Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for voicing
the titular character in ''
SpongeBob SquarePants
''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It chronicles the adventures of the title character a ...
'' and associated media. Kenny has voiced many other characters, including
Heffer Wolfe
Heffer Steer-Wolfe" ''Nickelodeon'' is a fictional character on the animated television series ''Rocko's Modern Life'' and the comic book series of the same name. Tom Kenny provided the voice of the anthropomorphic steer.
Conception and developmen ...
in ''
Rocko's Modern Life
''Rocko's Modern Life'' is an American animated television series created by Joe Murray for Nickelodeon. The series centers on the surreal life of an anthropomorphic Australian immigrant wallaby named Rocko and his friends: the eccentric stee ...
'', the
Ice King
Ice King is a fictional character in the American animated television series ''Adventure Time''. The character was introduced as the main antagonist and, as Simon Petrikov, develops into a supporting character in later seasons. The character is ...
in ''
Adventure Time
''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...
'', the Narrator and Mayor in ''
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 ...
'', Carl Chryniszzswics in ''
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 fr ...
'', Dog in ''
CatDog
''CatDog'' is an American animated television series created by Peter Hannan for Nickelodeon. The series follows the life of yellow conjoined brothers of different species, with one half of the resultant animal being a cat and the other a dog. ...
'', Hank and Jeremy in ''
Talking Tom and Friends
''Talking Tom & Friends'' (known as ''Talking Friends'' until late 2014, and ''Talking Tom and Friends'' until early 2021) is a video game franchise created and owned by Outfit7 Limited, a Slovenian video game developer. The franchise focus ...
'', and
Spyro
''Spyro'' is a series of platform games which features the main protagonist Spyro, a dragon. Since the series' introduction in 1998 with the PlayStation game ''Spyro the Dragon'', there have been numerous sequels and a reboot trilogy. Origina ...
from the ''
Spyro
''Spyro'' is a series of platform games which features the main protagonist Spyro, a dragon. Since the series' introduction in 1998 with the PlayStation game ''Spyro the Dragon'', there have been numerous sequels and a reboot trilogy. Origina ...
'' video game series. His live-action work includes the comedy variety shows ''
The Edge
David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...
'' and ''
Mr. Show
''Mr. Show with Bob and David'', also known as ''Mr. Show'', is an American sketch comedy series starring and hosted by Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. It aired on HBO from November 3, 1995, to December 28, 1998.
Cross and Odenkirk introduced m ...
''. Kenny has won two
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 ...
s and two
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 ...
s for his voice work as SpongeBob SquarePants and the Ice King. He often collaborates with his wife and fellow voice artist
Jill Talley
Jill Talley (born December 19, 1962) is an American actress and comedian. She is a main cast member on the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', in which she voices Karen Plankton. Her other voice roles include Sarah Dubois on Adult Swim's ...
, who plays
Karen
Karen may refer to:
* Karen (name), a given name and surname
* Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors
People
* Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand
** Karen languages or Karenic l ...
on ''SpongeBob SquarePants''.
Biography
Early life and stand-up comedy
Kenny was born and raised in
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...
, to Theresa Bridget (Donigan) and Paul Austin Kenny.
As a young child, in the late 1960s and the 1970s, he loved drawing and collecting record albums. He met
Bobcat Goldthwait
Robert Francis "Bobcat" Goldthwait (born May 26, 1962) is an American actor, comedian, director and screenwriter, known for his black comedy stand-up act, delivered through an energetic stage persona with an unusual raspy and high-pitched voice. ...
in first grade and they became lifelong friends. In their mid-teens, they saw an ad for an open-mic night at
Skaneateles that featured comedian
Barry Crimmins
Barry Francis Crimmins (July 3, 1953 – February 28, 2018) was an American stand-up comedian, political satirist, activist, author, Air America Radio writer and correspondent, and comedy club owner.
Early life
Crimmins was born in Kingston, New ...
with the moniker "Bear Cat". He and Goldthwait went to the event, and performed under the monikers Tomcat and Bobcat, respectively, as a tribute to Crimmins, after which Goldthwait used Bobcat as his stage name.
Describing Kenny's stand-up routines, Goldthwait said, "Tom would get up there and talk about his therapist and he didn't even have a therapist, he just loved
Woody Allen
Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...
."
