US guest stars on Arthur
by adampkalb | created - 27 Sep 2019 | updated - 30 Aug 2022 | PublicArthur is the second-longest running animated series in the United States behind The Simpsons. However, even though Arthur has an American creator, all of its regular voice cast is either from Montreal, Quebec or Toronto, Ontario in Canada, and only some guest stars from the United States are those we American audiences would see in other mainstream animated film and television. More than half the time, they are playing themselves or renamed parodies of themselves. Sometimes I wish I could use a few people of Arthur's regular cast in my own animated film or TV with a mostly American cast. It's also really strange how half of these guest stars are not usually actors, or if they are actors, some have their share of voice roles elsewhere and some don't or only have a few other animated roles of note. Neil Gaiman from 2010 and Alan Cumming from 2013 are not listed because they are both from the UK and not the US. Although many of the prior celebrity guests show up again in the 100th episode to see the Elwood City play, none of them have any lines in the episode.
Something that really bugs me about Arthur's casting, apart from most of Arthur's cast being almost completely unknown in the US, is that they originally never billed their guest voices, but then in Season 14, they do start to bill them in the main credits, but they have to say Guest Star: X and make their name purple when everyone else's name is white, and the guest stars always get top billing in the episodes they are in. Which is also redundant when episodes end with the special guest star's name and a short clip of their character shown at the end. Mentioning the year that these guest stars were in an episode is also super important, because Arthur, DW, Alan The Brain, Timmy Tibble and Tommy Tibble's voice actors always change every few seasons and I want to know which Arthur and DW voices were there with them by the year of the episode. Since most of Arthur's celebrity guests play themselves and are not professional actors, I will do the tricky task of tracking down the first TV voice actor of each gender who shared an acting credit with them and whose career was still active during Arthur. If any of them happen to have had other animated TV credits, I will count them in too.
Arthur is a very long-running animated series that debuted in the same decade of The Simpsons, Rugrats and The Magic School Bus which also had plenty of American, British or Canadian celebrity guests play themselves (including some of the same people from this list). However, while the regular casts of The Simpsons and Rugrats based in the United States, and The Magic School Bus's cast combines American and Canadian voice actors (Erica Luttrell, who played Keesha Franklin, has dual citizenship and acted in more American cartoons after 1999), for many of Arthur's American celebrity guests who were not in the above three titles I have to dig a lot deeper into their "Self" credits to know if they shared credits with any other American voice actors.
1. Jack Prelutsky
Writer | Barney & Friends
Jack Prelutsky was born on September 8, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is a writer and composer, known for Barney & Friends (1992), Nonesense and Lullabyes: Poems (1992) and A Poem Is... (2011).
as Himself (I'm a Poet, 1996)
2. Fred Rogers
Actor | Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Fred Rogers was the host of the popular long-running public television children's show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. The show debuted in Pittsburgh in 1967 and was picked up by PBS the next year, becoming a staple of public TV stations around the United States. Rogers' mild manner, cardigan sweaters...
as Himself (Arthur Meets Mister Rogers, 1997) First female voice actor in shared cast: Ming-Na Wen (1549: Music, 1985) First male voice actor in shared cast: Keith David (1514: Games, 1985) Ming-Na Wen and Keith David were both in Mister Rogers Neighborhood episode 1550: Music.
3. Art Garfunkel
Actor | Carnal Knowledge
Art Garfunkel was born on November 5, 1941 in Forest Hills, New York, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Carnal Knowledge (1971), The Rebound (2009) and Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession (1980). He has been married to Kim Garfunkel since September 18, 1988. They have two children. He was ...
as Himself (The Ballad of Buster Baxter, 1998) First female voice actor in shared cast: Rita Moreno (Carnal Knowledge, 1971) First male voice actor in shared cast: Martin Sheen (Catch-22, 1970)
4. Yo-Yo Ma
Soundtrack | Wo hu cang long
Yo-Yo Ma was born on October 7, 1955 in Paris, France. He is a music artist and actor, known for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Mission: Impossible (1996) and Ex Machina (2014). He has been married to Jill Alison Hornor since May 20, 1978. They have two children.
as Himself (My Music Rules, 1999) Other animated television roles: The Simpsons 2015, James and the Giant Peach and Friends 2020 First female voice actor in shared cast: Paula Poundstone (The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, 1992) First male voice actor in shared cast: Christian Slater (The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, 1992)
5. Joshua Redman
Soundtrack | Space Cowboys
Joshua Redman was born on February 1, 1969 in Berkeley, California, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Space Cowboys (2000), Blues Brothers 2000 (1998) and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997).
as Himself - Francine's uncle (My Music Rules, 1999) First female voice actor in shared cast: Marilu Henner (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, 1993) First male voice actor in shared cast: Jay Leno (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, 1993)
6. Alex Trebek
Producer | Jeopardy!
