Bob West | |
|---|---|
 West at GalaxyCon 2019 | |
| Born | Robert Matthew West June 25, 1956 |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1979–present |
| Website | bobwest |
Robert Matthew West (born June 25, 1956) is an American voice actor and graphic designer.[1] He is best known as the original voice of Barney in the PBS children's television series Barney & Friends.[2]
Career
1979–1988: Early voice work career
After graduating from Trinity University in San Antonio with an art degree, West began his voice acting career in 1979.[1]
In 1986, he was cast as the voices of Jasper T. Jowls and Pasqually in the Chuck E. Cheese's animatronic stage show, he voiced the characters for ten years until 1998.[1][3][4]
1988–2000: Barney the Dinosaur
West became the voice of Barney in 1988, his first voice work as Barney was for the direct-to-video pilot 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 (1998), 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 Phil Donahue Show, John & Leeza From Hollywood, Marilu, and appearances around the world.[3]
2000–2022: Retirement and reunion with Barney
In 2001, he retired from voicing Barney and was replaced by Tim Dever and Dean Wendt, citing that he wanted "new challenges" with his life.[5] He was temporarily replaced from Barney by two voice actor replacements David Franks, Duncan Brannan, who met him through their affiliation with Chuck E. Cheese’s. Carey Stinson replaced David Joyner as the character's body performer. However, West's pre-recorded voice could still be heard in A Day in the Park with Barney at Universal Studios Florida until the attraction's closure in February 2021, as it was recorded in the mid 1990s due to his retirement. Some other archival recordings of his voice are still heard in some of HIT Entertainment's The Little Big Club live stage shows until October 12, 2022.
West appeared in the Peacock documentary sequel series I Love You, You Hate Me.[6][7]
2022–present: Graphic designing and later career
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]
West has also worked as a creative director, writer, producer and director in various radio and television commercials.[1]
West now works as a graphic designer for film and television.[8][1]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Barney's Great Adventure | Barney (voice) | [9] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988–1991 | Barney and the Backyard Gang | Barney (voice) | Pilot series[9] |
| 1992–2000 | Barney & Friends | [9] | |
| 1993 | The Today Show | ||
| 2022 | I Love You, You Hate Me | Barney Himself |
Sequel & docuseries |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Barney's Hide & Seek Game | Barney | [9] |
| 1997 | Fun on the Farm with Barney | ||
| Barney Under The Sea | [10] | ||
| Barney Goes to the Circus | |||
| Barney's Fun on Imagination Island |
Other work
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986–1987 | The Rock-afire Explosion | Billy Bob | Animatronic stage show |
| 1986–1994, 1995-1998 | Chuck E. Cheese's | Jasper T. Jowls (1986-1994, 1996-1998), Mr. Munch (1995-1996), Pasqually P. Pieplate (1986-1994, 1995-1998) | Animatronic stage show[1] |
| 1995–2021 | A Day in the Park with Barney | Barney (archive recordings) | Theme park attraction |
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 credits
| Year | Title | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Still Breathing | Art director | Film |
| 1999 | Thick as Thieves | Graphic designer | Uncredited |
| 2000 | Picking Up the Pieces | ||
| Thirteen Days | |||
| 2001 | Jurassic Park III | Uncredited[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 2003 | Down with Love | Uncredited | |
| The Italian Job | |||
| 2004 | Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy | ||
| 2005 | Be Cool | ||
| Herbie Fully Loaded | |||
| House of the Dead 2 | |||
| 2006 | 10 Items or Less | ||
| Schools for Scoundrels | |||
| 2007 | October Road | Episode: "Pilot"; uncredited | |
| Hustle | 2 episodes; uncredited | ||
| 2009 | Black Dynamite | Uncredited | |
| The Proposal | |||
| 2009–2015 | Community | 34 episodes | |
| 2011 | Hop | Uncredited | |
| 2012 | 90210 | 2 episodes; uncredited | |
| 2013 | Anatomy of Violence | Uncredited | |
| 2014 | Chef | ||
| 2014–2015 | Castle | 4 episodes | |
| 2015–2016 | The Muppets | 8 episodes | |
| 2016 | The Sweet Life | Film | |
| Aztec Warrior | Film | ||
| 2016–2019 | Speechless | 62 episodes | |
| 2017 | Wish Upon | Film | |
| 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" | |
| 2021 | The Rookie | 5 episodes | |
| 2022 | Swimming with Sharks | 6 episodes | |
| Love, Victor | Graphic artist | Episode: "You Up?" |
Note
- ↑ A clip from a videocassette copy of Barney's Musical Castle (with The Wiggles sometimes) is shown on a television set.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "What About Bob?".
- ↑ Petit, Stephanie (June 8, 2017). "Barney Unmasked! Meet the Man Who 'Loved' Playing the Iconic Purple Dinosaur for a Decade". People. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
- 1 2 3 "C h a r a c t e r c h a m e l e o n : 20 years of voice over by Bob West : Resumé". www.bobwest.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ↑ "Bob West". Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ↑ "CelebWorx Live Episode #12 With Bob West (The Original Voice of Barney the Dinosaur)". YouTube. YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ↑ Petski, Denise (November 15, 2021). "Barney The Dinosaur Documentary From 'Queer Eye' Producers Greenlighted At Peacock". Deadline Hollywood.
- ↑ "Peacock Launches First-Ever Virtual "DocFest" with Original Documentaries to Premiere Weekly" (Press release). Peacock. August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022 – via The Futon Critic.
- ↑ "Alumni Profile: Bob West '78". Archived from the original on September 27, 2019.
- 1 2 3 4 "Bob West – 9 Character Images". Behind The Voice Actors.
- ↑ "Barney Under the Sea (1998) Windows credits". MobyGames. Retrieved January 21, 2023.