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'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Teen Titans Go!'', '' Rugrats'', '' The Powerpuff Girls'', '' The Fairly OddParents'', '' The Proud Family'', '' Xiaolin Showdown'', '' Ben 10'', '' Chowder'', '' Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!'', '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'', '' Unikitty!'', and ''

DC Super Hero Girls ''DC Super Hero Girls'' or ''DC Superhero Girls'' (in various countries) is an American superhero web series and franchise Produced by Warner Bros. Animation for Cartoon Network based on characters from DC Entertainment that launched in the th ...

''. She has also voiced characters in the video games '' Mortal Kombat X'', '' Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3'', ''

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 outsourced ...

'', '' Final Fantasy X'', '' X-2'', '' Blue Dragon'', and '' Batman: Arkham''. She has earned Annie Award and Daytime Emmy 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 anch ...

, 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 re ...

, where she memorized her lines phonetically because she did not know the Yiddish language. 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 th ...

''. Strong starred in the short-lived CBC Television sitcom '' Mosquito Lake''. She took improv classes at The Second City 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 '' The New Batman Adventures'' as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, ''

'' and '' Teen Titans Go!'' as Raven; '' Fillmore!'' as Ingrid Third; '' The Fairly OddParents'' as Timmy Turner 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 peop ...

; '' Rugrats'' and ''

All Grown Up! ''All Grown Up!'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. It served as a continuation of the series ''Rugrats'', as explores the daily lives of protagonist Tommy Pickles ...

'' as Dil Pickles; '' The Powerpuff Girls'' as Bubbles; '' Ben 10'' 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; '' Chowder'' as Truffles; '' Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends'' as

Terrence Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a Roman African playwright during the Roman Republic. His comedies were performed for the first time around 166–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought T ...

; the singing voice of Meg Griffin and additional voices on '' Family Guy''; '' 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, beginning ...

, '' Unikitty!'' as Princess Unikitty, '' Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!'' as Daizy, and '' Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz'' as Joanni. She has also lent her voice to English-dubbed localizations of Japanese anime such as '' Spirited Away'' and '' Princess Mononoke'', 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 monst ...

in '' Final Fantasy X'', its sequel '' Final Fantasy X-2'', 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 ''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 outsourced ...

''; Harley Quinn 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 Comic ...

from the franchise; and Juliet Starling, the main character of '' Lollipop Chainsaw''. She also has a minor voiceover for the teddy bear Ted in the motion picture '' Ted''. In '' Blue Dragon'', she is the voice actor for Kluke for the Xbox 360 game, but not in the

anime series is hand-drawn and 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 Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

She has appeared in live roles in '' National Lampoon's Senior Trip'', ''

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 ''Sabrina Down Under'' is a 1999 television film produced for ABC. It is a sequel to '' Sabrina Goes to Rome'' and is a companion to the ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' television series. The film features only two characters from the TV series: t ...

'', 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 Lo ...

''. She also made guest appearances on such shows as '' Forever Knight'', '' Street Legal'', '' Touched by an Angel'', '' Take Home Chef'', '' Party of Five'', '' Comic Book: The Movie'', '' Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'', ''

3rd Rock from the Sun ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' is an American television sitcom created by Bonnie and Terry Turner, which originally aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on NBC. The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, ...

'' and '' The Drew Carey Show''. In January 2013, she voiced the character Plum in

Cartoon Hangover Cartoon Hangover is a Frederator internet television channel and adult animation division, part of the YouTube Original Channel Initiative, launched in February 2012. Frederator produced two animated series exclusively for the Internet: '' Brave ...

's '' Bravest Warriors'', 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, Frederat ...

. 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 mi ...

'' from 2010 to 2013. In 2004, she won an Interactive Achievement Award for her role as Rikku in '' Final Fantasy X-2''. 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 BotCon, briefly known as "The Official Transformers Collectors' Convention" (or OTFCC), is an annual convention for Transformers fans and collectors. BotCon has been held annually since 1994. BotCon is a syllabic abbreviation for "Robot Conventi ...

, Jacon,

Comic-Con International San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...

, and Anime Overdose), and was featured on the front cover of the July/August 2004 issue of '' Working Mother'' 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 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 ...

series ''

Loki Loki is a god in Norse mythology. According to some sources, Loki is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mentioned as a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi ...

''.

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 bronies. Eleven events were held, with the final one in August 2019 drawing in ...

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 Delawa ...

, 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 seco ...

. She follows a vegan diet and is a fervent supporter of PETA.

References

Citations

Sources

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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