Drew Carey Show ''The Drew Carey Show'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 13, 1995 to September 8, 2004. Set in Cleveland, Ohio, the series revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalize ...

''. In January 2013, she voiced the character Plum in Cartoon Hangover's ''

Bravest Warriors ''Bravest Warriors'' is an American-Canadian animated series. Set onwards from the year 3085, it follows four teenage heroes-for-hire as they warp through the universe to save adorable aliens and their worlds using the power of their emotions. It ...

'', created by

Pendleton Ward Ward Taylor Pendleton Johnston (born September 23, 1982), known professionally as Pendleton Ward or simply Pen Ward, is an American animator, screenwriter, producer, director, and voice actor who has worked for Cartoon Network Studios, Freder ...

. She recurred as Miss Collins in

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

's live-action series ''

Big Time Rush ''Big Time Rush'' is an American musical sitcom television series created by Scott Fellows that originally aired on Nickelodeon from November 28, 2009, to July 25, 2013 and is currently available in Paramount+. It focuses on the Hollywood misa ...

'' from 2010 to 2013. In 2004, she won an

Interactive Achievement Award The D.I.C.E. Awards (formerly the Interactive Achievement Awards) is an award show in the video game industry started in 1998 and commonly referred to in the industry as the "video games Oscar". The awards are arranged by the Academy of Intera ...

for her role as Rikku in ''

''. She also served as the announcer for the 1999 Kids' Choice Awards, appeared as a guest panelist at several

fan conventions Fan convention (also known as con or fan meeting), a term that predates 1942, is an event in which fans of a particular topic gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and each other. Some ...

(including BotCon, Jacon, Comic-Con International, and

Anime Overdose Animation On Display was an animation convention in Santa Clara, California at the Santa Clara Convention Center containing animation screenings, cosplay, panels, guests, vendors, fandom, comics, music and more in reference to East Asian and Amer ...

), and was featured on the front cover of the July/August 2004 issue of ''

Working Mother ''Working Mother'' was a magazine for working mothers launched in 1979 by Founding Publisher Milton Lieberman, who was succeeded by Carol Evans . The founding editor of the magazine was Vivian Cadden, who retired as editor in 1990. Subsequent edi ...

'' magazine, in which she said, "My son is now old enough to respond to my work. To me, that's what it is all about." Strong has been nominated five times for Annie Awards. In 2013, Strong won the

Shorty Award The Shorty Awards (also known as “The Shortys”) honors the most innovative work globally in digital and social media by brands, agencies, nonprofits and creators. The Shortys’ mission is to celebrate, inspire and push the boundaries of exce ...

for "Best Actress" for her use of social media. The Behind the Voice Actors website selected her for a BTVA Voice Acting Award for Voice Actress of the Year for 2013, having nominated her for 2011 and 2012. Strong is currently starring in the Canadian series ''

Pretty Hard Cases ''Pretty Hard Cases'' is a Canadian police comedy-drama television series that premiered on CBC Television on February 3, 2021. Originally announced with the working title ''Lady Dicks'', the series was created by Tassie Cameron and Sherry White. ...

'' as Tiggy Sullivan, the head of a drug trafficking gang. She also voices Miss Minutes in the live-action

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...

series '' Loki''.

Personal life

In 1999, Strong met U.S. real estate agent and former actor Craig Strong. The couple married on May 14, 2000, and have two sons named Sammy (born February 2002) and Aden (born August 2004). They lived in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and were formerly the owners of VoiceStarz, an online company that taught people how to get into the voice-over business. On July 24, 2019, she filed for divorce. In 2012, during the

BronyCon BronyCon was an annual fan convention held on the East Coast of the United States for fans of ''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'', among them adult and teenage My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fandom, bronies. Eleven events were held, with ...

event in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, Strong attended a lunch with fans from the military. In 2013, she was involved with a charity group called Bronies for Good, helping them raise funds for a family whose daughter had a

brain tumor A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seconda ...

. She follows a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

diet and is a fervent supporter of PETA.

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, Tara 1973 births Living people Actresses from Toronto American film actresses American television actresses American video game actresses American voice actresses American animal rights activists American veganism activists Canadian child actresses Canadian expatriate actresses in the United States Canadian film actresses Jewish American actresses Jewish Canadian actresses Canadian stage actresses Canadian television actresses Canadian video game actresses Canadian voice actresses Canadian animal rights activists California Democrats Cartoon Network people Interactive Achievement Award winners Shorty Award winners 20th-century American actresses 20th-century Canadian actresses 21st-century American actresses 21st-century Canadian actresses 21st-century American Jews