Bob West
Robert Matthew West (born June 25, 1956)[1] is an American voice actor and graphic designer, who is best known as the original voice of Barney in the PBS children's television series Barney & Friends.[2] West, a native of Pennsylvania, has also appeared in several Barney-related shows such as concert tours.
Bob West | |
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West at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2019 | |
Born | Robert Matthew West June 25, 1956 |
Occupation | Voice actor, graphic designer |
Years active | 1986–present |
Website | Official website |
Career
West's first voice over job were the characters Jasper T. Jowls and Pasqually in the Chuck E. Cheese's animatronic stage show from 1986 to 1998.[3][4]
West became the voice of Barney in 1988, his first voice work as Barney was for the direct-to-video series Barney and the Backyard Gang. He went on and continued voicing Barney in the television series Barney & Friends and would reprise the role again in a 70 market radio show, on Multi-Platinum and Multi-Gold albums, Barney's Great Adventure, for CBS and NBC primetime specials, for touring performances, as a Daytime Emmy presenter, for toys, for educational games, and for "personal appearances". He also voiced interviews on The Today Show, LIVE! with Regis & Kathie Lee, Oprah, The Donahue Show, John & Leeza From Hollywood, Marilu, and appearances around the world.[3]
In 2000, he retired from voicing Barney, citing that he wanted "new challenges" with his life.[5] He was temporarily replaced from Barney by voice actor Duncan Brannan, who met him through their affiliation, and Tim Dever. In 2002, Dean Wendt replaced Brannan and Dever as the purple dinosaur's voice and Carey Stinson replaced David Joyner as the character's body performer. However, West's pre-recorded voice can still be heard in A Day in the Park with Barney at Universal Studios Florida, as it was recorded in the mid 1990s and his archival recordings are still heard in some of HIT Entertainment's The Little Big Club live stage shows. West also reprised the voice for Barney in 2005 during the PBS Kids Sprout Launch.
West also provided voices for TV and radio ads for Pepsi, Bud Light (English and Spanish), Coors Light, Frito-Lay, KFC, Armour Meats, Circuit City, Texas Monthly Magazine, and Texas Lottery.[3]
Today, West now works as a graphic designer for film and television.[6]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1993 | Barney's Magical Musical Adventure | Barney (voice) | Direct-to-video |
1998 | Barney in Outer Space | ||
1998 | Barney's Great Adventure | [1] | |
1999 | Barney's Night Before Christmas | Television film[1] |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1988–1991 | Barney and the Backyard Gang | Barney (voice) | [1] |
1992–2000 | Barney & Friends | [1] | |
1993 | The Today Show |
Video games
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1993 | Barney's Hide and Seek | Barney | [1] |
1997 | Fun on the Farm with Barney | ||
Barney Under The Sea | [7] | ||
Barney Goes to the Circus | |||
Barney's Fun on Imagination Island | |||
2000 | Magical Music | ||
On Location All Around Town |
Other work
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1986–1998 | Chuck E. Cheese's | Jasper T. Jowls/Pasqually the Chef | Animatronic stage show |
1995–2020 | A Day in the Park with Barney | Barney (archives recordings) | Theme park attraction |
20?? | Take 2 Interactive | E3 video game demo voices | Video game convention[3] |
Commercials and Ads
- Pepsi - Narrator
- Bud Light - Various voices (English and Spanish)
- Coors Light
- Frito-Lay - Narrator
- KFC - Narrator
- Armour Meats
- Circuit City
- Texas Monthly Magazine
- Texas Lottery - Narrator
Production staff
Year | Title | Position | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Still Breathing | Art director | |
1999 | Thick as Thieves | Graphic designer | Uncredited |
2000 | Picking Up the Pieces | Uncredited | |
2000 | Thirteen Days | Uncredited | |
2001 | Jurassic Park III | Uncredited | |
2003 | Down with Love | Uncredited | |
2003 | The Italian Job | Uncredited | |
2004 | Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy | Uncredited | |
2005 | Be Cool | Uncredited | |
2005 | Herbie Fully Loaded | Uncredited | |
2005 | House of the Dead 2 | Uncredited | |
2006 | 10 Items or Less | Uncredited | |
2006 | Schools for Scoundrels | Uncredited | |
2007 | October Road | Episode: "Pilot"; uncredited | |
2007 | Hustle | 2 episodes; uncredited | |
2009 | Black Dynamite | Uncredited | |
2009–2015 | Community | 34 episodes | |
2009 | The Proposal | Uncredited | |
2011 | Hop | Uncredited | |
2012 | 90210 | 2 episodes; uncredited | |
2013 | Anatomy of Violence | Uncredited | |
2014 | Chef | Uncredited | |
2014–2015 | Castle | 4 episodes | |
2015–2016 | The Muppets | 8 episodes | |
2016 | The Sweet Life | ||
2016 | Aztec Warrior | ||
2016–2019 | Speechless | 62 episodes | |
2017 | Wish Upon | ||
2017 | Raised by Wolves | TV movie | |
2017–2018 | The Mick | 20 episodes | |
2018 | Three Rivers | TV movie | |
2018–2020 | Single Parents | 18 episodes | |
2020 | 9-1-1: Lone Star | Episode: "Yee-Haw" | |
Swimming with Sharks | 1 episode |
References
- "Bob West - 9 Character Images". Behind The Voice Actors.
- Petit, Stephanie (June 8, 2017). "Barney Unmasked! Meet the Man Who 'Loved' Playing the Iconic Purple Dinosaur for a Decade". People. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
- https://web.archive.org/web/20130827120027/http://www.bobwest.com/vo/resume.html
- "Bob West". Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- "CelebWorx Live Episode #12 With Bob West (The Original Voice of Barney the Dinosaur)". YouTube. YouTube. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- https://magazine.trinity.edu/trinity-magazine/fall-2018/bob-west
- Barney Under The Sea Credits