Kenny went to
Bishop Grimes Junior/Senior High School
Bishop Grimes Junior/Senior High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in East Syracuse, New York. It is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse. This school has more than 350 students in grades seven through twelve.
Hist ...
, a Catholic high school. After college, he performed stand-up comedy around the country for about eight years before he moved on to other venues.
Television and film career
Kenny has acted in many films and TV shows, debuting in ''
How I Got into College
''How I Got Into College'' is a 1989 American romantic comedy film directed by Savage Steve Holland, starring Anthony Edwards, Corey Parker, and Lara Flynn Boyle and produced & released by 20th Century Fox. This is the film debut of eventual ...
'' (1989) and later appeared in films such as ''
Shakes the Clown
''Shakes the Clown'' is a 1991 American black comedy film directed and written by Bobcat Goldthwait, who performs the title role. It also features Julie Brown, Blake Clark, Paul Dooley, Kathy Griffin, Florence Henderson, Tom Kenny, Adam Sand ...
'' (1991) and ''
Comic Book: The Movie'' (2004). On television, he would host the "Music News" segments of ''
Friday Night Videos
''Friday Night Videos'' (later becoming ''Friday Night'' and then ''Late Friday'') is an American music video show that was broadcast on NBC from July 29, 1983 to May 24, 2002. It was the network's attempt to capitalize on the emerging popularit ...
'' in the early 1990s. He appeared in sketch comedy shows ''
The Edge
David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...
'' which aired on Fox from 1992 to 1993, and ''
Mr. Show
''Mr. Show with Bob and David'', also known as ''Mr. Show'', is an American sketch comedy series starring and hosted by Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. It aired on HBO from November 3, 1995, to December 28, 1998.
Cross and Odenkirk introduced m ...
'' which aired on HBO from 1995 to 1998, both roles in the show were as a regular cast member. He appears in the live-action segments of ''
SpongeBob SquarePants
''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It chronicles the adventures of the title character a ...
'' as
Patchy the Pirate
The characters in the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' were created by artist, animator, and former marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg. The series chronicles the adventures of the title character and his various ...
, appeared on ''
R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series'' on the
season four episode, "Uncle Howee" as Uncle Howee, a high-energy kids' show host with strange powers.
Voice acting
![Tom Kenny FSC 2015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Tom_Kenny_FSC_2015.jpg)
Kenny said that he voices "a lot of sweet yellow characters for some reason."
He described
SpongeBob's voice as in between that of a child and an adult, stating "Think a
Stan Laurel
Stan Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; 16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965) was an English comic actor, writer, and film director who was one half of the comedy double act, duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Ha ...
,
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...
kind of child-man. Kind of like a
Munchkin
A Munchkin is a native of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. They first appear in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) where they welcome Dorothy Gale to their city in ...
but not quite, kind of like a kid, but not in a
Charlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser," Charlie Brown is one of the great American ar ...
child's voice on the TV shows."
Joe Murray auditioned Kenny for voice acting roles for ''
Rocko's Modern Life
''Rocko's Modern Life'' is an American animated television series created by Joe Murray for Nickelodeon. The series centers on the surreal life of an anthropomorphic Australian immigrant wallaby named Rocko and his friends: the eccentric stee ...
'' in a
casting call
In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra for a particular role or part in a script, screenplay, ...
in Los Angeles, California.
[Lisa (Kiczuk) Trainor interviews Joe Murray, creator of Rocko's Modern Life]
", ''The Rocko's Modern Life FAQ'' On one occasion, the producers required Kenny to fill the role of
Charlie Adler, who was absent. He voices Cupid for the Nickelodeon show ''
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 ...
''.
Joe Murray chose Kenny for several roles on another of his projects, ''
Camp Lazlo'' as Scoutmaster Lumpus and Slinkman, because Murray, after seeing Kenny's previous work for ''Rocko's Modern Life'', felt that Kenny "adds writing to his roles" and "brings so much".
[Q & A with Joe Murray](_blank)
", ''Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
Pressroom''
He voiced Dog in ''
CatDog
''CatDog'' is an American animated television series created by Peter Hannan for Nickelodeon. The series follows the life of yellow conjoined brothers of different species, with one half of the resultant animal being a cat and the other a dog. ...
'', as well as the voice of Cliff. He voices many characters in ''
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 ...
