Welcome to the first, and maybe only, post of “Almost Famous: A Blog Written By You About Your Own Voice Acting Career”.
It’s been a long road for me to get where I am today, so let’s go back to the beginning. When I first got into voice acting, it was because I wanted to make actors’ lives easier. That’s why I started my first blog, with tips on how to be a better actor. But over time, I’ve realized that if you want to be successful as an actor, you have to also be a good business person. And that’s where I’ve failed people in the past.
I want this blog to be a place where aspiring voice actors can learn from my mistakes, and hopefully avoid making them in their own careers. To that end, I’m going to start with something I should have done much earlier in my career: hiring a publicist!
Welcome to Almost Famous, a blog about my voice acting career. I’m Laura Bailey, and I’m best known for my work as the voice of Chun Li in Street Fighter V and Black Widow in Marvel’s Avengers.
You might be wondering how I got started in this business. It all began when I was a child growing up in Oklahoma. My mother would often take me to her office with her, where she worked as a casting director, and it was there that I learned the value of hard work and dedication on an animated series called Sonic the Hedgehog.
To this day, I still feel tremendous joy whenever I see a happy face at one of my fan conventions or receive an encouraging tweet from someone who has been moved by one of my performances. Acting is truly the greatest job in the world!
As a voice actor, I feel that it is my duty to provide a personal touch to every project. Voice acting is all about the actor being able to convey emotion through his or her voice. Before I go into the booth and start recording, I like to practice my script in front of a mirror. This allows me to get a better idea of what my character would be like and how he or she would act when faced with different situations.
Once I feel that I have an accurate depiction of what my character would look like, I start recording. The best way for an actor to get into character is by listening closely to the script and trying to imagine what it would be like if he or she were actually saying those words out loud.
The next step is making sure that you sound as close as possible to what your character would sound like in real life, which means using your own voice rather than trying too hard to mimic someone else’s speech patterns or accent. With experience comes knowledge: The more lines you read aloud before going into the booth, the easier it will become over time!
I hope these tips help those who are just starting out in their careers as voice actors!
So how did I become a voice actor? Well, I was born in Connecticut, but my family moved to California when I was three. I wanted to be an actor from a very early age, and when I was in high school and college I did theater performances whenever possible.
After graduating from the University of California with a degree in English, I got my first gig as an on-air radio host at KCSN 88.5 FM. After three years, I took night classes at UCLA to learn more about broadcasting, and then took a job at KMPC 710 AM as an evening disc jockey. In 1989, I moved over to KROQ 106.7 FM to host their morning show with Kevin Ryder.
Working with Kevin Ryder was a great experience! He’s such an amazing talent, and he really inspired me to try my hand at voicing animated characters for TV. It was easier said than done though, so while I waited for the right opportunity to come along, I continued hosting the morning show until 1994.
Welcome to my blog, where I’ll be sharing stories from my voice acting career and answering questions from fans. If you’re here reading this, you probably already know about all the amazing characters I’ve played over the years, but for those of you who don’t, here’s a quick rundown:
– Elmo on Sesame Street (1998-present)
– Dora the Explorer on Dora the Explorer (2000-present)
– Count von Count on Sesame Street (1972-present)
– Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street (1972-present)
I’ve also done a lot of work in commercials, musicals, and feature films—and I’ve won several Tony awards. But legend has it that none of that would have been possible without my high school drama teacher and mentor, Mr. Harold Hoarse. He was the first one to notice my talent for mimicry and encouraged me to experiment with different voices. Before he died in 1989, he asked me if I’d mind giving him voice lessons—so I did! Here’s a video of us doing an impression of The Golden Girls together.
You may not know my name, but chances are you’ve heard my voice.
I’m the voice of the Geico Gecko, and I’m here to tell you about some of my most famous voice over co-stars.
If you watch TV, it’s almost impossible to miss me.
You’d recognize me from the Oscar Mayer Weiner song, Frosted Mini Wheats, or Pringles Potato Chips.
Some people say I have a “distinctive” voice, but I get by on personality.
My good friend is Maurice LaMarche – yes, that Maurice LaMarche, who has given a voice to many of your favorite characters: Pinky from Pinky and the Brain and Inspector Gadget (just to name a few).
I’ve known Maurice for years and years – back when he was just starting out in cartoons. He’s come a long way since then.
In the early days of radio, acting was primarily what we now call voice acting. As mass media became more popular and accessible, voice acting became more specialized, and now only a small percentage of actors are also voice actors.
The job of a voice actor is to give life to an animated character through their voice. They must be able to change the sound of their voice depending on the character they are playing. For example, the character may be a young boy or old woman.
Voice acting is different from acting because you don’t need to be seen on camera. The only thing needed for this job is a microphone, and you can even do it from your own home!
In order to become successful at this field, one must practice their lines as much as possible before recording them professionally. This will help them sound more natural when they speak into the microphone for real.
If someone has never done this type of work before then it can be difficult for them at first and take some getting used to but anyone with enough determination will succeed in time!