Born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, Alex Trebek graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Philosophy. After his first decision to become a newscaster, he joined the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company), Canada's premier network in 1961. As he was working, he helped organize national ...
as Alex Lebek (Arthur and the Big Riddle, 2000) first guest actor to play a renamed parody of himself on Arthur Other animated television roles: Rugrats 1993, The Magic School Bus 1996, The Simpsons 1997 & 2012, Pepper Ann 2000, Midori's Nintendoland Bakery 2003, Family Guy 2006, Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? 2021 First female voice actor in shared cast: Rhea Perlman (Cheers, 1990) First male voice actor in shared cast: Paul Williams (The Hollywood Squares (Daytime), 1974)
7. Michelle Kwan
Actress | Reflections on Ice: Michelle Kwan Skates to the Music of Disney's 'Mulan'
Michelle Kwan was born on July 7, 1980 in Torrance, California. She's the youngest of 3 children. Her parents are Danny and Estella, who moved to the U.S. from China in the 1970s. She started skating when she was 5 after watching her brother play hockey. She started competing at 7. In 1991, she & ...
as Herself (The Good Sport, 2001) Other animated television roles: Family Guy 1999, The Simpsons 2005, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! 2009 First female voice actor in shared cast: Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, 1999) First male voice actor in shared cast: Don Johnson (Late Night With David Letterman, 1996)
8. Backstreet Boys
Soundtrack | This Is the End
The Backstreet Boys is an American boy group consisting of A.J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, Kevin Scott Richardson and Brian Littrell. They became famous in the 90's with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys (1996). They released their second international album, Backstreet's ...
as Themselves (Arthur - It's Only Rock 'N Roll, 2001) First female voice actor in shared cast: Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, 1998) First male voice actor in shared cast: Nick Bakay (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, 1998)
9. Larry King
Actor | Ghostbusters
Larry King was born on November 19, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for Ghostbusters (1984), Shrek 2 (2004) and Enemy of the State (1998). He was married to Shawn Ora Engemann, Julie Alexander, Sharon Lepore, Alene Akins, Mickey Sutphin, Annette ...
as Himself (Elwood City Turns 100!, 2002) Other animated television roles: The Simpsons 1991 & 1994, Gravity Falls 2012 & 2016 First female voice actor in shared cast: Annie Potts (Ghostbusters, 1984) First male voice actor in shared cast: Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters, 1984)
10. Tom Magliozzi
Actor | Cars
Tom Magliozzi was born on June 28, 1937 in East Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Cars (2006), Cars 3 (2017) and Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns (2008). He was married to Julia and Joanne. He died on November 3, 2014 in Belmont, Massachusetts, USA.
as Click (Pick a Car, Any Car, 2002) Other animated television roles: Click and Clack in As The Wrench Turns, 2008 First female voice actor in shared cast: Bonnie Hunt (Late Night with David Letterman, 1993) First male voice actor in shared cast: Nick Bakay (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, 2002) Worked with Bonnie Hunt again in Cars and Cars 3
11. Ray Magliozzi
Actor | Cars
Ray Magliozzi was born in 1950. He is an actor and writer, known for Cars (2006), Cars 3 (2017) and Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns (2008).
as Clack (Pick a Car, Any Car, 2002) Other animated television roles: Click and Clack in As The Wrench Turns, 2008 First female voice actor in shared cast: Bonnie Hunt (Late Night with David Letterman, 1993) First male voice actor in shared cast: Nick Bakay (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, 2002) Worked with Bonnie Hunt again in Cars and Cars 3
12. KoKo Taylor
Actress | Blues Brothers 2000
KoKo Taylor was born on September 28, 1928 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. She was an actress, known for Blues Brothers 2000 (1998), Wild at Heart (1990) and Adventures in Babysitting (1987). She was married to Hay Harris and Robert 'Pops' Taylor. She died on June 3, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
as Herself (Big Horns George, 2003) First female voice actor in shared cast: Whoopi Goldberg (The 29th Annual Grammy Awards, 1987) First male voice actor in shared cast: Bobcat Goldthwait (The 29th Annual Grammy Awards, 1987)
13. Taj Mahal
Actor | Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
Taj Mahal was born on May 17, 1942 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991), Sounder (1972) and Phenomenon (1996).
as Himself (Big Horns George, 2003) Other animated television roles: Waynehead 1996, Aaaahh!!! Real Monsters 1996, The Blues Brothers Animated Series 1997 First female voice actor in shared cast: Iona Morris (Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored, 1995) First male voice actor in shared cast: Clancy Brown (The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains, 1987)
14. Frank Gehry
Producer | Miles Ahead
After graduating from Harvard University, Gehry studied architecture. In the middle of his studies he moved to the University of Los Angeles. In 1962 he founded his own architectural firm in Venice, California. In the following years he advanced from a conventional planner to an early ...
