Alan Oppenheimer began his career as a successful character actor in shows like The Six Million Dollar Man, Hogan's Heroes, and Star Trek. In the 1970s, he lent his voice to a number of animated shows, especially from Filmation. His voice acting credits soon eclipsed his live-action ones as he rose to become one of America's most prolific talents.
Oppenheimer's voice stood out thanks to his enthusiasm for every character, even when he voiced multiple characters in the same show. Despite turning ninety-three this year, he still works with the same lovable energy as his early work.
10 The Scientist — '9' (2009)
Working for a totalitarian state, an unnamed scientist creates a machine to help the Chancellor (Tom Kane) build weapons of war. Unfortunately, he didn't give his most dangerous machine the ability to understand emotion, so it went mad from stress to attack humanity. To atone for his mistake, the Scientist splits his soul into nine Stitchpunks to hopefully restore life to the barren world.
Though his role in the film is small, Oppenheimer gives the Scientist the same amount of care as if he were a major character. His performance conveys a man who has seen countless suffering and hopes to find atonement in death. The message to 9 (Elija Wood) is ultimately one of hope and inspires him to fight for a better world.
9 Utau the Watcher — 'Fantastic Four' (1994-1998)
A member of an ancient and advanced civilization, Utau is assigned to watch over Earth and humanity. Forbidden to interfere with the affairs of other species, his job is to observe humanity and record the events of their civilization. Yet when the planet-destroying Galactus (Tony Jay) threatens to consume Earth, he bends his oath to warn The Fantastic Four.
Oppenheimer's voice perfectly sells Utau as an ancient and wise being. Every word is spoken with an air of authority but also compassion. He cares about the humans he has watched for eons and will do what he can to ensure that they don't come to an undeserved end.
8 Scooby Dum — 'The Scooby-Doo Show' (1976-1978)
Over the course of Scooby-Doo's run, the franchise has expanded on the family of the titular talking dog. One of these is his cousin, the gray-furred Scooby Dum. Though he lives up to his name, he maintains a strong relationship with his cousin and is always willing to help solve any mystery he learns about.
Scooby Dumb only appeared in four episodes of The Scooby-Doo Show, but Oppenheimer's voice helps him leave an impact. His southern accent is appropriately exaggerated, and he even gets a catchphrase repeating Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 when someone mentions clues. His dim-witted nature also means that he has an equal chance of running from a monster or confronting it directly.
7 Chariot Master — 'Kid Icarus Uprising' (2012)
To save Lady Palutena (Ali Hillis), Pitt (Antony Del Rio) must claim the Lightning Chariot and the two horses that pull it, Lux and Phos. However, he must first defeat the Chariot Master, an immortal warrior whose sole purpose is to guard the artifact and horses. Though he empathizes with Pitt's desire to help his lady, duty compels him to challenge the hero.
Oppenheimer's performance elevates the Chariot Master above another boss in this game. His deep voice and poignant dialogue tell you enough about his backstory without spelling it out or taking away from the game's flow. He is, above all, a proud warrior who wants to know if his powerful artifact will fall into worthy hands.
6 Darren the Ancient Sleeper — 'Adventure Time' (2010-2018)
A creature from the ancient world, Darren is awoken from his eternal sleep by Maja the Sky Witch (Jill Talley). Pledging himself to her service, Darren spearheads an attack on the Candy Kingdom so that Maja can use its high concentration of affection in her magic. Darren couldn't care less about the motives: to him; there is only life and death.
Oppenheimer is why Darren stands out among Adventure Time's one-off villains. He perfectly captures the menace of such an immense and ancient creature and his confusion. Darren doesn't understand the modern world and its values and tries to focus on battle since that is what he understands.
5 Ming the Merciless — 'The New Adventures of Flash Gordon' (1979-1982)
To stop a collision between the astroid-like planet Mongo and Earth, Flash Gordon (Robert Ridgely), Dale Arden (Diane Pershing), and Dr. Hans Zarkov (Alan Oppenheimer) journey to the planet. They are shot down almost immediately and brought before Mongo's emperor: Ming the Merciless. He explains that he intends to conquer Earth rather than destroy it, so Flash must unite the warring people of Mongo to stop him.
Full disclosure: Ming, in his design, is an outdated and racist caricature, hearkening back to the yellow peril of the late 18th and early 19th century. As a character, Ming works perfectly as a pulp fiction evil overlord. His forces appear insurmountable, which leaves the audience wondering how the heroes will ultimately defeat him. Oppenheimer's voice work paints him as a villain you love to hate and could be seen as a blueprint for his later villainous voices.
4 Vanity Smurf — 'The Smurfs' (1981-1989)
One of the most successful cartoons of the 1980s, The Smurfs followed a village of the titular blue creatures who get up to many adventures in their forest home. Each Smurf is identified by a specific trait that sticks out. Among these is Vanity Smurf, who would rather spend his time admiring his reflection than helping his community.
Vanity Smurf gives Oppenheimer a chance to play a more silly character. His voice is the right amount of flamboyant that perfectly captures his hammy, narcissistic personality. Though his greatest love is himself, he does have a fun friendship with Smurfette (Lucille Bliss) based on fashion and beauty techniques.
3 Falkor — 'The Neverending Story' (1984)
For this '80s fantasy classic, Oppenheimer lent his voice to three characters. Though his performances as the friendly Rock Biter and the evil wolf Gmork are excellent, the standout has to be as the luck dragon, Falkor. After saving the hero, Atreyu (Noah Hathaway), from the Swamp of Sadness, he joins him on his quest to stop the Nothing.
Falkor is a wise and dignified creature who loves helping others. He speaks to Atreyu like a kindly grandfather and encourages him never to give up. He's also a glass-half-full person who thinks luck will always find those in need.
2 Warpath — 'The Transformers' (1984-1987)
First appearing in season two of The Transformers, Warpath is an Autobot who can transform into a tank. He doesn't seem all there, as demonstrated when he peppers his speech with random words like Blam!", "Pow!", and "Wham!". His fellow Autobots don't seem to mind, likely because he's so effective at blasting the enemy.
Warpath is one of the wildest characters in the franchise. He is everything you want from a tank commander: loud, brash, and unapologetic. It's easy to imagine Oppenheimer smiling in the recording booth as he recorded his lines, especially all the random sentence breakers.
1 Skeletor — 'He-Man' (1983-1985)
In Eternia, where advanced science meets sword and sorcery, the evil Skeletor plots in his lair at Snake Mountain. An accomplished dark sorcerer, Skeletor and his minions seek to conquer Castle Greyskull and gain access to the ancient magic within. Fortunately, the hero He-Man (John Erwin), thwarts him at every turn.
Oppenheimer voiced many characters in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, but Skeletor is easily the most iconic. He's that perfect middle ground between silly and intimidating, with a number of creative insults to hurl at hero and minion alike. In his most recent cameo in the Chip n' Dale: Rescue Rangers film, Oppenheimer sounds as good as when he first voiced the character forty years ago.