Earlier this week Forbes Magazine published their list of the highest-earning Hollywood stars of 2010, with Leonardo DiCaprio taking the crown with an estimated $77m for his work on Christopher Nolan’s Inception and Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island. However, while the likes of Johnny Depp, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise all feature prominently, none of them can come close to legendary voice actor Frank Welker in terms of sheer box office success…
Frank who? I hear you ask. Well, for anyone growing up in the 80s and 90s, it’s a name you’re sure to be familiar with, his CV reading like a who’s who of classic children’s animation. Among Welker’s many credits are the likes of Alvin & the Chipmunks, Animaniacs, Batman: The Animated Series, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Challenge of the GoBots, Dexter’s Laboratory, DuckTales, Dungeons & Dragons, Gargoyles, Garfield and Friends, G.I. Joe, Inspector Gadget, The Jetsons, Johnny Bravo, Muppet Babies, Pinky and the Brain, The Real Ghostbusters, Scooby-Doo, The Smurfs, SpongeBob Squarepants, Super Friends, Tiny Toon Adventures and – last but by no means least – Transformers, where he supplied the voice of Megatron in perhaps his most celebrated role.
Along with a wealth of television work, Welker has enjoyed countless big screen credits, which according to The-Numbers.com (via Yahoo! Movies) have amassed a whopping $12,480,138,742 – more than any other Hollywood star in history. Welker’s feature appearances include hits such as Aladdin, Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, Independence Day, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. In fact, the only person who seems to come close to being so prolific is Samuel L. Jackson, who happens to trail in second place with a global haul of $10.1b.
Frank Welker – Flickering Myth salutes you!
Originally published August 5, 2011. Updated January 18, 2020.