'', including the Mayor, the Narrator, Mitch Mitchelson, Snake and Little Arturo from the Gangreen Gang, Rainbow the Clown, etc. He voiced Eduardo and various other characters in ''
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 ...
'', Dr. Two-Brains 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, ...
show, ''
WordGirl
''WordGirl'' (stylized as ''W✪RD GIRL'') is an American children's Flash animated superhero television series produced by the Soup2Nuts animation unit of Scholastic Entertainment for PBS Kids. The series began as a series of shorts entitled ' ...
'', and the villains Knightbrace, the Common Cold and Mr. Wink in ''
Codename Kids Next Door
''Codename: Kids Next Door'' is an American animated television series created by Mr. Warburton for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series follows the adventures of a diverse group of five 10-year-old ...
''.
Kenny is the
Penguin
Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...
in the 2004 TV series ''
The Batman
Batman is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.
Batman or The Batman may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
Characters
* Batman (Terry McGinnis)
* Batman (Thomas Wayne)
* Batman (Earth-Two)
* Batma ...
''.
He voiced the character Squanchy on ''
Rick and Morty
{{Infobox television
, image = Rick and Morty title card (cropped).png
, alt =
, caption =
, genre = {{Plainlist,
* Animated sitcom
* Adult animation
* Science fiction
* Black comedy
* ...
''.
![Tom Kenny in 2014 at New York Comic Con - Photo by Peter Dzubay](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Tom_Kenny_in_2014_at_New_York_Comic_Con_-_Photo_by_Peter_Dzubay.jpg)
He plays a number of roles in the ''
Transformers Animated
''Transformers: Animated'' is an American Superhero fiction, superhero animated television series based on the Transformers (toy line), ''Transformers'' toy line. It was produced by Cartoon Network Studios and Hasbro, Hasbro Entertainment and an ...
'' TV show. A few of the characters he voices in this series are
Starscream and his clones, Isaac Sumdac and
Waspinator
''Beast Wars: Transformers'' (titled ''Beasties: Transformers'' in Canada) is a computer animated television series that debuted in 1996 and ended on March 7, 1999, serving as the flagship of the ''Transformers: Beast Wars'' franchise. It was on ...
. Kenny also voiced
several characters on the animated show ''
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 ...
'', as well as the
Autobots
The Autobots are the main protagonists in the fictional continuities of the Transformers multimedia franchise, and are depicted in a collection of various toys, cartoons, films, graphic novels, and paperback books first introduced in 1984. The ...
Skids and
Wheelie
In vehicle acrobatics, a wheelie, or wheelstand, is a vehicle maneuver in which the front wheel or wheels come off the ground due to sufficient torque being applied to the rear wheel or wheels, or rider motion relative to the vehicle. Whe ...
in the live-action
''Transformers'' film series. On ''
Dilbert
''Dilbert'' is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Scott Adams, first published on April 16, 1989. It is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office with engineer Dilbert as the title charact ...
'', Kenny voiced Ratbert, Asok, Dilbert's shower, and some minor characters. He played Mr. Hal Gibson in the animated kids show ''
Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force GO!''.
In 2009, Kenny became a regular cast voice in the Fox comedy series ''
Sit Down, Shut Up''. He voices Muhammad Sabeeh "Happy" Fa-ach Nuabar, the secretive custodian who is plotting a terrorist attack, as well as Happy's interpreter. The series premiered on April 19, 2009.
Kenan Thompson
Kenan Thompson (; born May 10, 1978) is an American actor and comedian. He has been a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' since 2003, making him the longest-tenured cast member in the show's history. He was also th ...
,
,
Jason Bateman
Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969) is an American actor, director and producer known for his roles of Michael Bluth in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox/Netflix sitcom ''Arrested Development (TV series), Arrested Development'' and of Mart ...
,
Nick Kroll
Nicholas Kroll (born June 5, 1978) is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for creating and starring in the Comedy Central series '' Kroll Show'', ''The Oh, Hello Show'', the FX comedy series ''The L ...
,
Cheri Oteri
Cheryl Ann Oteri () is an American actress and comedian. A nominee of a Primetime Emmy Award, Oteri is best known for her tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 2000.
Early life
The daughte ...
