Patrick John Warburton (born November 14, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for his several television roles, including the title role on The Tick, David Puddy on Seinfeld, Johnny Johnson on NewsRadio, Jeb Denton on Less than Perfect, and Jeff Bingham on Rules of Engagement. His distinctive deep voice has been heard in roles including Kronk in The Emperor's New Groove and its sequels, paraplegic police officer Joe Swanson on Family Guy, and bodyguard Brock Samson on The Venture Bros.. Warburton has also appeared in Bee Movie, Kim Possible, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Hoodwinked, and Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, among others.
Early life
Warburton was born in Paterson, New Jersey, the son of surgeon John Charles Warburton, Jr. and Barbara Jeanne Gratz (an actress credited as Barbara Lord). He and his three sisters, Mary, Lara, and Megan, were raised in a "very religious" and "conservative" Catholic family in Huntington Beach, California, where he attended Saints Simon and Jude Catholic School. He later attended Servite High School (in Anaheim, California), which left to transfer to Newport Harbor High School (in Newport Beach, California). He studied marine biology at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, but dropped out to pursue modeling and acting.
Career
Warburton's acting roles often rely on his deep, booming voice and large physique. In the 1990s, he was known for his role as David Puddy on Seinfeld, the on-again, off-again boyfriend of Elaine Benes. He had a small role in the 2002 film Men in Black II as J's new partner, T. He starred in FOX's short-lived series The Tick, in which he held the title role. He played Nick Sharp in 8 Simple Rules and joined the cast of Less than Perfect in 2003, as anchorman Jeb Denton. He also played Jeff Bingham in Rules of Engagement.
Warburton has put his voice to use for several animated films and TV programs, including a lead character in Game Over, Buzz Lightyear and the Little Green Men in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and Kronk in The Emperor's New Groove. Warburton reprised his role as Kronk for the direct-to-video sequel, Kronk's New Groove, and the subsequent TV series The Emperor's New School. He voices Steve Barkin in the Disney Channel show Kim Possible.
Warburton was also cast in The Venture Bros., in which he voices Brock Samson. He voices Joe Swanson on Fox's Family Guy and Detective Cash in The Batman. He lent his voice talent to the computer-animated feature films Hoodwinked, Chicken Little, Open Season, Tak (all 3 games), and Tak and the Power of Juju (Nickelodeon) series.
Warburton appeared on GSN's Poker Royale Celebrities vs. the Pros tournament in 2005. He made it to the Grand Finale and won the $1,000 grand prize. On November 8, 2009, Warburton appeared as the wild west character Cal Johnson on Seth & Alex's (Almost Live) Comedy Show, hosted by Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein, on Fox. He was also cast as the sheriff in the Cartoon Network series Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated. He appeared as Bowser in a video by CollegeHumor entitled "The Roast of Mario".
He appeared on the American version of Top Gear on February 21, 2012. He set the "Big Star, Small Car" lap record, beating previous record-holder Arlene Tur.
Advertising and theme parks
In the commercial and advertising world, Warburton is the voice in the Carrier Corporation commercials for their air-conditioning and HVAC units, and was the voice of Superman in The Adventures of Seinfeld and Superman for American Express. He is the voice of "Lewis" in the "Clark & Lewis Expedition" radio commercials for Horizon Air. In August 2009, Warburton played a high-end PC in a "Get a Mac" ad for Apple Inc. Warburton also became the spokesman for Japanese automaker Honda's "Good Reasons" advertising campaign in September 2011.
Warburton voices the forest ranger in a "Smokey Bear" radio ad campaign sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service and the Ad Council. He is featured in the "preboarding" video shown to guests at Soarin' Over California in Disney California Adventure and Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort, where he explains the ride's requirements. He lent his voice to the droid G2-4T in the queue of Star Tours: The Adventures Continue at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disneyland.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Web
Awards and nominations
References
External links
- Fletch Takes On "The Puddy", 2004 interview by Clint Fletcher on filmmonthly.com; accessed October 31, 2014.
