Alan Oppenheimer
Description
Alan Oppenheimer is an American actor and voice actor born on April 23, 1930, in New York City. His career in the entertainment industry began in the 1950s and extended well into the 21st century, with voice acting becoming a significant focus of his work from the 1970s onward. While he is widely recognized for his extensive work in Western animation, he also contributed to the field of anime, primarily through English language dubbing.
In the realm of anime, Oppenheimer is best known for his role as Norman Burg in the series The Big O. This character is the loyal and resourceful butler to the protagonist, Roger Smith, and also serves as the caretaker for the giant robot Big O. Oppenheimer took over the voice of Norman Burg starting from the second season of the show, which covered episodes fourteen through twenty-six.
His other notable credit in anime dubbing is for the series Battle of the Planets, a 1978 adaptation of the Japanese anime Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. In this series, Oppenheimer provided the voice for Commander Gorok and contributed additional voices for various episodes.
Beyond these specific anime roles, Oppenheimer’s broader voice acting career is extensive and includes iconic performances in American animation. He is particularly remembered for his work with Filmation studios during the 1980s, most famously as the voice of the villain Skeletor in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, a role in which he also voiced other characters such as Man-At-Arms and Mer-Man. His other significant roles include Vanity Smurf in The Smurfs, multiple characters in The Transformers including Beachcomber and Warpath, and Falkor the luckdragon in the 1984 film The NeverEnding Story.
Throughout his career, Oppenheimer frequently collaborated with other prominent voice actors of the era, including Frank Welker and Michael Bell, appearing together in numerous animated series across the 1980s and 1990s. In recognition of his acting abilities outside of voice work, he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 1991 for his role on the television series Murphy Brown.
In the realm of anime, Oppenheimer is best known for his role as Norman Burg in the series The Big O. This character is the loyal and resourceful butler to the protagonist, Roger Smith, and also serves as the caretaker for the giant robot Big O. Oppenheimer took over the voice of Norman Burg starting from the second season of the show, which covered episodes fourteen through twenty-six.
His other notable credit in anime dubbing is for the series Battle of the Planets, a 1978 adaptation of the Japanese anime Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. In this series, Oppenheimer provided the voice for Commander Gorok and contributed additional voices for various episodes.
Beyond these specific anime roles, Oppenheimer’s broader voice acting career is extensive and includes iconic performances in American animation. He is particularly remembered for his work with Filmation studios during the 1980s, most famously as the voice of the villain Skeletor in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, a role in which he also voiced other characters such as Man-At-Arms and Mer-Man. His other significant roles include Vanity Smurf in The Smurfs, multiple characters in The Transformers including Beachcomber and Warpath, and Falkor the luckdragon in the 1984 film The NeverEnding Story.
Throughout his career, Oppenheimer frequently collaborated with other prominent voice actors of the era, including Frank Welker and Michael Bell, appearing together in numerous animated series across the 1980s and 1990s. In recognition of his acting abilities outside of voice work, he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 1991 for his role on the television series Murphy Brown.
All Characters
- EnglishAnime overview: The Big O