Kevin Michael Richardson: The Bear With The Golden Voice [Redux]
For obvious reasons, voice actors are sometimes unnoticed in the entertainment business. We are so taken with the animated CGI characters that we neglect to notice that there is a human voice behind our favorite animated stars. But some voice actors have escaped obscurity and branched out to other famous projects, and one voice actor has beaten the cycle. His name is Kevin Michael Richardson.
One of the best-known voice actors of our time, this black bear of a man has been blessing us with his rich golden deep voice for over 10 years now. In the nerd community, along with the bear community, this actor is an icon. We all grew up listening to Mr. Richardson's voice in memorable roles like Shredder in the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series and his lovable role as Cleveland Jr in the Cleveland Show. With his unique talent, he's able to adapt to almost any role.
His talent, however, does not stop with voice overs; he has also demonstrated his acting abilities in front of the camera.
He was particularly fond of his three-episode role as Patrick on the 1990s drama ER, in which he played a charming, mentally handicapped guy.
He appeared in the premiere episode of Sara Gilbert's The Next Big Thing, and he previously played Vashti in the series.
His feature film appearances include Bound with Joe Pantoliano and Jennifer Tilly, BASEketball by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and the Carl Reiner film Fatal Instinct. Many people didn't know that Kevin Richardson had his own sitcom called "Like Family" in 2003. In 2008, he portrayed Darnell McDowell in the A & E Original Series "The Cleaner," a warm but mysterious rehab sponsor. After the Cleaner series, we haven't seen him as a prominent character in a live-action show.
If it isn't enough to entice you, allow me to add the cherry on top of this chocolate dessert by discussing his singing ability. When he sings a Frank Sinatra song or a Christmas Carole, his rich, deep voice is mesmerizing. Kevin has a Broadway-worthy voice.