William Richard Werstine, who is better known as Billy West, is one of the most well-known voice actors in the business. For years and years, he has been heard in a variety of films, television shows, commercials, and video games. His most notable roles include Fry on sci-fi parody series Futurama, Stimpy of Nickelodeon's Ren & Stimpy, and the titular character of cult classic animated sitcom Doug.
His roles go far beyond those shows, however. West has voiced classic cartoon characters, superheroes, title characters, even food items. West is also among a select few voice actors who has played both members of a duo of characters that frequently interact with each other, including one of the most famous animated duos of all time.
Roger (Doug)
Doug, which premiered in 1991 and ran until 1994, started off as one of the original Nicktoons but eventually moved to ABC and became a Disney property. It focused on a boy named Douglas "Doug" Funnie, as he worked to fit in, impress his crush, and survive early adolescence. Most people know that West provided the voice for Doug, but fewer people realized that he also voiced bully Roger, Doug's primary antagonist on the show.
Bugs Bunny (Space Jam)
Space Jam is a hybrid live-action/animated sports movie starring Michael Jordan, who plays a fictionalized version of himself as he is recruited by Bugs Bunny to help win a basketball game against an evil alien team.
As Mel Blanc, who originally voiced Bugs Bunny and most of the other male Looney Tunes characters, had already passed away, those roles had to be recast for Space Jam. Billy West not only played the iconic hare but also his longtime rival Elmer Fudd in the beloved '90s film. It's not known if West will be reprising his roles for the upcoming LeBron James-led Space Jam reboot.
Shaggy (Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island)
Another legacy cartoon character that Billy West stepped in to voice after the original actor was no longer able was Norville "Shaggy" Rogers, who was played by West in the 1998 direct-to-video movie Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island.
West was the second person to voice Shaggy after Casey Kasem, but he didn't end up being the permanent new actor to portray him, with that distinction being given to Matthew Lillard (at least for awhile). Still, West would go on to play other roles in What's New, Scooby-Doo?; Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated; Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!; and most recently, Scoob!.
Ren (The Ren & Stimpy Show)
John Kricfalusi created The Ren & Stimpy Show, which was another show in the original class of Nicktoons. Its title characters were Ren Höek, a chihuahua, and Stimpy J. Cat. Kricfalusi started out voicing Ren himself, and Billy West voiced Stimpy— but various behind the scenes issues led to Kricfalusi being fired from the show, both on the creative side as well as the acting side. At that point, West just took Ren over as well and impressively voiced both characters for the rest of the original's run.
West didn't return for the short-lived 2003 revival Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon, though Kricfalusi did.
A Seagull (The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water)
In 2015, the second movie of the SpongeBob SquarePants trilogy, Sponge Out of Water, was released, a franchise that began with 2004 the original feature film based on the still-running Nickelodeon cartoon.
The show's voice cast was featured playing all the beloved main characters, and some celebrity guests voiced some supporting characters. In particular, some seagulls were voiced by noteworthy voice actors including West, Tim Conway (in his final film role), Nolan North, and Kevin Michael Richardson.
Rocket Raccoon (Ultimate Spider-Man)
Bradley Cooper may voice Rocket Raccoon in the Guardians of the Galaxy films as well as throughout the MCU, but in the animated show Ultimate Spider-Man, Billy West took over the honor.
This series was on from 2012 until 2017, and though it focused on Spidey, it showcased others, such as this smart and talented animal. However, it should be noted that on the dedicated Guardians of the Galaxy cartoon series, Rocket isn't voiced by West but rather Trevor Devall.
Sorcerio (Disenchantment)
Matt Groening is known for creating hit series like The Simpsons and Futurama, and he also created the Netflix series Disenchantment. Taking place in a medieval fantasy setting, it centers around a one-of-a-kind princess named Bean, and it has used West for voices of characters like Sorcerio, a wizard and King Zøg's advisor; The Jester; Mertz, a knight; Pops the Elf, Elfo's father; and King Rulo, who rules over Elfwood.
The Red M&M (M&M Commercials)
As was mentioned in the introduction, West has been heard in commercials as well, and some may recognize his voice in from a certain candy advertisement. In a long-running series of M&M ads, there are walking, talking versions of the popular candy-coated chocolate treats.
Though SNL alum Jon Lovitz originated the voice of Red The M&M in the first incarnation of the character, Billy West took over the part beginning in 1996 and has continued to do so ever since.
Buzz (Honey Nut Cheerios Commercials)
Another popular animated mascot for a food product is Buzz, the honeybee who serves as the mascot for Honey Nut Cheerios cereal. Between the years of 1990 and 2004, West helped bring the iconic bee to life by voicing it on television in a series of television commercials.
Dr. Zoidberg (Futurama)
True fans of West and/or Futurama know that some of this man's main roles were main characters from the beloved sci-fi series, including main protagonist Fry as well as Professor Farnsworth and the conceited Zapp Brannigan. But what some may not realize is that West is also the voice of Dr. Zoidberg, which isn't as immediately apparent due to the unusual manner Zoidberg has of speaking.
In 2014, West had the opportunity to reprise his Futurama roles on a special episode of The Simpsons, which was titled “Simpsorama”.