October 10, 2011

Voice Actor - R. Lee Ermey

Ronald Ermey has often played the roles of authority figures, such as his breakout performance as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket, Mayor Tilman in the Alan Parker film Mississippi Burning, Bill Bowerman in Prefontaine, Sheriff Hoyt in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, and plastic army men leader Sarge in the Toy Story films.

Ermey was cast in his first movie while attending the University of Manila in the Philippines, using his G.I. Bill benefits. He first played a Marine drill instructor (SSgt Loyce) in the 1978 Vietnam-era film The Boys in Company "C", which brought Ermey to the attention of Stanley Kubrick in later years. Ermey then played an Air Cavalry Officer in Apocalypse Now, doubling as a technical advisor to director Francis Ford Coppola on that film. He also served as Louis Gossett's technical advisor for the film An Officer and a Gentleman. For the next few years, Ermey played a series of minor film roles until 1987, when he was cast as tough drill instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket; Ermey also served as the technical advisor on the film.

He has done voice-over work for several animated series as well. In the episode of Spongebob Squarepants, "Bummer Vacation", he voiced an irate warden of a maximum security island prison who demoralized the inmates whenever he could. His voice is very distinct in animated series and feature films.

Ermey has lent his distinctive voice to several video games, including Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel (as General Barnaky) and Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (as Wa-Wa). He also made a cameo in Real War: Air, Land, Sea, a retail real-time strategy computer game based on the official Joint Chiefs of Staff training game. In the game Fallout 3, there is a recruitable companion named R-L-3, a modified military robot with a personality very similar to Ermey (the companion's name is a reference to Ermey's initials wherein the 3 is leetspeak for the letter 'e'). In the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion there is a character named "Lieutenant Emry" that speaks some of Ermey's signature lines from Full Metal Jacket.

Here's one of the many famous scene he's best known for:


He has received several awards during his distinguished military:
    •    Meritorious Unit Commendation
    •    Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal with two bronze Service Stars
    •    National Defense Service Medal
    •    Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
    •    Vietnam Service Medal with one bronze service star
    •    Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm
    •    Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
    •    Rifle Expert Badge
    •    Pistol Sharpshooter Badge
After retirement, R. Lee Ermey was also retroactively awarded the Drill Instructor Ribbon due to his prior service as a Marine Corps Basic Training Instructor as well as the Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation for unit activities during the Vietnam War.

Voice Acting Credit List:

All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series (1996, Animated Series) (additional voices)
Angry Beavers, The (1997, Animated Series) Sergeant Goonther "Fancy Prance"
Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008, Animated Series) Wildcat / Ted Grant "Enter the Outsiders," "Menace of the Conqueror Caveman"
Batman: The Brave and the Bold - The Videogame (2010, Video Game) Wildcat / Ted Grant
Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot (1999, Animated Series) General Thorton
Cat Tale (2010, Animated Film) General Puddles
Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (2001, Video Game) Wa-Wa the Water Elemental
Family Guy (1999, Animated Series) Jousting Coach "Mr. Saturday Knight"
Father of the Pride (2004, Computer Animated Series) Bunny "One Man's Meat is Another Man's Girlfriend"
Fillmore! (2002, Animated Series) Colonel Thrift "South of Friendship, North of Honor"
Grim & Evil (2001, Animated Series) Sergeant "Here Thar Be Dwarves"
Invader ZIM (2001, Animated Series) Sergeant Hobo 678 "HOBO 13"
Kim Possible (2002, Animated Series) General Sims "Rufus vs. Commadore Puddles"
Recess: School's Out (2001, Animated Film) Colonel O'Malley
Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles (1999, Animated Series) Sky Marshal Sanchez
Shark Bait (2006, Computer Animated Film) Jack
Simpsons, The (1989, Animated Series) Colonel Leslie Hapablap "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming"
SpongeBob SquarePants (1999, Animated Series) Warden "The Inmates of Summer"
Toy Story (1995, Computer Animated Film) Sarge
Toy Story 2 (1999, Computer Animated Film) Sarge
Toy Story 3 (2010, Computer Animated Film) Sarge

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