Men with Deep Authoritative Voices

1. James Earl Jones

Widely regarded as the one of greatest stage and screen actors both in his native USA and internationally, James Earl Jones was born on January 17, 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi. At an early age, he started to take dramatic lessons to calm himself down. It appeared to work as he has since starred ...

2. Ed McMahon

Soundtrack | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Ed McMahon's first appearance before a microphone was as a 15-year-old "caller" at a bingo game in Maine. After that, he spent the next three years touring the state fair and carnival circuit. A Marine fighter pilot during World War II, McMahon sold vegetable slicers on Atlantic City's boardwalk to...

3. Don Cornelius

Soundtrack | Nutty Professor II: The Klumps

Don Cornelius was born on September 27, 1936 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), Soul Train (1971) and Jackie's Back! (1999). He was married to Viktoria Chapman and Delores Harrison. He died on February 1, 2012 in Sherman Oaks, ...

4. Vin Diesel

Actor | Guardians of the Galaxy

Vin Diesel was born Mark Sinclair in Alameda County, California, along with his fraternal twin brother, Paul Vincent. He was raised by his astrologer/psychologist mother, Delora Sherleen (Sinclair), and adoptive father, Irving H. Vincent, an acting instructor and theatre manager, in an artists' ...

5. Ted Cassidy

Actor | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Ted Cassidy was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and raised in Philippi, West Virginia. He was a well respected actor who portrayed many different characters during his film and television career. His most notable role was Lurch, the faithful butler on the television series The Addams Family (1964)....

6. Craig T. Nelson

Actor | Coach

Craig T. Nelson was born on April 4, 1944 in Spokane, Washington, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Coach (1989), The Incredibles (2004) and The Family Stone (2005). He has been married to Doria Cook-Nelson since 1987. He was previously married to Robin McCarthy.

7. Trace Adkins

Actor | The Lincoln Lawyer

Trace Adkins' trademark baritone has powered countless hits to the top of the charts and turned albums into Platinum plaques, selling over 10 million albums, cumulatively. The Grammy-nominated member of the Grand Ole Opry is a television personality, actor, author, spokesman for the Wounded Warrior...

8. Barry White

Soundtrack | Baby Driver

Barry White first made his mark in the music business in the 1960s as a session musician, even serving for a spell as an A&R man for a small, independent Los Angeles record label. He first hit it big in 1973 with a series of albums and singles emphasizing lush orchestrations and elaborate ...

9. Morgan Freeman

Actor | Driving Miss Daisy

With an authoritative voice and calm demeanor, this ever popular American actor has grown into one of the most respected figures in modern US cinema. Morgan was born on June 1, 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee, to Mayme Edna (Revere), a teacher, and Morgan Porterfield Freeman, a barber. The young Freeman...

10. Mr. T

Actor | Rocky III

Mr. T was born Laurence Tureaud on 21 May 1952, in the rough south side ghetto of Chicago. He is the second to youngest of twelve children (he has four sisters and seven brothers) and grew up in the housing projects. His father, Nathaniel Tureaud, left when Laurence was 5, and his mother raised the...

11. Keith David

Actor | The Princess and the Frog

Keith David is a classically trained actor, winning 3 Emmys out of 6 nominations as well as being nominated for a Tony award. He starred in the recently concluded TV series "Greenleaf" for Oprah Winfrey's OWN network. Upcoming films include "Horizon Line" with Allison Williams ("Get Out") and "...

12. Lorenzo Music

Writer | Rhoda

Lorenzo Music was born on May 2, 1937 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Rhoda (1974), Carlton Your Doorman (1980) and Garfield in Paradise (1986). He was married to Henrietta Music. He died on August 4, 2001 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

13. Harrison Ford

Actor | Raiders of the Lost Ark

Harrison Ford was born on July 13, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois, to Dorothy (Nidelman), a radio actress, and Christopher Ford (born John William Ford), an actor turned advertising executive. His father was of Irish and German ancestry, while his maternal grandparents were Jewish emigrants from Minsk, ...

14. Harold Ramis

Writer | Ghostbusters

Born on November 21, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois, Harold Allen Ramis got his start in comedy as Playboy magazine's joke editor and reviewer. In 1969, he joined Chicago's Second City's Improvisational Theatre Troupe before moving to New York to help write and perform in "The National Lampoon Show" ...

