Larry Kenney
Description
Larry Kenney is an American voice actor and radio personality born on August 5, 1947, in Pekin, Illinois. He began his career in broadcasting at the age of 15 as a disc jockey at WIRL in Peoria, Illinois, and subsequently worked at several radio stations including WOWO in Fort Wayne, Indiana, WKYC in Cleveland, Ohio, WHN and WYNY in New York City, WJJD in Chicago, and WKHK in New York City. From 1973 to 2007, he was a regular cast member on the radio program Imus in the Morning, where he performed impersonations of numerous public figures including Elvis Presley, General George Patton, Andy Rooney, and Ross Perot. During the 1970s, he also hosted the New York edition of the television show Bowling for Dollars on WOR-TV.
Kenney is best known for his voice work in animated series produced by Rankin/Bass in the 1980s. His most iconic role is Lion-O, the young leader of the ThunderCats, in the original ThunderCats animated series which ran from 1985 to 1989. He also voiced the character Jackalman in the same series. Following ThunderCats, he provided voices for other Rankin/Bass productions including Bluegrass in SilverHawks (1986) and Dolph in TigerSharks (1987). He also voiced Karate Kat, a martial arts cat featured as part of The Comic Strip. In addition to these cartoon roles, Kenney performed voice work for several breakfast cereal advertising characters, including Count Chocula and Sonny the Cuckoo Bird for Cocoa Puffs.
Kenney has maintained a connection to the ThunderCats franchise across multiple decades. He returned to voice Claudus, the father of Lion-O and Tygra, in the 2011 ThunderCats animated series on Cartoon Network. He also voiced Jaga in ThunderCats Roar in 2020. He has reprised his role as Lion-O for humorous references on the animated series Family Guy and has voiced characters in Teen Titans Go! including The Chief and Original Lion-O in recurring roles from 2019 onward.
In the realm of anime-related voice work, Kenney plays the role of Ludlow in Pokémon Horizons: The Series, the English dub of the ongoing Pokémon anime. Ludlow is an elderly fisherman and a member of the Rising Volt Tacklers, serving as a supporting character in the series that began airing in 2023. The 2011 ThunderCats series, in which Kenney voiced Claudus, was a reboot produced by Warner Bros. Animation in collaboration with the Japanese anime studio Studio 4°C, blending elements of western animation with Japanese anime aesthetics.
Beyond his animation and anime work, Kenney has an extensive career in voice-over for video games. He served as the announcer for the in-game radio station The Beat 102.7 in Grand Theft Auto IV and for K.T.I. Radio in L.A. Noire. He also provided the voice for JB Cripps in Red Dead Online, the multiplayer component of Red Dead Redemption 2. Additional video game credits include roles in Mafia II as Frank Vinci and Alan Wake's American Nightmare as Eddie Rodman.
Throughout his career, Kenney has received recognition for his broadcasting work. Billboard magazine named him Best Country Disc Jockey at a station in a metropolitan area of one million or more in 1976 and Best Country Music Personality in 1978. He was also hired in 2008 to perform an impersonation of Mark Twain for a gala held by the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut.
Kenney is best known for his voice work in animated series produced by Rankin/Bass in the 1980s. His most iconic role is Lion-O, the young leader of the ThunderCats, in the original ThunderCats animated series which ran from 1985 to 1989. He also voiced the character Jackalman in the same series. Following ThunderCats, he provided voices for other Rankin/Bass productions including Bluegrass in SilverHawks (1986) and Dolph in TigerSharks (1987). He also voiced Karate Kat, a martial arts cat featured as part of The Comic Strip. In addition to these cartoon roles, Kenney performed voice work for several breakfast cereal advertising characters, including Count Chocula and Sonny the Cuckoo Bird for Cocoa Puffs.
Kenney has maintained a connection to the ThunderCats franchise across multiple decades. He returned to voice Claudus, the father of Lion-O and Tygra, in the 2011 ThunderCats animated series on Cartoon Network. He also voiced Jaga in ThunderCats Roar in 2020. He has reprised his role as Lion-O for humorous references on the animated series Family Guy and has voiced characters in Teen Titans Go! including The Chief and Original Lion-O in recurring roles from 2019 onward.
In the realm of anime-related voice work, Kenney plays the role of Ludlow in Pokémon Horizons: The Series, the English dub of the ongoing Pokémon anime. Ludlow is an elderly fisherman and a member of the Rising Volt Tacklers, serving as a supporting character in the series that began airing in 2023. The 2011 ThunderCats series, in which Kenney voiced Claudus, was a reboot produced by Warner Bros. Animation in collaboration with the Japanese anime studio Studio 4°C, blending elements of western animation with Japanese anime aesthetics.
Beyond his animation and anime work, Kenney has an extensive career in voice-over for video games. He served as the announcer for the in-game radio station The Beat 102.7 in Grand Theft Auto IV and for K.T.I. Radio in L.A. Noire. He also provided the voice for JB Cripps in Red Dead Online, the multiplayer component of Red Dead Redemption 2. Additional video game credits include roles in Mafia II as Frank Vinci and Alan Wake's American Nightmare as Eddie Rodman.
Throughout his career, Kenney has received recognition for his broadcasting work. Billboard magazine named him Best Country Disc Jockey at a station in a metropolitan area of one million or more in 1976 and Best Country Music Personality in 1978. He was also hired in 2008 to perform an impersonation of Mark Twain for a gala held by the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut.
All Characters
- EnglishAnime overview: Pokémon Horizons: The Series