Whether in English or Japanese,animevoice actors are no stranger to celebrity culture. The voice actors who give the best performances and appear in the most works will almost always develop massive followings from fans, and in Japan, especially, voice actors are held in incredibly high regard to the point that everything they do is treated as a major event.
Anime voice actors will always have some sort of celebrity culture attached to them, and anime dubs sometimes take that to an incredible degree. When an animated movie or TV show gets a high-profile release, the company in charge will often get major celebrities to voice the characters as opposed to regular voice actors, and sure enough,some of the most high-profile anime shows and movies often get major celebrities to voice their characters. A few examples of that are especially noteworthy, as each celebrity in question added an incredible amount to their role, no matter how small.
Dave Bautista is a former wrestler turned actor, best known for playingDrax inGuardians of the Galaxy, its sequels, and other projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Outside the MCU, Bautista is best known for playing Rabban inDune, Sapper Morton inBlade Runner 2049, and Duke Cody inGlass Onion, A Knives Out Story.
Despite his storied career in film and television, Dave Bautista hasn’t done much voice acting, and the only notable example of such was when he voiced the Parakeet King in Studio Ghibli’sThe Boy and the Heron. It was a fairly minor role, but overall,Dave Bautista’s performance as the Parakeet King brought an incredible amount of gravitas to the role, and it would be great to see more anime dub performances from Dave Bautista sometime in the future.
Character From Studio Chizu’s Belle
Belle
Belle is a film exploring the journey of Suzu, a 17-year-old high school student who discovers a vast online world called “U.” As her avatar, Belle, she gains widespread attention, ultimately encountering a mysterious, dragon-like figure amidst her virtual experiences.
Chace Crawford made his acting debut as Tyler Simms inThe Covenantbefore landing his big break as Nate Archibald inGossip Girl. Crawford has been consistently appearing in film and television ever since, and since 2019, he’s starred asThe Deep in Amazon’sThe Boys, which has arguably become his most iconic role to date.
Chace Crawford is no stranger to voice acting, voicing assorted roles inFamily GuyandRobot Chickenand reprising his role as The Deep inThe Boys Presents: Diabolical. As for anime, Crawford’s only voice role is as Justin in Studio Chizu’sBelle, the main villain who continually harasses Belle and Ryu in the name of order, and sure enough,Chace Crawford’s performance perfectly sold Justin’s deranged villainy inBelle, and it was easily one of the biggest highlights of an all-around phenomenal film.
Character From CoMix Wave Films' Weathering With You
Weathering With You
Weathering with You is an animated film directed by Makoto Shinkai, released in 2019. It follows Hodaka, a high school runaway in Tokyo facing financial difficulties, who meets Hina, a girl with the extraordinary ability to control the weather, amidst the city’s continuous rainfall.
Alison Brie first got her big break in acting playing Trudy Campbell onMad Men, and not long after that, she landed her iconic role of Annie Edison inCommunity. Since then, Brie has also starred as Ruth Wilder in Netflix’sGLOW, and she’s set to play Evil-Lyn in the upcomingHe-Manfilm,Masters of the Universe.
Alison Brie has just an impressive career with animation as she does live-action, voicing Planetina inRick and Morty, Princess Unikitty inThe Lego Movie, and Diane Nguyen inBoJack Horseman. As for anime, Brie’s only notable role is voicing Natsumi Suga in CoMix Wave Films’Weathering with You, but sure enough,Alison Brie’s performance as Natsumi Suga inWeathering with Youwas perfect for selling her as a big sister-type character to Hodaka from start to finish.
Character From Production I.G’s IGPX
IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix
IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix is set in 2048 within a city dedicated to the thrilling sport of Immortal Grand Prix racing. Teams of three pilots maneuver high-speed humanoid mechs on a 60 km track. Victory hinges on machine performance, pilot skill, and teamwork in this futuristic motorsport spectacle.
Haley Joel Osment was one of the most famous child actors of the 90s, most notable for playing Forrest Gump Jr. inForrest Gumpand, of course, Cole Sear inThe Sixth Sense. Osment is still highly active as an adult, of course, with notable roles of his including Keenan Feldspar inSilicon Valleyand Stu Camillo inFuture Man, and he’s even set for a guest appearance inWednesdayseason 2.
Haley Joel Osment has also made a name for himself as a voice actor, voicing characters in Disney cartoons and straight-to-DVD movies and, most famously, Sora inKingdom Hearts. As for anime, Osment has voiced Takeshi Jin inProduction I.G’sIGPX, and considering the timing,Haley Joel Osment’s performance as Takeshi inIGPXalways did wonders to sell him as an engaging protagonist and arguably helped pave the way for his future voice acting prospects.