15. Seth Rogen

Producer | This Is the End

An actor, comedian and writer, Seth Rogen has come a long way from doing stand-up comedy as a teen.

Rogen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, to Sandy (Belogus), a social worker, and Mark Rogen, who worked for non-profits. His father is American-born and his mother is Canadian. He is of Russian...

16. Sean Connery

Actor | The Rock

The tall, handsome and muscular Scottish actor Sean Connery is best known as the original actor to portray James Bond in the hugely successful movie franchise, starring in seven films between 1962 and 1983. Some believed that such a career-defining role might leave him unable to escape it, but he ...

17. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Actor | Terminator 2: Judgment Day

With an almost unpronounceable surname and a thick Austrian accent, who would have ever believed that a brash, quick talking bodybuilder from a small European village would become one of Hollywood's biggest stars, marry into the prestigious Kennedy family, amass a fortune via shrewd investments and...

18. Samuel L. Jackson

Actor | Pulp Fiction

Samuel L. Jackson is an American producer and highly prolific actor, having appeared in over 100 films, including Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Unbreakable (2000), Shaft (2000), Formula 51 (2001), Black Snake Moan (2006), Snakes on a Plane (2006), and the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999-2005), ...

19. Isaac Hayes

Actor | Escape from New York

Isaac Hayes, the second-born child of Eula and Isaac Hayes Sr., was raised by his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Willie Wade Sr. The child of a poor family, he grew up picking cotton in Covington, Tennessee. He dropped out of high school, but later his former high-school teachers to get his diploma, ...

20. Lamman Rucker

Actor | Why Did I Get Married?

Born in Pittsburgh, his mother had a dance company (the Pittsburgh Black Theater Dance Ensemble) and his father was a drummer, so entertaining is in his blood. His first acting role was as Martin Luther King in the 4th grade. He was in the drama club in 7th grade and then attended high school at ...

21. John O'Hurley

Actor | Seinfeld

John George O'Hurley Jr. is an American actor, comedian, author, game show host and television personality. He is known for his portrayal of J. Peterman on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, and was the sixth host of the game show Family Feud from 2006 to 2010. He also hosted To Tell the Truth from 2000 to ...

22. Melvin Franklin

Actor | Pole Position

Melvin Franklin was born on October 12, 1942 in Montgomery, Alabama, USA. He was an actor, known for Pole Position (1984), The Fall Guy (1981) and Happy New Year (1987). He was married to Kimberly. He died on February 23, 1995 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

23. John Goodman

Actor | 10 Cloverfield Lane

John Stephen Goodman's an American film, TV & stage actor. He was born in Affton, Missouri to Virginia Roos (Loosmore), a waitress and saleswoman & Leslie Francis Goodman, a postal worker who died when he was a small child. He's of English, Welsh & German ancestry. He's best known for his role as ...

24. James Avery

Actor | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Although known as the uncle/patriarch and judge "Philip Banks" on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990), James Avery was a classically trained actor and scholar. A native of Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA, he joined the US Navy after graduating high school and served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969. Upon...

25. Judge Reinhold

Actor | Beverly Hills Cop

Judge Reinhold has been in over seventy-five motion picture and television roles and enjoys a 25-year relationship with an international audience of all ages. His films include Stripes, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Ruthless People, and Disney's Christmas franchise, The Santa Clause 1, 2 & 3. ...

26. Clancy Brown

Actor | The Shawshank Redemption

A tall, wavy-haired US actor with a deep, resonant voice, Clancy Brown has proven himself a versatile performer with first-class contributions to theatre, feature films, television series and even animation.

Clarence J. Brown III was born in 1959 in Urbana, Ohio, to Joyce Helen (Eldridge), a concert...

27. Patrick Warburton

Actor | The Emperor's New Groove

Patrick Warburton is known to many for the role of "Puddy" in the hit NBC comedy "Seinfeld," the laconic, enigmatic, quirky Saab salesman and Elaine's boyfriend. Warburton starred for 7 seasons on the hit CBS comedy "Rules of Engagement" with David Spade, Oliver Hudson, and Megyn Price about two ...

28. John Larroquette

Actor | Night Court

John Bernard Larroquette, is an all-around American actor known for his roles in both drama and comedy. He became well-known as Deputy District Attorney Dan Fielding in the NBC sitcom "Night Court" (1984-1992; 2023-present), a role that earned him four straight Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor...