as Himself (Castles in the Sky, 2004) Other animated television roles: The Simpsons 2005 First female voice actor in shared cast: Nancy Cartwright (The Simpsons, 2005) First male voice actor in shared cast: Dan Castellaneta (The Simpsons, 2005)
15. Rodney Gilfry
Actor | Cyrano de Bergerac
Rodney Gilfry was born on March 11, 1959 in Covina, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Cyrano de Bergerac (2008), Great Performances (1971) and The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006). He is married to Tina ?.
as Himself (Lights...Camera...Opera!, 2004) First female voice actor in shared cast: Christine Baranski (The Kennedy Center Honors A Celebration of the Performing Arts, 1995) First male voice actor in shared cast: Nathan Lane (The Kennedy Center Honors A Celebration of the Performing Arts, 1995)
16. Johnny Damon
Actor | Fever Pitch
Johnny Damon was born on November 5, 1973 in Fort Riley, Kansas, USA. He is an actor, known for Fever Pitch (2005), Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990) and TNA iMPACT! Wrestling (2004). He has been married to Michelle Mangan since December 30, 2004. They have six children. He was previously married ...
as Himself (The Curse of the Grebes, 2006) First female voice actor in shared cast: Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live, 2004) First male voice actor in shared cast: Joe Buck (2002 MLB All-Star Game, 2002)
17. Edgar Renteria
Actor | Arthur
Edgar Renteria was born on August 7, 1975 in Barranquilla, Colombia. He is an actor, known for Arthur (1996), Sunday Night Baseball (1990) and 2000 National League Championship Series (2000).
as Himself (The Curse of the Grebes, 2006) First female voice actor in shared cast: N/A First male voice actor in shared cast: Keith Olbermann (1997 World Series, 1997)
18. Mike Timlin
Actor | Slice
Mike Timlin was born on March 10, 1966 in Midland, Texas, USA. He is an actor, known for Slice (2018), Coffee Guy (2017) and 1991 American League Championship Series (1991). He is married to Dawn Timlin. They have two children.
as Himself (The Curse of the Grebes, 2006) First female voice actor in shared cast: Zazie Baetz (Slice, 2018) First male voice actor in shared cast: Joe Buck (2000 National Championship League World Series, 2000)
19. Ming Tsai
Producer | Simply Ming
Ming Tsai was born on March 29, 1964 in Newport Beach, California, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Simply Ming (2003), Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) and East Meets West with Ming Tsai (1998). He is married to Polly Talbott. They have two children.
as Himself (What's Cooking?, 2006) First female voice actor in shared cast: Brooke Shields (The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, 2008) First male voice actor in shared cast: Bryan Cranston (The Tony Danza Show, 2005)
20. Matt Damon
Actor | Good Will Hunting
Matthew Paige Damon was born on October 8, 1970, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Kent Damon, a stockbroker, realtor and tax preparer, and Nancy Carlsson-Paige, an early childhood education professor at Lesley University. Matt has an older brother, Kyle, a sculptor. His father was of English and ...
as Himself (The Making of Arthur, 2007) starred in a 2000 animated film with Drew Barrymore titled Titan A.E. First female voice actor in shared cast: Leah Remini (Glory Daze, 1995) First male voice actor in shared cast: Tate Donovan (Rising Son, 1990)
21. Lance Armstrong
Actor | Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Armstrong was raised alone by his mother. Even as a child and teenager, he invested a lot of time in cycling. At the age of 13, Armstrong achieved his first victories in cycling races and other sports. In 1984 he won the youth triathlon championship. Three years later he practiced triathlon as a ...
as Vance Legstrong (Room to Ride, 2008) and Himself (The Great MacGrady, 2009) first guest actor to appear in more than 1 Arthur episode Other animated television roles: The Simpsons 2008 First female voice actor in shared cast: Christina Milian (The 47th Annual Grammy Awards, 2005) First male voice actor in shared cast: Jay Leno (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, 2000)
22. Joan Rivers
Actress | Spaceballs
Joan Rivers is an American talk show host, comedian, writer and actress from Brooklyn, New York. She voiced Dot Matrix from Mel Brooks' Spaceballs. She has portrayed in several films and shows such as Shrek 2, Look Who's Talking, The Smurfs and Iron Man 3. She passed away in September 2014 at ...
