You know his voice even if you do not know his name. Frank Welker has been the sound behind your favorite cartoons for more than 50 years. He is the man who made Fred Jones cool. He turned Megatron into a scary robot leader. He even became the voice of Scooby-Doo himself. With over 860 acting credits to his name, Welker is one of the busiest and most skilled voice actors in Hollywood history. He has worked on everything from 1960s cartoons to new shows coming out this month. His movies and shows have earned over $17 billion at the box office. This makes him one of the top-grossing actors of all time. Let us look at five of his best roles that you need to watch right now.
The Scooby-Doo Franchise: Fred Jones and Scooby-Doo
Frank Welker started his famous career in 1969 with a show called Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. He was the voice of Fred Jones, the guy in the ascot who always wanted to trap the ghost. He has played Fred in almost every Scooby-Doo cartoon since that first episode. That is more than 50 years of solving fake mysteries.
In 2002, Welker took on a new job. He started voicing Scooby-Doo himself after the original actor Don Messick passed away. He is now the only original cast member still working on the franchise. He does both the scared dog sounds and the leader of Mystery Inc. That is a very hard thing to do.
There is new Scooby-Doo content coming soon. A new live-action series is planned for Netflix. Filming is set to begin in Atlanta in April 2026. The show will be darker and more modern than the old cartoons. Welker will return to voice Scooby-Doo in this project as well. If you want to hear his best work, watch Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated from 2010. Fans say it is one of the best versions of the show.
The Transformers: Megatron and Soundwave
Welker gave a scary voice to Megatron, the leader of the evil Decepticons, in the 1980s Transformers cartoon. He also voiced Soundwave, the robot who had a cool voice and cassettes that turned into animals. For many kids growing up in the 80s, his voice was the sound of danger.
He brought Megatron back for the live-action movies. He voiced the character in Transformers: The Last Knight which came out in 2017. Before that, Hugo Weaving did the voice for the first three movies. But Welker took over and gave the metal monster a deeper and meaner sound.
One of his best lines from that movie shows how mean Megatron is:
“The end is near, my old treacherous friend. What a shame you’ll be unable to see it.”
If you want to see why he is a legend, watch the 1986 animated movie The Transformers: The Movie. His work as Megatron and other Decepticons is perfect. He also voiced the character in video games and even at the Universal Studios theme park ride.
Curious George: The Voice of the Little Monkey
Not all of Welker’s roles are scary or loud. He is also the man behind the curious little monkey named George. He first voiced George in the 2006 movie Curious George. Since that film, he has done the voice for 199 episodes of the TV series. He also acted in nine more movies and a video game.
The funny thing is that George does not talk. He makes noises, laughs, and squeaks. Welker is a master of this kind of acting. He makes you believe a cartoon monkey is real just by using breath and sounds. This skill has made him the go-to person for animal noises in Hollywood.
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The Garfield Show: Taking Over the Lazy Cat
Frank Welker voiced Garfield in The Garfield Show, which ran from 2008 to 2016. He took over the role from Bill Murray and Lorenzo Music. He had already worked on the franchise for years. Before becoming the main cat, he voiced 24 different supporting characters in over 100 episodes of the old Garfield and Friends cartoon.
He played Garfield in three direct-to-video movies: Garfield Gets Real (2007), Garfield’s Fun Fest (2008), and Garfield’s Pet Force (2009). His voice fits the lazy, lasagna-loving cat very well. If you have kids who like funny animals, this show is a great pick.
Invincible and Recent Work: Emperor Argall
Welker is still working on new projects today. He just appeared in Season 4 of the adult animated show Invincible. Episode 7 of the new season came out on April 15, 2026. He voices Emperor Argall. This character is the first ruler of the Viltrum Empire. He is different from the other violent Viltrumites. He believed in using brains and control instead of just punching things.
He also has a new Disney movie coming out. It is called Hexed and it will be in theaters on November 27, 2026. He will voice some monkeys in that film. At 80 years old, Welker is not slowing down. He continues to add new characters to his long list of credits.
Other Roles You Might Know
There are too many Frank Welker roles to list them all here. But here are a few more you will remember:
- Abu the monkey in Aladdin (1992)
- Nibbler in Futurama
- Dr. Claw and Brain the dog in Inspector Gadget
- Slimer in The Real Ghostbusters
- Ray Stantz (the voice) in the same Ghostbusters cartoon
He also made the sounds for animals in huge movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Gremlins. In 2016, he won a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award for all his hard work.
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