29. David Hasselhoff

Actor | Baywatch

David Hasselhoff has become one of the most recognizable faces on television and throughout the world. Aside from starring in Knight Rider (1982) and Baywatch (1989), he is also an accomplished singer and popular recording artist.

David Michael Hasselhoff was born on July 17, 1952 in Baltimore, ...

30. John Schneider

Actor | The Dukes of Hazzard

John Richard Schneider IV was born April 8, 1960, in Mt. Kisco, New York, to Shirley and John Richard "Jack" Schneider III, a pilot and U.S. Air Force veteran. His parents divorced when he was two. John began acting at the age of eight. He was in many plays in New York City. He and his mother moved...

31. Ryan McPartlin

Actor | Chuck

Ryan McPartlin was born on July 3, 1975 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Chuck (2007), L.A.'s Finest (2019) and Hunter Killer (2018). He has been married to Danielle Kirlin since October 26, 2002. They have two children.

32. Geoffrey Holder

Actor | Annie

Dancer, choreographer and actor Geoffrey Holder was born on August 1, 1930, in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, into a middle-class family. One of four children, he was taught painting and dancing by his older brother Boscoe Holder, whose dance troupe, the Holder Dance Company, the young Geoffrey joined ...

33. Peter Krause

Actor | Six Feet Under

Peter William Krause was born on August 12, 1965, in Alexandria, Minnesota. Both his parents were teachers, and he has a sister and brother. He was raised in Roseville, Minnesota. He graduated in 1987 from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, with a degree in English literature. In ...

34. Billy Gardell

Actor | Bad Santa

Billy Gardell was born on August 20, 1969 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Bad Santa (2003), Avenging Angelo (2002) and Dragon Wars: D-War (2007). He has been married to Patty Gardell since September 30, 2001. They have one child.

35. Dennis Haysbert

Actor | Far from Heaven

Dennis Haysbert was born on June 2, 1954 in San Mateo, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Far from Heaven (2002), 24 (2001) and Heat (1995). He was previously married to Lynn Griffith and Elena Simms.

36. T.D. Jakes

Producer | Jumping the Broom

T.D. Jakes was born on June 9, 1957 in South Charleston, West Virginia, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Jumping the Broom (2011), Miracles from Heaven (2016) and Not Easily Broken (2009). He has been married to Serita Jakes since May 29, 1982. They have five children.

37. Rodney Dangerfield

Actor | Back to School

Rodney Dangerfield was born Jacob Cohen on November 22, 1921 in Deer Park, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. He was the son of Dorothy "Dotty" (Teitelbaum) and Phillip Cohen, who performed in vaudeville under the name Phil Roy. His father was born in New York, to Russian Jewish parents, and ...

38. Ted Levine

Actor | The Silence of the Lambs

Born in May 1957 in Bellaire, Ohio, he was among the last graduating class of the Windsor Mountain School in Lenox, Massachusetts. Attended Marlboro College in Vermont. Performed in summer stock and regional theaters in Vermont, Michigan and West Virginia before settling in Chicago and joining The ...

39. John Tesh

Actor | Shocker

John Tesh was born on July 9, 1952 in Garden City, Long Island, New York, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Shocker (1989), The Smurfs 2 (2013) and Left Behind II: Tribulation Force (2002). He has been married to Connie Sellecca since April 4, 1992. They have one child. He was previously ...

40. Don LaFontaine

Actor | In a World...

Don LaFontaine was born on August 26, 1940 in Duluth, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for In a World... (2013), The Hitter (1978) and Free Radio (2007). He was married to Joan Studva and Nita Whitaker. He died on September 1, 2008 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

41. Rodney Saulsberry

Actor | The Bold and the Beautiful

Rodney Saulsberry was born in Detroit, Michigan. He is an actor, singer, author and voice-over artist. He has been the campaign voice for many commercial products that include, Twix Candy Bars, Domino's Pizza and Zatarain's Cajun Foods. He recently appeared on camera in commercials for Capital One ...

42. Louis Aguirre

Actor | The Longest Journey

Louis Aguirre was born on November 12, 1966. He is an actor, known for The Longest Journey (1999), JAG (1995) and Single in South Beach (2015).

