From dogs to evil villains to giants to fish, Brad Garrett has lent his voice to a variety of characters over the last 30 years. And while all his characters have been different, they all share Garrett’s distinct, deep tone.
“I’ve had this voice since I was like, 11,” Garrett said. “I’ve had to learn to love it. The voice has been good to me. It’s something I had no control over. I started doing voice-overs about the time I was doing stand-up and it’s been great, it’s a lot of fun.”
Garrett’s been the man behind the voice of various cartoons and is a regular on credits for animated Disney/Pixar movies. Here are just a few of the characters he’s given life to over the years.
Tangled: Hook Hand
Garrett tested out his singing abilities for this role, where he played a “malicious, mean and scary” thug who harbors dreams of being a concert pianist. Garrett leads the other pub thugs in a rousing musical number called “I’ve Got A Dream,” where he admits that though he does “like breaking femurs, you can count me with the dreamers, like everybody else, I’ve got a dream.”
Ratatouille: Chef Auguste Gusteau
Garrett donned a thick French accent to play the ghost of Chef Gusteau, a renowned and talented chef who lives by the motto that “anyone can cook.” Though his appearances in the movie are minimal, his character looms large throughout the plot line.
Christopher Robin: Eeyore
Brad Garrett seems almost like he was born to play Eeyore. He’s played the dismal donkey twice, most recently in Disney’s live action version of Christopher Robin, which is currently in theaters. Eeyore, who is so sad it’s funny, is a character that Garrett says is not only in his vocal range but in his psyche.
Finding Nemo and Finding Dory: Bloat
Garrett went gruff to play Bloat, a porcupine pufferfish who lives in Philip Sherman’s office tank. Friendly but easily agitated, some of Bloat’s best moments come from when he’s scared or upset, causing him to puff up and float away.
Night at the Museum: Easter Island Head
Garrett’s voice took on an even deeper bass for this role, which found him taunting Ben Stiller and speaking in rhymes in his quest to find some bubble gum.
