Garry Chalkwas born in Southampton, England, before immigrating to Canada in 1957 and settling in Vancouver. In time, he became involved with theater and performed with such groups as the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company, the Arts Club Theatre Company, and the Vancouver Theatresports League. Nowadays, he is best known for his roles in television and film.
As a voice actor, Chalk has featured in over 1500 productions. His gruff voice means he usually plays dumb, brutish characters, but thanks to his skills at enunciation and his fantastic range, he can play pretty much any role he’s given.These are Garry Chalk’s best voice roles, a collection of diverse characters that cement him as a versatile and somewhat underappreciated talent.
‘Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper’ ()
As a wagon-pulling horse, Hervé lives a simple life, hauling cargo and other goods for his master. Unfortunately, his current master is an ambitious lord named Preminger (Martin Short), who has his minions kidnap Princess Anneliese (Kelly Sheridan) in a bid to marry her and take over the kingdom. Thus, he comes into contact with Annelise’s cat, Serafina (Kathleen Barr), who requests his aid in rescuing her mistress.
Hervé is a simple horse who just does what he’s told but still maintains a friendly and helpful disposition.
Barbie as the Princess and the Pauperisone of the best films in theBarbieseries, but Hervé’s role is limited. Still, the film is the perfect example of howChalk can breathe life into even one-note characters. He’s a simple horse who just does what he’s told but still maintains a friendly and helpful disposition. Hervé even gets a small bit of character development, as his interactions with Serafina lead to him rebelling against Preminger, which proves to be essential during the film’s climax.
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9King Hippo
‘Captain N: The Game Master’ (1989-1991)
One of the most iconic fighters from thePunch-Outvideo games, King Hippo has a much more sinister reputation in the virtual world of Video Land. There, he is one of the primary servants of the evil Mother Brain (Levi Stubbs). Alongside the Vegetable Wizard (Michael Donovan) fromKid Icarus, he attempts to further Mother Brain’s ambitions of taking over Video Land but is often thwarted by the efforts of Kevin Keene (Matt Hill) and his team of video game protagonists.
King Hippo’s best moments come from his interactions with Eggplant Wizard and make the duo come across like an old married couple.
King Hippo is a classic example of a big dumb muscle head who prefers to solve problems with force instead of brains, and Chalk nails it.His gruff voice compliments King Hippo’s design, making him seem imposing but also comical. King Hippo’s best moments come from his interactions with Eggplant Wizard and make the duo come across like an old married couple. Chalk embraces the absurdity, adding layers to Hippo’s surprisingly engaging persona.
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8Ebenezer Scrooge
‘A Christmas Carol’ (1994)
The owner of a counting house in London, Ebenezer Scrooge, is known for being a stingy miser with a hatred of Christmas. As Scrooge goes home on Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of his old business partner, Jacob Marley (Michael Donovan). The now-haunted Marley warns Scrooge that he will be tormented in the afterlife for his inferences in life if he does not change his ways. Scrooge’s only hope is to travel with three spirits through different periods of his life and learn whatever lesson they try to teach him.
Chalk goes with a nasally and sour voice, which perfectly captures Scrooge’s grouchy disposition.
This version ofA Christmas Carolleaves much to be desired, butChalk delivers a very strong portrayal of Scrooge. The voice he goes with is nasally and sour, which perfectly captures Scrooge’s grouchy disposition, and makes the wonderful and biting dialogue byCharles Dickensound all the more vicious. It’s one of those cases of a single strong performance elevating an overall lackluster and forgettable film.
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7Man-at-Arms
‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’ (2002-2004)
The right-hand man to King Randor (Michael Donovan) of Castle Greyskull, Duncan, known as Man-at-Arms, has a lot of duties. Along with serving as the castle’s military general and inventor, he is the personal mentor of Prince Adam (Cam Clarke) and keeps close ties with the castle’s Sorceress (Nicole Oliver). When the evil Skeletor (Brian Dobson) launches an attack against Greyskull, the Sorceress and Duncan convince Adam to become the heroic He-Man.
The 2002 version of Man-at-Arms is more mature and grizzled than the original version,voiced by the amazingAlan Oppenheimer, but remains one of Adam’s best sources of support and guidance. Whenever Duncan sets his mind to a task, he fully commits, be it training castle guards or working on new technology to keep his king and kingdom safe.Chalk’s voicework captures the character’s purposeful persona welland does a good job breaking from his usual gruff personality when interacting with his adopted daughter, Teela (Lisa Ann Beley).
6Prince Rutherford
‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’ (2010-2020)
When the Kingdom of Equestria begins seeking improved relationships with its neighbors, one of the first they reach out to is the Kingdom of Yakyakistan. Their prince, Rutherford, came to Equestria to speak with Princess Twilight Sparkle (Tara Strong) but frequently flew into a destructive rage when confronted with anything he didn’t like. Fortunately, Twilght’s friend, Pinkie Pie (Andrea Libman), shows Rutherford the good aspects of Equestria, and eventually, Rutherford declares her an honorary yak.
