Jim Cummings
Jim Cummings
James Jonah "Jim" Cummingsis an American voice actor and singer, who has appeared in almost 400 roles. He is known for voicing the title character from Darkwing Duck, Dr. Robotnik from Sonic the Hedgehog, and Pete. His other characters include Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and the Tasmanian Devil. He has performed in numerous animated Disney and DreamWorks movies including Aladdin, The Lion King, Balto, Antz, The Road to El Dorado, Shrek, and The Princess and the Frog. He has also...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionVoice Actor
Date of Birth3 November 1952
CityYoungstown, OH
CountryUnited States of America
I grew up watching all the great Disney animated films and to be able to carry that torch and know that I'm contributing to the same magic and wonder for a whole new generation is a great thing.
Everybody can identify with somebody in the Hundred Acre Wood.
I had to be on the set for 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' because my character was interacting with Bob Hoskins. It's a lot of 'hurry up and wait.' So there I was, at 2 a.m., sitting in a trailer at Griffith Park trying to stay awake. And I said to myself, 'This stinks.' The way I do it is better. I go into the studio about 10 a.m. There's no makeup to worry about. I can wear whatever I want. As soon I get there, I'm good to go. I record my stuff and go home.
Sometimes I'll have a brief window of mini-fame thanks to 'Access Hollywood.' But it only lasts a couple of days, and then no one recognizes me anymore.
Darkwing Duck and Don Karnage are the most fun to do, because they're both probably the closest to me - I kinda improvise a lot of them, kinda ad lib.
I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get out of here! Any minute the building will explode!' And then the reader says: "Yes...we have to get... out of here." So it's not easy to be in the moment in that kind of situation. Reading with the entire cast in the room for The Clone Wars makes the experience much more organic and I love that.
Bonkers doesn't go by the book-he doesn't even know there is a book.
I can picture the character in my head, and the voice just comes out.
I loved Ray from 'The Princess and the Frog.' He was my guy. There was no Ray before me, so there's a level of satisfaction there.