,
Henry Winkler,
Will Arnett
William Emerson Arnett (; born May 4, 1970) is a Canadian actor, comedian and producer. He is best known for his roles as Gob Bluth in the Fox/Netflix series '' Arrested Development'' (2003–2006, 2013, 2018–2019) and as the titular char ...
, and
Will Forte
Orville Willis Forte IV ( ; born June 17, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. Forte is known for being a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' (2002–2010), a recurring character on the show leading to a feature film ada ...
are the other main cast members.
He plays the
Ice King
Ice King is a fictional character in the American animated television series ''Adventure Time''. The character was introduced as the main antagonist and, as Simon Petrikov, develops into a supporting character in later seasons. The character is ...
and Magic Man on ''
Adventure Time
''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...
''. In 2011, Kenny took over the role of
Rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
from
Ken Sansom
Frank Kenneth Sansom (April 2, 1927 – October 8, 2012) was an American actor. Among his best known roles, Sansom voiced Rabbit in animated television series, television specials, and films for Disney's ''Winnie the Pooh'' franchise from 1988 t ...
in ''
Winnie the Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard.
The first collection of stories about the character w ...
''. From 2012 to 2014, Kenny voiced Woody Johnson on
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
's ''
Brickleberry
''Brickleberry'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Waco O'Guin and Roger Black for the basic cable network Comedy Central. Executive produced by O'Guin, Black, and comedian Daniel Tosh, the series follows a group of park rangers ...
''. He voiced various characters in the Cartoon Network programme ''
Mixels
''Mixels'' is a 2014-2016 comedy animated television series that aired on Cartoon Network and was co-produced by The Lego Group and Cartoon Network Studios. The series first aired on February 12, 2014, with a new episode of '' Teen Titans Go!''. ...
'', Sumo in the Cartoon Network programme ''
Clarence Clarence may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Clarence County, New South Wales, a Cadastral division
* Clarence, New South Wales, a place near Lithgow
* Clarence River (New South Wales)
* Clarence Strait (Northern Territory)
* City of Clarence, a l ...
'', Daddo in ''
Henry Hugglemonster
''Henry Hugglemonster'' is a CGI children's animated television series produced by Brown Bag Films. The show is designed for children aged 2–7. It is based on the 2005 book ''I'm a Happy Hugglewug'' written and illustrated by Niamh Sharkey. Th ...
'',
Dr. Otto Octavius on ''
The Ultimate Spider-Man'', and Leo Callisto in ''
Miles from Tomorrowland
''Miles from Tomorrowland'' (also known as ''Miles from Tomorrow'' as an original production title and internationally) is an American CGI-animated children's television series created by Sascha Paladino. The series aired as shorts from January 1 ...
''.
He has also provided voices in television advertisements for
Best Buy (as an elf for a Christmas spot),
Experian
Experian is an American–Irish multinational data analytics and consumer credit reporting company. Experian collects and aggregates information on over 1 billion people and businesses including 235 million individual U.S. consumers and more t ...
(as a talking modem alongside
DC Douglas), and Talking Hank in the
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
web series
A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single in ...
''
Talking Tom and Friends
''Talking Tom & Friends'' (known as ''Talking Friends'' until late 2014, and ''Talking Tom and Friends'' until early 2021) is a video game franchise created and owned by Outfit7 Limited, a Slovenian video game developer. The franchise focus ...
''.
In video games, Kenny is best known as the voice of
Spyro the Dragon
''Spyro the Dragon'' is a platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation on September 9, 1998. The first game in the '' Spyro'' series, it stars the title character, a young purple ...
, having replaced previous voice actor
Carlos Alazraqui
Carlos Jaime Alazraqui (born July 20, 1962) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, impressionist, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Deputy James Garcia on '' Reno 911!'' and for his voice acting roles. His extensive ...
. He first voiced Spyro in ''
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!'', and continued to voice the character up until ''
Spyro: A Hero's Tail'', where he was replaced by
Jess Harnell
Jess Harnell (born December 23, 1963) is an American voice actor and singer. His notable roles include Captain Hero in the animated TV series '' Drawn Together'', Wakko Warner in '' Animaniacs'', Ironhide in the first three ''Transformers'' fil ...
