Jess Harnell

Jess Harnell was born on December 23, 1963, in Englewood, New Jersey, and grew up in Teaneck. The son of jazz composer Joe Harnell, Jess embarked on a career that would make him a recognized voice across various media. His professional journey began in 1989 by providing voices for the iconic Splash Mountain attraction at Disneyland Park, including Br’er Rabbit, a role he has reprised in subsequent Disney projects like the 2011 video game “Kinect: Disneyland Adventures.” In 1990, Harnell expanded his involvement in the industry by serving as a casting director for “DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp.” The year 1993 marked a significant turning point as he secured the role of Wakko Warner in “Animaniacs,” a character that would become one of his most notable. Additionally, he lent his voice to Secret Squirrel in “2 Stupid Dogs” and became the singing voice of the father in Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress. From 1994 to 1996, he continued to build his repertoire with roles like Sewer Urchin, Human Bullet, and Chief Louder in “The Tick,” showcasing his versatility in animated television.

Harnell’s career progressed with numerous high-profile roles across animation, film, and video games. In 1998, he started his long-standing role as the announcer for “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” Around this period, he voiced characters such as Rudy’s father and Chalk Dad in “ChalkZone” and gained recognition in the video game industry for voicing Crash Bandicoot starting with “Crash Tag Team Racing” (2005), and Spyro the Dragon in “Spyro: A Hero’s Tail” (2004). His collaborations extended to major film franchises; notably, he voiced Ironhide and Barricade in Michael Bay’s “Transformers” (2007) and returned as Ironhide in “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (2009) and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (2011). He also voiced Barricade again in “Transformers: The Last Knight” (2017). His extensive work also includes roles in Disney productions like Cedric the Sorcerer in “Sofia the First” (2012–2018) and appearances in Pixar films such as “Up” (2009) and “Toy Story 3” (2010).

Beyond voice acting, Jess Harnell has maintained a music career, releasing a solo album, “The Sound of Your Voice,” in 1995. He is also the lead vocalist for the pop/metal mashup rock band, Rock Sugar, which has released several albums including “Festival of Fire” (2008) and “Reinventinator” (2021). His continuous engagement in both voice acting and music underscores his multifaceted talent. Harnell’s career is marked by a consistent presence in popular media, making his voice recognizable across multiple generations of audiences through diverse and memorable characters.