Maurice LaMarche
| Maurice LaMarche | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Maurice LaMarche March 30, 1958 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation |
Voice actor retired Stand up comedian |
| Years active | 1980-present |
Maurice Lamarche is a well known and well respected voice actor. Some of his best known and loved roles include The Brain (Animaniacs and later Pinky and the Brain, as well as the spin-off Pinky, Elmyra, and the Brain), Pepe Le Pew (Space Jam), Verminous Skumm (Captain Planet), Chief Quimby and later Inspector Gadget, and of course, Egon Spengler (Real Ghostbusters and it's sequel Extreme Ghostbusters).
LaMarche began his career as a stand-up comic but, in his own words, was never that great as good material was hard to come by. He was however granted the chance to appear on the 1985 HBO special "Young Comedians Special, the 9th Annual Young Comedians Special", in which his prodigious talents were first recognized, later opening for such legends as Rodney Dangerfield and George Carlin. In 1987 he also appeared in an episode of the sitcom "The Facts of Life".
While on-camera apperances have been few and far between, LaMarche's legacy as a talented voice actor goes without saying. Appearing alongside him on Real Ghostbusters were Frank Welker (Freddy on "Scooby-Doo", Megatron on "Transformers") and Lorenzo Music (where he brought the title character to life on "Garfield"). After RGB, LaMarche lent his talents to series such as Tale-Spin, Tiny Toon Adventures, Bonkers, Taz-Mania, and Animaniacs. Perhaps his best known character after Egon Spengler is the obvious Orson Welles parody The Brain (though LaMarche has maintained that the styling is closer to that of Vincent Price). The connection was made in two key Pinky and the Brain episodes, one of which, "Yes, Always" was based upon a warm-up routine LaMarche was known for, spoofing an actual mid to late 1960s recording of a commercial Welles made for Findus Frozen Foods. An example of this can be seen in "Comic Book: The Movie".
He returned to voice Egon Spengler again for Extreme Ghostbusters.