. He also voiced another character in the series, Sgt. James Byrd, in ''
Spyro: Year of the Dragon''. He reprised both roles in ''
Spyro Reignited Trilogy
''Spyro Reignited Trilogy'' is a platform video game developed by Toys for Bob and published by Activision. It is a collection of remasters of the first three games in the ''Spyro'' series: ''Spyro the Dragon'' (1998), '' Ripto's Rage!'' (1999) ...
'', a collection of modern remakes of the original Spyro trilogy.
Kenny was a guest star on
HarmonQuest
''HarmonQuest'' is an American adult animated web series created by Dan Harmon and Spencer Crittenden. The show is part animated, part live action. Harmon and comedians Erin McGathy and Jeff Davis, along with game master Crittenden, play a fant ...
as both himself and his "in-game character" Legnahcra the
maître d' of Virtuous Harmony.
He also voiced
Fethry Duck
The Duck family is a fictional family of cartoon ducks related to Disney character Donald Duck. The family is also related to the Coot, Goose, and Gander families, as well as the Scottish Clan McDuck. Besides Donald, the best-known members of th ...
in the 2017 version of
DuckTales
''DuckTales'' is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. The original cartoon series premiered on syndication and on Disney Channel on September 18, 1987 and ran for a total of 100 episodes over four sea ...
.
''SpongeBob SquarePants''
![Tom Kenny by Gage Skidmore](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Tom_Kenny_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg)
While working on the animated series ''
Rocko's Modern Life
''Rocko's Modern Life'' is an American animated television series created by Joe Murray for Nickelodeon. The series centers on the surreal life of an anthropomorphic Australian immigrant wallaby named Rocko and his friends: the eccentric stee ...
'', Kenny met marine biologist and animator
Stephen Hillenburg
Stephen McDannell Hillenburg (August 21, 1961 – November 26, 2018) was an American animator, writer, producer, director, and marine science educator. He is known for creating the Nickelodeon animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants' ...
. After the cancellation of ''Rocko's Modern Life'' in 1996, Hillenburg began developing his own concept for an ocean-themed series, building off of his background in marine science. Hillenburg said that he wanted to base the show on his favorite animal, the
sea sponge
Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through t ...
, "because it's a funny animal, a strange one." To voice this character, Hillenburg approached Kenny in 1997.
The series, titled ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', premiered on
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
on May 1, 1999. It soon became a commercial success. Kenny plays various other characters on the show, including the live-action character Patchy the Pirate and the voices of
Gary the Snail
The characters in the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' were created by artist, animator, and former marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg. The series chronicles the adventures of SpongeBob SquarePants (character), the ...
, the French Narrator (a parody of
Jacques Cousteau), and SpongeBob's father (Harold SquarePants). In 2010, Kenny received 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 "Voice Acting in a Television Production" for his role as SpongeBob in ''
SpongeBob's Truth or Square
''SpongeBob's Truth or Square'' (also known as ''Stuck in the Freezer'') is a 2009 made-for-television comedy special and an hour-long episode of the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' that was produced as the 123rd ...
'' (season 6, episode 23–24). He also voiced SpongeBob in the
sequel film released on February 6, 2015. In 2018 and 2020, he received the
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program.
Personal life
Kenny first met his wife
Jill Talley
Jill Talley (born December 19, 1962) is an American actress and comedian. She is a main cast member on the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', in which she voices Karen Plankton. Her other voice roles include Sarah Dubois on Adult Swim's ...
in 1992 while working on ''The Edge''. The two have collaborated on many productions together, including ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (in which Talley voices
Karen Plankton
Sheldon J. Plankton and Karen Plankton are the main antagonists in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', the Nickelodeon animated television series. They are respectively voiced by Mr. Lawrence and Jill Talley. Their first appearance was in the episode " ...
). They also both appeared in the music video for "
Tonight, Tonight" by
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Ch ...
. They have two children, Mack (born 1998) and Nora (born 2003).
The Kennys live in Studio City, California
Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 192 ...
.
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
Interview with Tom Kenny
on ''Fresh Air
''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to ...
''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenny, Tom
1962 births
Living people
American male comedians
American male film actors
American stand-up comedians
American male television actors
American male video game actors
American male voice actors
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
Annie Award winners
Daytime Emmy Award winners
Male actors from Syracuse, New York
Comedians from New York (state)
20th-century American comedians
21st-century American comedians
SpongeBob SquarePants
Cartoon Network people