Robert Fredrick Paulsen III was born in Detroit, Michigan. He sang in the choir during his youth, but his dream job was to become a professional hockey player. When that didn't pan out, he found great success as a voice actor in the 1980s.
Paulsen is one of the most dedicated and prolific voice actors in the business. He also hosts a successful podcast called "Talkin' Toons with Rob Paulsen" and survived throat cancer.
10 Grey Fox — 'Metal Gear Solid' (2005)
In the espionage game series Metal Gear, Frank Jaeger was assigned to the special forces unit FOXHOUND where he served alongside Solid Snake (David Hayter). Although the two were friends, Snake was forced to fight Jaeger, codenamed Grey Fox, when he defected to join Big Boss (David Hayter, Richard Doyle, and Kiefer Sutherland). His body was then recovered and used in experimental gene therapy tests, bringing him back to life as a cyborg ninja.
Paulsen does a wonderful job making Grey Fox sound like a dead man walking. His voice is bereft of emotion, with his only goal being to go out in a blaze of glory. As the story goes on, and his guilt continues to come forth, Fox becomes more sympathetic, and Paulsen's voicework turns more haunting.
9 'Hydro-Man' — 'Spider-Man' (1994-1998)
During high school, Mary Jane Watson (Sara Ballantine) dated Morris Bench until she broke up with him for his jealousy. After dropping out of school, Morris joined the Navy, where an accident granted him hydrokenisis. With these new powers, Bench took the name Hydro-Man and turned to crime in the hopes of impressing Mary Jane again.
Paulsen usually voices silly characters, but Hydro-Man is a chance for him to show his villainous side. Every line is spoken like Bench is a hair away from snapping, which gives the scenes where he is alone with Mary Jane a very creepy undertone. It's a chilling depiction of a "Nice Guy" villain who thinks he is entitled to whatever, or whoever, he wants.
8 Mark Chang — 'The Fairly OddParents' (2001-2017)
The prince of the planet Yugopotamia, Mark Chang, was teleported to Earth when Timmy Turner (Tara Strong) wished for an alien. He fell in love with Timmy's evil babysitter, Vicky (Grey DeLisle), after witnessing her terrify Timmy and his friends, but was forced to leave with his parents. He would return to Earth several times for Vicky's hand before hiding there to escape his murderous fiancé.
Though he started antagonistic, Mark quickly becomes one of Timmy's best friends. He generally has a casual attitude to most things but isn't afraid to bust out his species' advanced technology when pushed too far. His species also has an inverse opinion on things compared to humans, like flowers, teddy bears, and chocolate, all being lethal to him, which makes it interesting to watch Mark try to adapt to life on Earth.
7 Reuben/625 — 'Lilo & Stitch: The Series' (2003-2006)
Before Dr. Jumba Jookiba (David Ogden Stiers) created Experiment 626, he made Experiment 625, which has all of Stitch's (Chris Sanders) powers and can even speak fluent English. However, 625 is also very lazy and prefers to spend his time making sandwiches. When Jumba's partner, Dr. Hamsterviel (Jeff Bennett), comes to collect the experiments, 625 becomes his first acquisition and the begrudging partner of Hamsterviel's crony, Gantu (Kevin Michael Richardson)
Although 625 works with Gantu, he isn't evil and often helps Lilo (Daveigh Chase) and Stitch when they face him in the race for Experiments. His lack of motivation is mainly what keeps him with Gantu because he enjoys a cynical friendship with the disgraced captain. Lilo eventually helps him find his hidden potential when she gives him the name Reuben, and when focused, he's smart enough to repair a damaged spaceship.
6 Jack Fenton — 'Danny Phantom' (2004-2007)
During his college years, Jack Fenton teamed up with his friends Maddy (Cath Soucie) and Vlad (Martin Mull) to build a prototype portal to the ghost zone. Though the experiment was a failure and infected Vlad with ecto-acne, Jack and Maddie continued their research and got married. They eventually created a functioning portal and became professional ghost hunters.
Jack is often perceived as an idiot due to his childish personality, but he possesses a great many skills. He is an accomplished inventor and, while not as skilled as his wife, can hold his own pretty well in a fight. Paulsen's choice of voice makes Jack sound confident and boastful with every word, even when it's utter nonsense.
5 Pete Junior — Disney
Living next door to Goofy (Bill Farmer) and his son, Max (Dana Hill and Jason Marsden) is Pete (Jim Cummings) and his family. His son, Pete Junior, is a timid boy who fears his father's retribution. He proves to be a very loyal friend to Max and helps him with whatever he needs.
P.J. may be too shy to stand up for himself most of the time, but he knows when not to fall for one of his dad's crooked schemes. Paulsen captures that very well, making Pete sound nervous at all times but with a hint of confidence when he is with his friends. His relationship with Pete has plenty of ups and downs, but at the end of the day, they both love each other.
4 Carl Wheezer — 'The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius' (2002-2006)
As the best friend of child genius Jimmy Neutron (Debi Derryberry), Carl Wheezer gets roped into testing his latest invention. This usually ends up bad for Carl, who already has a hard lot in life due to a huge list of allergies. When not helping Jimmy with his next experiment, he obsesses over his favorite animal, llamas.
Paulsen sounds like he is having a blast voicing Carl as nasally and timidly as possible. He's the type of kid that nothing goes right for, but he never loses his optimistic nature and gladly goes along with Jimmy's next adventure. Occasionally he gets to show some of his hidden talents, such as ventriloquism or his vast knowledge of llama facts.
3 Raphael — 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' (1987-1996)
When mutagenic ooze was spilled onto four turtles, it granted them intelligence and humanoid shapes. They were trained by a mutated human named Master Splinter (Peter Renaday and Townsend Coleman) in the art of ninjitsu and specialized in a different weapon. Raphael, the group cynic, uses twin sai blades.
Unlike later versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the iconic 1987 show portrayed Raphael as sarcastic rather than a hot-tempered tough guy. This creates an interesting dynamic among the team, especially when paired with Michelangelo (Townsend Coleman) since both of them approach comedic relief in different ways. Paulsen has had a long career with the TMNT since, voicing Donatello in the 2011 show and being the voice director for Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
2 Yakko Warner — 'The Animaniacs' (1993-1998)
In the 1930s, three cartoon siblings called the Warners were locked in the Warner Bros. Water Tower. They escaped in the '90s to wreak havoc on the studio lot. Of the three, Yakko is the eldest and is named for his chatty personality.
Yakko's style of comedy is mainly verbal in comparison to his more physical and slapstick-focused siblings. He always has a sarcastic quip or an adult joke, which is usually followed by his signature line, "Goodnight, everybody!" As the oldest sibling, Yakko is also responsible for imparting to the audience the studio-mandated moral of the episode.
1 Pinky — 'Pinky and the Brain' (1995-1998)
Within Acme Labs, two genetically-enhanced lab mice named Pinky and Brain (Maurice LaMarche). Every night, Brain tries to enact his newest plan to take over the world, with Pinky tagging along because they're best friends. Though their plans always blow up in the end, they try again the following night.
While not the sharpest tool in the shed, Pinky is utterly loyal to his friends. Nothing can dampen his positive attitude: as long as he works alongside Brain, he'll be happy and content. Sometimes that positivity even rubs off on Brian and can make him forgo a chance at world domination if it makes Pinky happy.