as Bubbe, Francine's grandmother (Is That Kosher?, 2008, Grandpa Dave's Memory Album, 2010 & What's in a Name?, 2010) first guest actress to not play herself or a renamed parody of herself on Arthur first guest actress to appear in more than 1 Arthur episode in addition to having 3 Arthur episodes, she also has 3 Dave the Barbarian episodes with her daughter Melissa Rivers Other animated television roles: Dave the Barbarian 2004, Jakers! The Adventures of Piggly Winks 2006, Spaceballs: The Animated Series 2008-2009, The Simpsons 2011 First female voice actor in shared cast: Brenda Vaccaro (The Joan Rivers Show, 1968) First male voice actor in shared cast: William Shatner (You're Putting Me On, 1969)
23. Philip Seymour Hoffman
Actor | The Master
Film and stage actor and theater director Philip Seymour Hoffman was born in the Rochester, New York, suburb of Fairport to Marilyn (Loucks), a lawyer and judge, and Gordon Stowell Hoffman, a Xerox employee, and was mostly of German, Irish, English and Dutch ancestry. After becoming involved in ...
as William Fillmore Toffman (No Acting, Please, 2009) only other animated role is Mary and Max starred with aforementioned Matt Damon in The Talented Mr. Ripley First female voice actor in shared cast: Frances Conroy (Scent of a Woman, 1992) First male voice actor in shared cast: Lewis Black (Joey Breaker, 1993) Frances Conroy and Lewis Black both played recurring characters in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.
24. Idina Menzel
Soundtrack | Frozen
Idina Menzel was born on May 30, 1971 in New York City, New York as Idina Kim Mentzel. She's an American actress, singer & songwriter. She's best known as Maureen in Rent, Elphaba in Wicked & the voice of Elsa in Frozen (2013). Her mother Helene Goldberg was a therapist & her father Stuart Mentzel ...
as Dr. Paula (Shelter from the Storm, 2015) Other animated television roles: Hercules 1998, Wonder Pets! 2010, Lego Frozen Northern Lights 2016 First female voice actor in shared cast: Sandra Bernhard (Hercules, 1998) First male voice actor in shared cast: Tate Donovan (Hercules, 1998)
25. B.J. Novak
Actor | Vengeance
B. J. Manaly Novak is a Jewish-American actor, writer and director from Newton, Massachusetts known for playing Ryan Howard from The Office. He wrote several episodes for the show. He also acted in Saving Mr. Banks, Knocked Up, Reign Over Me, The Internship, Inglorious Basterds, The Amazing ...
as Mike Cramp (The Last Day, 2015) only other animated role is The Smurfs/The Smurfs 2 first guest actor (besides Alan Cumming) to not play himself or a renamed parody of himself on Arthur First female voice actor in shared cast: Rachel Dratch (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, 2004) First male voice actor in shared cast: Frankie Muniz (Punk'd, 2003)
26. Marc Brown
Writer | Arthur
Marc Brown was born on November 25, 1946 in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Arthur (1996), Postcards from Buster (2004) and Hop (2024). He is married to Lauren Krasny Brown. They have three children.
as Himself (Fern's Flights of Fancy, 2016) First female voice actor in shared cast: Christine Baranski (Today, 2022) First male voice actor in shared cast: Al Roker (Today, 2022) Al Roker also played Sam Vander Rom in three episodes of another long-running Canadian-American PBS Kids series, Cyberchase.
27. John Lewis
Actor | Den of Thieves
John Lewis, an actor of extraordinary talent, stands at the pinnacle of his craft. With an entertainment career spanning decades, he has firmly established himself as a leading figure in the entertainment industry, leaving an indelible mark on both the big and small screens.
A consummate actor, John...
as Himself (Buster Takes a Stand, 2018)
28. Jane Lynch
Actress | Wreck-It Ralph
Jane Marie Lynch is an American actress, comedian and author. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series Glee (2009-2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recognition for her roles in Christopher Guest's mockumentary films, such as Best in ...
as Patty Ratburn, Mr. Nigel Ratburn's sister (Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone*, 2019) *episode banned in Alabama due to same-gender marriage controversy being too mature to teach children there
29. Arthur Ganson
Writer | 200 Comfort Road
Arthur Ganson is known for 200 Comfort Road (2012) and Machine with Wishbone (2008).
30. Mike Fincke
Actor | Enterprise
Mike Fincke was born on March 14, 1967 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an actor, known for Star Trek: Enterprise (2001), Man on a Mission: Richard Garriott's Road to the Stars (2010) and Space Voyages (2013). He is married to Renita Saikia Fincke. They have three children.
31. R.L. Stine
Writer | Goosebumps
R.L. Stine was born on October 8, 1943 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Goosebumps (2015), Fear Street: Part One - 1994 (2021) and Fear Street: Part Three - 1666 (2021). He has been married to Jane Stine since June 22, 1969. They have one child.
32. Kevin Sampson
Writer | Surveillance
Kevin Sampson is known for Surveillance 24/7 (2007), The Crew (2008) and Awaydays (2009).
33. Kevin Sampson
Producer | 2:15
The fact that Kevin Sampson is not just a film critic, but a writer, producer, and director as well makes his understanding of cinema even better. Coming from a theoretical and hands on approach, he understands both sides of the struggle of viewing and creating great works. After receiving an MFA ...
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