Emily Rudd is a fairly new actress, only being active since 2013 and not getting her big break until 2021’sFear Streettrilogy as both Cindy Berman and Abigail. In 2023, however, Rudd famously playedNami in Netflix’s live-action adaptation ofOne Piece, earning praise from old and new fans alike, and it’s undoubtedly become her most famous role, by far.
As for voice acting, hot off the success of the live-actionOne Piece, Emily Rudd was cast to voice Marcille Donato inDelicious in Dungeon, and sure enough,Emily Rudd does a perfect job of capturing Marcille’s high-strung and comedic energy to just as great a degree as Sayaka Senbongi, if not more so. Rudd’s performance has been one of the best parts of the English dub, and withDelicious in Dungeonseason 2 in production, it hopefully won’t be long before there’s more to hear.
Charles Martinet is the only actor on this list known primarily for voice acting, but he’s a major celebrity for it, nonetheless. From 1991 to 2023, Martinet was famous as the voice of Mario in every entry of theMariofranchise and any of his guest appearances in other games, and while he’s retired to be the brand ambassador, he’ll inevitably continue to be tied to the role for years to come.
Charles Martinet has lent his voice talents to roles beyond Mario, and that includes anime. Not only did Martinet voice Wilson Philips in theJoJo’s Bizarre AdventureOVA, but he also voiced Magenta inDragon Ball Super: Super Hero, and overall,Charles Martinet’s performance as Magenta was great not only on its own, but for showing how much range he had beyond the simplistic nature of voicing Mario, and hopefully, there will be more of that to come.
Keith David is a legendary actor famous for roles in both live-action and animation. In live-action, David’s first major role was as Childs inThe Thing, and he then went on to star in projects likeThey Live,Armageddon, and the sixth and final season ofCommunity, with many fans and critics citing his character of Elroy Patashnik as the best part of season 6.
As for voice acting, Keith David is famous for his roles in shows and movies likeSpawn,The Princess and the Frog,Amphibia, and, most notably,Gargoyles. As for anime, not only has he voiced Okkoto inPrincess Mononoke, but most recently, David voiced Professor Tenma in Studio M2’sPluto, and sure enough,Keith David’s iconic voice was perfect for bringing out the reserved and melancholic personality of a character like Professor Tenma.
Sir Patrick Stewart is one of the most celebrated actors of all time in both live-action and animation. Whether it’s mature and composed characters like Captain Picard inStar Trek: The Next Generationand Charles Xavier inX-Menor utterly bizarre ones like Avery Bullock inAmerican Dad!and the Poop Emoji inThe Emoji Movie, Stewart’s incredible range and delivery has made him iconic in every medium, and he always finds new ways to astound his fans.
Naturally, Patrick Stewart has also lent his voice talents to anime. Stewart starred as Lloyd Steam inSteamboy, but most famously, he voiced Lord Yupa in Studio Ghibli’sNausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and as is often the case,Patrick Stewart brought plenty of poise and dignity to his performance as Lord Yupa to make him one of the most engaging characters in the movie.
Giancarlo Esposito’s first major acting role was as Dean Big Brother Almighty in Spike Lee’sSchool Daze, and he’s also starred inMalcolm X,Captain America: Brave New World,The Mandalorian, andBreaking Bad. Esposito’s role as Gus Fring inBreaking Badwas especially iconic, and since then, he’s made a name for himself playing stoic and violent villains with cold and calculating personalities.
Giancarlo Esposito’s signature style has also shown itself in voice acting, with notable examples including Ra’s al Ghul inSon of Batmanand Anton Castillo inFar Cry 6. As for anime, Esposito voiced Faraday in Studio Trigger’sCyberpunk: Edgerunners; sure enough,Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ Faraday was another character who was an entertainingly cold and calculating villain thanks to Giancarlo Esposito’s impeccable delivery, and it would be great if this wasn’t the last time he lent his talents to anime.
While James Marsters is famous for playing Spike inBuffy the Vampire SlayerandAngel, his history with anime has far more negativity attached to it. Marsters infamously played King Piccolo inDragonball Evolution, one of the worst live-action animeadaptations of all time, and while Marsters tried to salvage the script the best he could, his efforts were ultimately for naught.
As a fan ofDragon Ball, James Marsters was more disappointed than anyone in his poor performance as King Piccolo, and whenDragon Ball Supercame out, he got the role of Zamasu as a means of making amends forDragonball Evolution. Sure enough,James Marsters take on Zamasu is one that perfectly captures his poise, arrogance, and sadism in a way his King Piccolo never could, and with that level of dedication, it’s arguably the best example of acelebrity having a part in a major anime.
