Voice actors for Peter, Lois, Stewie, and Brian Griffin

Perhaps the most well-known voiceover jobs are to be found in the animation industry. Cartoons from The Flintstones to SpongeBob SquarePants feature memorable characters with distinct voices, all of which are provided by talented voice over actors.

The resurgence of animated programs as integral parts of the primetime line-ups of several television networks in the 1990s brought even more characters and voices into the living rooms of people everywhere. One of the most significant of these programs, Family Guy, has brought both famous actors and lesser-known stars to the world of animated voicing in its funny look at American life through the eyes of a Rhode Island family.

Seth MacFarlane, Seth Green, and Mike Henry comprise the male voice talent that provides most of the masculine voices for Family Guy. Prior to developing this hit series, MacFarlane was a producer for many animated programs on the Cartoon Network and elsewhere. His wit and sarcasm is best seen, however, not in producing his shows, but in providing the voices for three of the main characters on Family Guy - Peter, Stewie, and Brian Griffin.

Peter Griffin is the character around whom most of the show's plotlines revolve, and the laugh that Seth MacFarlane has given him is distinctive, as is the voice through which he conveys his strange philosophy of life. MacFarlane's Stewie Griffin sounds just like the evil scientist/dictator in training that the character is supposed to be, and the voiceover he performs for Brian Griffin sounds sensible, which is appropriate for one of the most sensible characters in the show. Seth MacFarlane voices many other minor characters in the show, but these three are by far the most important for which he lends his talent.

Peter Griffin's wife Lois features the voice over talent of Alex Borstein. Unlike MacFarlane, who was known before Family Guy, Borstein was not a household name before joining the show's cast. The voice she gives to Lois is sensible and wise, for the Lois character is the wise matriarch of the family. The voice over actors who were well known before joining the cast of Family Guy are Seth Green and Mila Kunis. Seth provides the voice for Chris, the Griffin's eldest son, but he is an accomplished film star as well, appearing in movies such as the Austin Powers series. His work voicing Chris on Family Guy is excellent as his acting talents makes Chris sound just like the common-sense challenged, underachieving young man he is supposed to be. Mila Kunis made her name in Hollywood as Jackie on That '70s Show before joining Family Guy Cast as Peter and Lois Griffin's daughter Meg. She turns out an excellent performance giving the intelligent, socially-outcast Meg her distinctive personality.

Mike Henry, who voices Peter Griffin's friend Cleveland Brown, also voices other minor characters on the show. A friend of Seth MacFarlane from college, Henry had little experience doing cartoon voice over jobs before coming onboard Family Guy. Nevertheless, the distinctive accent he gives to Cleveland has made that character one of the audience's favorites.

What is clear from this cast is that voice acting jobs are not always given to those who are already famous or who have a ton of experience. A good agent or voice talent such as voices.com can get even unknowns a great job giving voices to characters of all shapes and sizes.