Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor and former stand up comedian.
Voted "Most Likely to Be Someone Else" by his Toronto high school classmates. Only the third person in history, and the second in the last 50 years, to be the official voice of Popeye. Voices Toucan Sam, Fruit Loops' animated spokes-bird.
Dubbed the voice of Orson Welles (played by 'Vincent DOnofrio (I)) in the film Ed Wood (1994), but was not credited.
After a ten-year career in stand-up comedy, touring with such acts as Rodney Dangerfield, George Benson (II), Kool & The Gang, George Carlin and David Sanborn, and culminating in a breakout appearance on HBO's Ninth Annual Young Comedians Special, LaMarche abruptly retired from performing after the tragic murder of his beloved father in 1987. Since then, he is known to be a very private man and surprisingly did a rare public performance at the San Diego Comic-Con International Convention in 2002. He and fellow voice actors Rob Paulsen and Jess Harnell did several skits and Lamarche was greeted by thunderous applause when he did his most favorite incarnation, The Brain. He returned again for Comic Con 2003 for an encore.
His most famous character, "The Brain," from the Emmy-winning "Pinky and the Brain" (1995), is a take-off on actor Orson Welles (the inspiration for his impression came from a recording of Orson ranting during the taping of a British frozen peas commercial).
Has played Orson Welles three times, and arguably a forth time. The Brain's voice was based on Orson Welles. He voiced Orson Welles on an episode of "Critic, The" (1994), in which Welles reads the video will of Jay's parents, and provided his voice in Ed Wood (1994). He portrayed Welles again in a segment on The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XVII in 2006. He also provided voices for the "Transformers" (1984) series, the film of which was Welles's last performance.
Also does a variety of other voices besides Orson Welles. He has done the voice of Yosemite Sam in most recent Warner Bros. productions and did a dead-on Alec Baldwin impression for Team America: World Police (2004).
Was granted a private audience with The Dalai Lama, based on the eloquence of a note he passed to the Buddhist leader's secretary on a flight from Los Angeles to Vancouver in April of 2004 as His Holiness was about start his Canadian tour. The note described his struggle with the anger and rage he'd carried for 17 years at his father's murderer, and he asked for His Holiness' help. He was ushered to The Dalai Lama's seat, where they spoke for ten minutes. LaMarche has spoken publicly of it as a defining moment in his life.
Smokes Cuban cigars voraciously, as he believes they give his voice the depth needed to play Orson Welles.
Went to elementary school with Mike Myers (I) in Toronto, Canada. Although they were four grades apart, they both have brothers named Paul who were best friends and in the same class in their fourth grade year.
Went to high school with Howie Mandel (I) for a year, and even though they would become close friends as adults, they never met during the entire time they were in school together.
Voice of Egon Spengler in The Real Ghostbusters (1986), which he reprised for Extreme Ghostbusters in the late 1990s. He claims that the producers asked him not to impersonate Harold Ramis (the live action Egon of the films) but he did so anyway and got the job. He and Frank Welker were the only two Ghostbuster voice actors to stay with the series throughout its entire run (Arsenio Hall and the late Lorenzo Music were replaced by Buster Jones and Dave Coulier, respectively).