Prince Rutherford is one of the more memorable non-pony characters inthe delightfulMy Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,thanks to his in-your-face personality. His quick temper and love of smashing things certainly make him stand out, but when he’s calm, he can be civil and polite, if still blunt. Chalk’s voice fits the character like a glove and allows him to explore his lighter side. His friendship with Pinkie Pie also helps to demonstrate to younger viewers the beauty that can be found when different people exchange and share their cultures.
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
‘Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog’ (1993)
To stophis hated nemesis, Sonic the Hedgehog(Jaleel White), Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Long John Baldry) duplicates his chicken robot, Scratch (Phillip Hayes), using one of his tail feathers. During the creation process, Scratch pulls an extra lever on the Robo-Matic Machine, resulting in Grounder, a tank-like robot covered in drills. Though the two are assigned as partners, they frequently get into spats over which of them is the better robot and never succeed at the task they were created for.
The modifications made during his construction fitted Grounder out with numerous unique gadgets, such as his signature drills, but also made him the dumbest of all of Robotnik’s henchmen. Along with constantly being out-witted by Sonic and his best friend, Tails (Christopher Stephen Welch), Grounder has a habit of losing pieces of himself. His partnership with Scratch offers a lot of moments of physical and situational comedy, elevated by Chalk’s delivery.The talented actor adopts a stereotypically “dumb” voice, which only enhances the absurdity and hilarity of the already wacky storylines.
The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
‘Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktakular’ (2003), ‘Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy’ (2005)
When a young girl named Hannah Marie (Britt McKillip) is locked inside a haunted house, a friendly witch known as the Scary Godmother (Tabitha St. Germain) brings her to the Fright Side to enjoy a Halloween Party with real monsters. One of these is Harry, a werewolf with an ego almost as big as his stomach. When he’s not eating, Harry loves to talk on and on about whatever thought pops into his head, prompting his friends to come up with creative ways to get him to stop.
Harry, the werewolf, is the standout character thanks to his hammy personality.
Chalk also voices the friendly monster Bug-A-Boo in thesefamily-friendly Halloween movies, but Harry is the standout character thanks to his hammy personality. He has an uncanny ability to insert himself into any situation but always manages to maintain a likable charm. Chalk’s voicework plays a big role in this:he voices Harry like a wanna-be Thespian, which pairs well with his egotism, resulting in a funny and much-welcome presence.
3Emperor Femur
‘Shadow Raiders’ (1998-1999)
Within a solar system known as the Cluster lies a swamp-covered world known as Planet Bone. It is renowned for its abundance of organic life, which the planets Fire, Ice, and Rock frequently raid for food. Its current leader is Emperor Femur, who usurped the position from his older brother, Sternum (John Payne). When a destructive force called the Beast Planet begins to invade the Cluster, Femur is convinced to join forces with his sworn enemies, though he makes things difficult due to his constant scheming.
The more time Femur spends with the alliance, the more he shifts away from being a self-serving and untrustworthy ally.
Femur may just be the best character inthe criminally underrated Canadian cartoonShadow Raiders. Though he never quite grows out of his cowardly nature, the more time Femur spends with the alliance, the more he shifts away from being a self-serving and untrustworthy ally to a creative and even wise leader who does what he can to ensure the survival of his allies. Chalk’s performance also adds to his likability:he gives Femur a voice reminiscent of a fast-talking used car salesman, which helps to play into his large ego and his cunning intellect.
2Optimus Prime
‘From Transformers: Armada’ (2002-2003), ‘Transformers Energon’ (2004), and ‘Transformers: Cybertron’ (2005)
On the planet Cybertron, two factions of sentient robots called Autobots and Decepticons war for control of the planet and little robots called Mini-Cons. The leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime, attempts to help the Mini-Cons escape, but after a Decepticon attack, they crash on the planet Earth. Millions of years later, the Autobots and Decepticons awaken to begin the fight anew, but Prime finds allies among the humans who have come to dominate Earth.
Chalk has voiced Optimus Prime in more episodes across variousTransformersshows than any other actor and is the second most recognizable voice for the characterafter the iconicPeter Cullen. The iteration seen inTransformers: Armadais a more aggressive version of Prime, willing to resort to violence more often than other depictions. This version fits well with the Unicron trilogy, which sees Prime pushed into more and more desperate situations while struggling to hold to his heroic ideals.
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1Optimus Primal
From ‘Beast Wars: Transformers’ (1996-1999) and ‘Beast Machines: Transformers’ (1999-2001)
Unlike his famous ancestor, Optimus Primal is a scientist first and a warrior second. He was given command of the Maximal ship, the Axalon, to explore the galaxy and dispose of the dangerous Protoform X. However, when Megatron (David Kaye) and his Predacon rogues steal a relic called the Golden Disk, Primal directs the Axalon to pursue, leading to both of their ships crashing on a new, mysterious planet.
Optimus Primal is amongthe best robots inTransformers. He distinguishes himself from his ancestor because he is a less idealistic take on the heroic leader. He is a younger, more emotional leader who frequently gets into debates with his men and can be prone to moments of anger, but would gladly give his life to protect any of them, and often acts as a father figure when needed. Chalk’s performance as Primal is fantastic, especially whenhe uses his powerful voice to deliver some inspirational speechesor moments of advice.
Beast Wars: Transformers
NEXT:10 Voice Actors Who Play Multiple Characters in the Same Show
