Maurice LaMarche
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Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian voice actor and former stand up comedian.
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[edit] Early life
Maurice LaMarche was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, but his family moved to Timmins, Ontario very soon after he was born.[1] Self-described as being "the only heterosexual Canadian male born without the hockey gene",[2] LaMarche's childhood was filled with his "own little world of cartoons and sixties television".[3] It wasn't until his sophomore year of high school that he learned of the popularity his talent in mimicry could garner him. This realization came from a coincidental performance in a high school "variety night" when a couple of friends urged him to enter. The act he performed at the variety night was "celebrities as waiters" which he actually used all the way up until the end of his stand up career.[4]
[edit] Stand up
At the age of 19, LaMarche took his high school act to an open mic night in New York to a reaction of, as he describes, "they just totally ignored me".[5] This reaction was coupled with the backlash LaMarche received from fellow Canadian comedians who LaMarche describes as discouraging him from pursuing a career outside of Canada.[6]
Three years later, at the age of 22, Maurice moved straight to Los Angeles to further his stand up career. This move, LaMarche says, would always be something he regretted doing instead of moving to New York.
"... in retrospect, I thought it was a mistake. I think that a couple of years in New York would have made me a stronger comedian." - Maurice LaMarche[7]
Over the next five years LaMarche's career would gradually progress, but even he says he never had great material. Despite being so critical of himself, LaMarche would be granted the opportunity of being part of the 1985 HBO Young Comedians Special, the 9th Annual Young Comedians Special. Looking back on his performance in this special, Maurice believes he was about five years away from "becoming great" and being the "only impressionist that actually comes from somewhere".[8] Unfortunately, LaMarche wouldn't get that chance.
Sadly, in 1987, Maurice LaMarche's father was killed. This sent LaMarche into depression and alcoholism for the next two years, effectively ending his stand up career.[9] After getting sober in 1989, Maurice made a short-lived attempt at getting back into stand up. It was at this time that tragedy would strike again in the form of his little sister dying in a car accident.[10] At this point, LaMarche decided he couldn't do stand up comedy anymore.
"Oh, that's it. I don't have any funny left in me. I'm done."[11] - Maurice LaMarche
During his standup career, Maurice LaMarche opened for such acts as Rodney Dangerfield, George Carlin, David Sanborn and Donna Summer.[12]
[edit] Voiceover acting
Maurice's first entrance into the voiceover industry was in 1979 in Easter Fever and Take Me Up To The Ballgame, two Canadian films.[13] LaMarche didn't venture into voiceover acting again until years later as a part time job when he was doing standup.
[edit] Television
Maurice LaMarche began on Inspector Gadget and went on to Dennis the Menace, Popeye and Son and The Real Ghostbusters. After The Real Ghostbusters, LaMarche became a regular mainstay of the voiceover industry appearing in such shows as Talespin, Tiny Toon Adventures, GI Joe, Taz-Mania, Where's Waldo, The Little Mermaid, Batman: The Animated Series, and Bonkers before landing perhaps his most recognized role in 1993 as The Brain on Animaniacs (and later its spin-off show Pinky and the Brain). Following this, LaMarche worked on The Critic, Freakazoid!, and The Tick before then reprising his role of Egon in Extreme Ghostbusters. The stretch of two years after this saw LaMarche portray characters in such shows as Duckman, Hey Arnold!, Queer Duck, King of the Hill, and The Chimp Channel. It was at this time, 1999, that Maurice LaMarche began work on Futurama. Since Futurama LaMarche has continued to work steadily in television, including a guest role on The Simpsons.
LaMarche has done various voice work for many Warner Bros. Animation and DiC Entertainment cartoons. He also performed the infamous burping of Wakko in the short "The Great Wakkarotti" in Animaniacs.
[edit] Pinky and the Brain
Maurice LaMarche plays the character of The Brain in Pinky and the Brain. In creating the voice for Brain, LaMarche says he looked at a picture of the character and immediately thought of Orson Welles,[14] although the character wasn't modeled after Welles.[15] Voicing Brain gave LaMarche the opportunity to make use of his signature impersonation of Welles. Many Pinky and the Brain episodes are nods to Welles' career.
