I often write on this site about the voice actors who bring animated characters to life. Some are well known like June Foray, Daws Butler and Mark Hamill. Others like Billie Lou Watt, Ginny Tyler and Hal Smith are comparatively unknown. Actor Alan Oppenheimer falls into the latter category. As I write this, he is still with us.
Alan Oppenheimer may never have been a household name, but his voice acting has echoed through the childhoods of millions. Born in 1930, Oppenheimer built one of the most versatile careers in television and animation. His acting shaped the soundscape of fantasy, science fiction, and Saturday morning cartoons for a generation. His deep, expressive voice carried both menace and warmth — a rare range that made him equally convincing as a villain, mentor, or eccentric inventor.
Most fans first met him through He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983), where he delivered the deliciously sinister tones of Skeletor. His sharp, mocking laughter became one of the most recognizable sounds of the 1980s cartoon era. He also voiced the character, Man-At-Arms in the same series. Yet Oppenheimer was far more than this single series. He also brought life to characters in The Smurfs, Transformers, The Real Ghostbusters, and The NeverEnding Story, where his portrayal of Falkor the Luckdragon radiated kindness and wisdom.
Oppenheimer was the voice of Mighty Mouse and Oil Can Harry in The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse. He was the voice of Alfred Pennyworth in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. Oppenheimer was also Ming the Merciless in The New Adventures of Flash Gordon. Do you remember Scooby-Dum from the Scooby-Doo TV Show? Yep, that was Alan Oppenheimer too. Few voice actors could inhabit such wildly different personalities with the same ease.
Before animation fame, Oppenheimer had a long career in live-action television, appearing in shows like Get Smart, Star Trek, and Bonanza. But, according to him, shifting to voice acting allowed him to fully explore the boundaries of performance without the limits of on-camera casting. He often described voice acting as a form of musical interpretation — finding rhythm and tone in dialogue to make a character sing.
Before voice actors were celebrated as celebrities, Oppenheimer’s work helped define what a great vocal performance could be. His characters weren’t merely voices; they were emotional anchors. And that made the fantasy worlds his characters were feel real. Even today, as younger generations rediscover his roles and recognize his style, his performances remains timeless.
Alan Oppenheimer may not have sought voice acting fame, but his influence ran deep. He joins the ranks of Daws Butler, June Foray and Mel Blanc in providing some of the most iconic character voices of the last 60 years.
