Gilbert Gottfried: Voice Roles That Made Him a Legend
'Aladdin'
Gottfried arguably became a household name thanks to the 1992 Disney animated film Aladdin where he played the villainous talking bird Iago. This introduced him to a young generation primed to laugh at his over-the-top voice performances for years to come, while proving to older audiences that Gottfried could do cleaner comedy that appealed to a wide audience. Unlike other stars, Gottfried continued to voice Iago in other Aladdin productions for years to come – so much so that fans were devastated when he was not cast in the 2019 live-action remake.
prevnext'Superman: The Animated Series'
Gottfried broke into the superhero genre in 1997 when he played Mr. Mxyxpltk on Superman: The Animated Series. He would later reprise that role in Justice League Action and in the video games Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham and Lego DC Super-Villains. Gottfried also voiced an original character named Nick Knack on the Superboy animated series which became his biggest contribution to the comic book canon. He co-wrote an issue of Superboy: The Comic Book which explained Nick Knack's origin story.
prevnext'Cyberchase'
If younger fans didn't get to know Gottfried in Aladdin, they likely recognize his voice from Cyberchase. The education PBS cartoon became Gottfried's longest-running role. He voiced the bird companion Digit who helped the characters work out high-stakes math problems.
prevnextAflac Commericials
Gottfried's role as the duck in several years' worth of Aflac commercials is probably one of the most iconic cases of a celebrity turning an advertising campaign into a national phenomenon. He was the first actor to voice the mascot, and he held the role for about 11 years. Some fans believe that all subsequent actors have simply been doing their best impression of Gottfried.
prevnext'Fairly Odd Parents'
Gottfried appeared in many cartoons over the years, but it seems worth shouting out his time on Fairly Odd Parents. He only appeared in three episodes of the series, but his unique voice was used to great effect. He voiced the maniacal dentist Dr. Bender and his son, Wendell Bender. This performance is notable since it helped a younger audience begin to recognize Gottfried's voice across different productions.
prevnext'Family Guy'
Gottfried was never shy about making fun of himself, and the greatest example of that may have been the 2007 Family Guy episode "Boys Do Cry." In it, Gottfried plays a horse that doesn't speak until late in the episode. When he does, Peter (Seth MacFarlane) is delighted to find that the horse has Gottfried's voice, and the whole thing begins to take on a meta tone.
prevnextCollegeHumor's 'Fifty Shades of Grey'
Finally, an excellent later example of Gottfried making fun of himself is a 2015 College Humor sketch where Gottfried recites the entire book Fifty Shades of Grey for Audible. Viral videos like this one helped cement Gottfried's reputation for always being in on the joke.
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