From stand-up stages to legendary cartoon voices, Maurice LaMarche mastered the art of mimicry.
In short: Before he became the voice of The Brain, Maurice LaMarche spent years in comedy clubs, opening for legends like George Carlin. After personal tragedy led him to retire from stand-up, he pivoted to voice acting, eventually winning multiple Emmys for his uncanny ability to inhabit iconic characters.
Born in Toronto in 1958, Maurice LaMarche discovered his talent for impressions during a high school variety show. By age nineteen, he was performing stand-up in New York, though he later felt that moving to Los Angeles instead of staying in New York hindered his development as a comedian. Despite opening for major acts like Rodney Dangerfield and Howie Mandel in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, LaMarche struggled to find his unique voice, believing he was years away from greatness.
His comedy career stalled following the 1987 murder of his father and the subsequent death of his sister in 1990. Choosing to leave stand-up behind, LaMarche leaned into his burgeoning voiceover work. His early career included roles on The All-Night Show, where he famously inserted his own lips into photos of celebrities to deliver announcements. This technical creativity became a hallmark of his career, leading to roles in Inspector Gadget and The Real Ghostbusters.
LaMarche is perhaps best known for voicing The Brain in Animaniacs, a role he developed by channeling Orson Welles. This signature impression became a recurring theme in his work, earning him an Emmy in 2011 for his performance as Lrrr and Orson Welles on Futurama. Beyond his animation work, he has provided voices for video games, commercials, and films, including the voice of the puppet representing Alec Baldwin in Team America: World Police and the crime boss Mr. Big in Zootopia.
Throughout his four-decade career, LaMarche has demonstrated immense range, once voicing 29 distinct characters in a single episode of The Critic. From his early days as a stand-up comedian to becoming a mainstay of the voiceover industry, his journey reflects a persistent evolution of craft. Today, he remains a prolific performer, continuing to lend his voice to both new projects and beloved franchises.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Maurice LaMarche
- Also: Wikidata — Maurice LaMarche · CC0
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