[edit] The Critic
While working on The Critic LaMarche once voiced 29 characters in one 30 minute episode.[16]
His time on The Critic also afforded LaMarche the opportunity to once again parody Welles, this time after a video dissolves into a commercial for Mrs. Pells Fishsticks (as well as another for Rosebud Frozen Peas).
"They're full of frozen goodness and green pea-ness."
[edit] The Inspector Gadget universe
LaMarche has voiced an Inspector Gadget (originally voiced by Don Adams) character in two Inspector Gadget films (direct-to-video and television movies) as well as two television series (Gadget and the Gadgetinis, and Go Go Gadgetinis), plus a live-action appearance in the Super Mario Bros. Super Show!.
[edit] Film
Maurice LaMarche has appeared in many films including the voice of Orson Welles in Ed Wood, Pepe Le Pew in Space Jam, the voice of Alec Baldwin in Team America: World Police and reprising his roles from Queer Duck and Futurama in the direct-to-video films Queer Duck: The Movie and Futurama: Bender's Big Score, respectively.
In Mark Hamill's 2004 movie Comic Book: The Movie, LaMarche made a rare live appearance to be in the special features of the DVD.
[edit] Orson Welles
Throughout his career, Maurice LaMarche has provided his Orson Welles impersonation (or a variation of it) to many projects. Below are listed just a few:
- Pinky and the Brain
- the character of Brain.
- Ed Wood
- Orson Welles' voice
- The Simpsons's Treehouse of Horror XVII - "The Day the Earth Looked Stupid" (a parody based on the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still)
- as Orson Welles, performing The War of the Worlds.
- The Critic
[edit] Selected filmography
[edit] Other media
- Commercials
- Kellogg's Froot Loops mascot Toucan Sam.
- The animated Willy Wonka character in Nestlé's Willy Wonka Candy Company' commercials
- Video games
- Several Characters in Lucasarts' Full Throttle
- Yoshimo and Renal Bloodscalp in the award-winning RPG, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn.
- Jack O' Lantern in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (video game)
[edit] References
- ^ Interview with Quick Stop Entertainment (5th question) Accessed February 2nd, 2007
- ^ Interview with Quick Stop Entertainment (8th question)
- ^ Interview with Quick Stop Entertainment (12th question)
- ^ Interview with Quick Stop Entertainment (18th question)
- ^ Interview with Quick Stop Entertainment (questions 19-21)
- ^ Interview with Quick Stop Entertainment (Questions 22-26)
- ^ Interview with Quick Stop Entertainment (40th question)
- ^ Interview with Quick Stop Entertainment (Questions 42-43)
- ^ Interview with Quick Stop Entertainment (43rd question)
- ^ Interview with Quick Stop Entertainment (51st question)
- ^ Interview with Quick Stop Entertainment (51st question)
- ^ Interview with Quick Stop Entertainment (45th question)
- ^ Interview with Quick Stop Entertainment (2nd page, Questions 33 and 39
- ^ Interview with Quick Stop Entertainment (5th question)
- ^ Interview with Quick Stop Entertainment (3rd page, 27th question)
- ^ Interview with Quick Stop Entertainment (4th page, 19th question)
[edit] External links
- Maurice LaMarche at the Internet Movie Database
- Maurice LaMarche at TV.com
- Maurice LaMarche at the Voice Chasers Database
- Radio interview with Maurice LaMarche on "The Joe Cook Program" on WVLT 92.1 FM in Vineland, NJ
Operatives - Villains - Allies - Families - Locations - Episodes
Film: Operation: Z.E.R.O.
Comics: Operation: A.I.R.P.L.A.N.E. - Operation: S.O.D.A. - Operation: T.R.I.K.E.
Games: Operation: V.I.D.E.O.G.A.M.E. - Operation: S.O.D.A. - Trading Card Game