43. Christopher Lee

Actor | Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee was perhaps the only actor of his generation to have starred in so many films and cult saga. Although most notable for personifying bloodsucking vampire, Dracula, on screen, he portrayed other varied characters on screen, most of which were villains, whether it ...

44. Eugene Levy

Actor | A Mighty Wind

Eugene Levy is an award-winning actor, writer, and producer. He has appeared in more than 60 motion pictures to date, eight of which having topped the $100M mark. The box office success of films such as Bringing Down the House (2003), Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005) , and Father of the Bride Part II ...

45. Lester Holt

Actor | The Fugitive

Lester Holt was born on March 8, 1959 in Marin County, California, USA. He is an actor, known for The Fugitive (1993), Primal Fear (1996) and Warehouse 13 (2009). He has been married to Carol Hagen since May 8, 1982. They have two children.

46. D.B. Woodside

Actor | Lucifer

David Bryan Woodside (born July 25, 1969) is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as the bass singer Melvin Franklin in The Temptations, Robin Wood in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Malcolm Franks in Single Ladies, Dr. Joseph Prestridge in Parenthood, the angel Amenadiel in ...

47. Ving Rhames

Actor | Pulp Fiction

Strikingly featured and muscular American actor Ving Rhames was born Irving Rameses Rhames in Harlem, New York, to Reather, a homemaker, and Ernest Rhames, an auto mechanic. A good student, Ving entered the New York High School of Performing Arts, where he discovered his love of acting. He studied ...

48. Tony Todd

Actor | Candyman

Perhaps best known for his chilling performance as "Candyman", the charismatic 6' 5" actor Tony Todd has consistently turned in compelling performances since his debut in the fantasy film Sleepwalk (1986). Born in Washington, D.C., Todd spent two years on a scholarship at the University of ...

49. Burt Reynolds

Actor | Boogie Nights

Enduring, strong-featured, and genial star of US cinema, Burt Reynolds started off in T.V. westerns in the 1960s and then carved his name into 1970s/1980s popular culture, as a sex symbol (posing nearly naked for "Cosmopolitan" magazine), and on-screen as both a rugged action figure and then as a ...

50. Alan Thicke

Soundtrack | Growing Pains

Alan Thicke was born on March 1, 1947 in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor and writer, known for Growing Pains (1985), Raising Helen (2004) and The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009). He was married to Tanya Callau, Gina Marie Tolleson and Gloria Loring. He died on December 13, 2016 ...

51. Sid McCoy

Actor | Sliver

Sid McCoy was born on October 24, 1922 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Sliver (1993), The Bill Cosby Show (1969) and O'Hara, U.S. Treasury (1971). He died on November 5, 2009 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

52. Gary Anthony Williams

Actor | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Gary Anthony Williams is an African-American actor, comedian and writer from Atlanta, Georgia who is known for playing Uncle Ruckus from The Boondocks, Bebop from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows and Tarik Jackson from Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. He is married to Leslie ...

53. Josh Taylor

Actor | Days of Our Lives

Armed with a Burt Reynolds-like laid-back grin, virility and swagger, handsome soap actor Josh Taylor was first noticed tending bar near the popular Burbank Studios, where Days of Our Lives (1965) was being cast. He won the role of working-class "Chris Kositchek" (a bartender, natch) and, for four ...

54. Brad Garrett

Actor | Everybody Loves Raymond

Standing 6 feet 9 inches tall, Garrett grew up in Woodland Hills outside of Los Angeles. His father was a hearing aid specialist working in geriatrics and his mother was a housewife. Garrett spent a whopping six weeks at UCLA before going into stand-up comedy full time. He began performing his act ...

55. Peter Francis James

Actor | Godfather of Harlem

Peter Francis James was born on September 16, 1956 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for Godfather of Harlem (2019), Katy Keene (2020) and The Rosa Parks Story (2002). He was previously married to Jillian Nelson.

56. Aidan Quinn

Actor | Benny & Joon

Aidan Quinn was born on March 8, 1959 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Benny & Joon (1993), Practical Magic (1998) and Flipped (2010). He has been married to Elizabeth Bracco since September 1, 1987. They have two children.

57. John Vernon

Actor | National Lampoon's Animal House

John Vernon was a prolific stage-trained Canadian character player who made a career out of convincingly playing crafty villains, morally-bankrupt officials and heartless authority figures in American films and television since the 1960s. Vernon was directed by some stellar filmmakers, including ...

