The voice actor behind Bonnie Swanson in Family Guy should be familiar to fans of classic horror movies. Bonnie is the wife of Joe, one of Peter’s closest friends, and the mother of Kevin and Susie. The Swansons live next door to the Griffins and often invite them over for social functions. Bonnie is characterized as calm, collected, and level-headed opposite Joe’s signature intensity. Throughout the years, Bonnie has become a crucial part of the Family Guy ensemble, not just as Joe’s supportive spouse, but as Lois’ best friend, too.When Bonnie was introduced in season 1, episode 5, “A Hero Sits Next Door,” she was pregnant with her second child. After Family Guy’s unrecognizable first season, Bonnie’s lengthy pregnancy became a running joke in the series before she finally gave birth to Susie in season 7, episode 7, “Ocean’s Three and a Half.” Ever since Susie was born, Bonnie has been featured in a wide variety of storylines ranging from extramarital affairs to drug trafficking. One of the most memorable traits of Bonnie’s character is her soft, unmistakable voice.
Jennifer Tilly Is The Voice Of Bonnie On Family Guy
Bonnie’s voice is provided by Jennifer Tilly. Tilly has been a regular recurring cast member on Family Guy since its first season way back in 1999. Per her IMDb credits, Tilly has since voiced the character of Bonnie in more than 80 episodes of Family Guy. Bonnie has taken center stage in some Family Guy installments, like season 14, episode 16, “The Heartbreak Dog,” in which she has an affair with Brian. To celebrate the show’s 300th episode, Tilly posted a congratulatory message to Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane on Twitter that said she was “proud to be a tiny cog in your vast empire.”
Tilly has voiced Bonnie in all of her Family Guy appearances except for one scene in season 15, episode 20, “A House Full of Peters.” In this episode, during a girls’ night out, Lois, Donna, and Bonnie all decided to prank call their husbands. When Lois and Donna called Peter and Cleveland, respectively, they barely changed their tone of voice. But when Bonnie called Joe, she altered her voice so much that a whole new voice actor took over: Arrested Development’s Portia de Rossi. In every other Bonnie scene from Family Guy’s history, the character is voiced by Tilly.
Tilly Is Known For Playing Tiffany Valentine In The Child's Play Franchise
Tilly has had several other voice roles outside of her work on Family Guy, like Mike Wazowski’s girlfriend Celia in Monsters, Inc. and the title character’s fake mom in Stuart Little, but arguably her most iconic role is Tiffany Valentine in the Child’s Play franchise. Tiffany is a killer doll, much like her love interest Chucky. Unlike Chucky, Tiffany has a good heart and the capacity for remorse (in spite of her murderous rage). The role of Tiffany quickly made Tilly a staple of pop culture and a renowned “scream queen” in the horror movie canon.
Tilly played a fictionalized version of herself in the meta sequel Seed of Chucky, in which Tiffany transferred her soul into the actor’s body. The Family Guy and Child’s Play star has appeared in a wide range of other films, from the neo-noir thriller Bound (for which she received Saturn Award and MTV Movie Award nominations) to the zany comedy Liar Liar. Tilly was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Woody Allen’s crime comedy Bullets Over Broadway, but lost to Dianne Wiest for her role in the same film.