58. Tony Jay

Actor | The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Tony Jay was a British actor and narrator. He is known for his deep and distinctive British voice. He was well-known for voicing Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Megabyte from ReBoot, Monsieur D'Arque from Beauty and the Beast, Shere Khan from The Jungle Book 2, Magneto in X-Men ...

59. Jon Hamm

Actor | Mad Men

Jon Hamm is an American actor and producer from St. Louis, Missouri who is known for playing Don Draper in Mad Men. He also played Mister Sinister in a deleted scene of The New Mutants and Legion, Brogan from Shrek Forever After, and other films and shows including Sucker Punch, Million Dollar Arm,...

60. Michael Dorn

Actor | Star Trek: First Contact

Michael Dorn is an American actor from Texas. He is best known for playing Worf in the "Star Trek" franchise, the first Klingon character to be part of a television series' main cast. Dorn played the character regularly from 1987 to 2002, appearing in four films and 272 television episodes. Dorn ...

61. Geno Segers

Actor | Horizon: Forbidden West

Geno Segers is an actor and voice-artist possessing an active background in many fields of entertainment and athletics. He is best known for the role "Chayton Littlestone" in Cinemax's "Banshee (2013)". His first taste of the entertainment field began with a suggestion by a friend to try voice-work...

62. Brendan Fraser

Actor | The Mummy

Brendan James Fraser was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Canadian parents Carol Mary (Genereux), a sales counselor, and Peter Fraser, a journalist and travel executive. He is of Irish, Scottish, German, Czech, and French-Canadian ancestry. As his parents frequently moved, Brendan can claim ...

63. Ray Davis

Soundtrack | Ash vs Evil Dead

Ray Davis was born on March 29, 1940 in Sumter, South Carolina, USA. He died on July 5, 2005 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.

64. Ejyp Johnson

Actor | Get Rich or Die Tryin'

Ejyp Johnson is known for Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005), See You Yesterday (2019) and FBI (2018).

65. Eric Owens

Actor | The Gershwin's 'Porgy and Bess'

Eric Owens is known for The Gershwin's 'Porgy and Bess' (2013), I Capuleti e i Montecchi (2014) and The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006).

66. Frank Graham

Actor | Cosmo Jones in the Crime Smasher

Frank Graham was born on November 22, 1914 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Cosmo Jones in the Crime Smasher (1943), The Three Caballeros (1944) and Horton Hatches the Egg (1942). He died on September 2, 1950 in Hollywood, California, USA.

67. O.J. Simpson

Actor | Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult

Orenthal James Simpson, was an American former football running back, broadcaster, actor, advertising spokesman.

Simpson attended the University of Southern California, where he played football for the USC Trojans and won the Heisman Trophy in 1968. He played professionally as a running back in the ...

68. Robert C. Bruce

Writer | The Fisher Family

Robert C. Bruce was born on October 6, 1914 in White Salmon, Washington, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for This Is the Life (1952), Having a Wonderful Time with Angels in Dirty Places (1938) and Bravo, Mr. Strauss (1943). He was married to Catharine Burnap. He died on August 24, 2003 in ...

69. Adam Driver

Actor | Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

Adam Douglas Driver was born in San Diego, California. His mother, Nancy (Needham) Wright, is a paralegal from Mishawaka, Indiana, and his father, Joe Douglas Driver, who has deep roots in the American South, is from Little Rock, Arkansas. His stepfather is a Baptist minister. His ancestry includes...

70. Benedict Cumberbatch

Actor | The Imitation Game

Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch was born and raised in London, England. His parents, Wanda Ventham and Timothy Carlton (born Timothy Carlton Congdon Cumberbatch), are both actors. He is a grandson of submarine commander Henry Carlton Cumberbatch, and a great-grandson of diplomat Henry Arnold ...

71. Lee Marvin

Actor | The Dirty Dozen

American actor Lee Marvin was born Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr. in New York City. After leaving school aged 18, Marvin enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in August 1942. He served with the 4th Marine Division in the Pacific Theater during World War II and after being wounded in action ...

72. Tyler James Williams

Actor | Dear White People

Tyler James Williams is an American actor, most recognizable for having played the title character of the Chris Rock-inspired sitcom Everybody Hates Chris (2005) and songwriter Cyrus DeBarge in the Disney Channel movie Let It Shine (2012). He became known for playing the lead role in the show ...