Tara Strong
Tara Strong | |
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Born | Tara Lyn Charendoff February 12, 1973 |
Other names | Tara Charendoff |
Occupation(s) | Actress, voice actress, singer |
Years active | 1986–present |
Spouse | Craig Strong (2000-present) |
Children | 2 sons |
Website | http://www.tarastrong.com |
Signature | |
Tara Lyn Strong (née Charendoff, February 12, 1973) is a Canadian actress, voice actress, and singer, who has done voice work in animated films and television series. She provided the voices for Dil Pickles from Rugrats, Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls, Timmy Turner from The Fairly Odd Parents, Raven from Teen Titans, Ben Tennyson from Ben 10, and Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.[1]
Early life and career
Tara Lyn Charendoff was born on February 12, 1973 to Jewish-Canadian parents Lucy (1936–2004) and Syd Charendoff who ran a convenience/toy/candy store called The Wiz, and was raised in Toronto, Ontario. Strong's acting career began when she volunteered to be a soloist in a school production at age four. Soon, she began acting in the Yiddish Theater; though she did not know Yiddish, she memorized her lines phonetically. During this time, she also performed at the Toronto Jewish Theater (TJA), where she acted in A Night of Stars, and was featured in an audiotape for "Lay Down Your Arms" with the Habonim Youth Choir, where she sang the lyrics in both English and Hebrew,[2] a feat she repeated on February 10, 2005, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel during the March of the Living dinner in honor of then-Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger.[2]
At age thirteen, Strong was accepted into a performing arts school, where she landed her first professional role: the role of Gracie in the Limelight Theater's production of The Music Man. That same year, she booked a guest starring role in Mr. T's T. and T. Afterwards, she landed the title role in Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater and starred in the short-lived CBC Television sitcom Mosquito Lake before moving to Los Angeles in the midst of the 1994 Northridge earthquake.[2]
Strong is the voice behind a multitude of North American animated characters, including main roles in The Fairly OddParents as Timmy Turner and Poof; Rugrats and All Grown Up! as Dil Pickles; The Powerpuff Girls as Bubbles; Ben 10 as Ben Tennyson, Upgrade, Benwolf, and Buzzshock; Teen Titans as Raven; Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends as Terrence; the singing voice of Meg Griffin and additional voices on Family Guy; My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic[3] as Twilight Sparkle; and currently voices Betty Boop in commercials with Tress MacNeille.
She has also lent her voice to English-language localizations of Japanese anime such as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, as well as several video games, including her work as Elisa and Ursula in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops; Paz Ortega Andrade in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker; Rikku in Final Fantasy X, its sequel Final Fantasy X-2, and Kingdom Hearts II; Talwyn Apogee in Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and its sequel, Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty and Harley Quinn replacing Arleen Sorkin in Batman: Arkham City. In June 2012, she voiced the main character "Juliet Starling" of Lollipop Chainsaw.
She has appeared in live roles in National Lampoon's Senior Trip, Sabrina Goes to Rome, Sabrina, Down Under, Mosquito Lake, and The Last White Dishwasher. She also made guest appearances on such shows as Forever Knight, Street Legal, Touched by an Angel, Take Home Chef, Party of Five, Comic Book: The Movie, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, and 3rd Rock from the Sun.[2] In 2012, she voiced the character "Plum" in Cartoon Hangover's Bravest Warriors, created by Pendleton Ward. She has the role of the character Miss Collins in Nickelodeon's live action series Big Time Rush. Strong has been nominated four times for an Annie Award, and once for a Daytime Emmy[4] and she will voice Roxy of Winx Club, which will be broadcast on Nickelodeon.[2]
In 2004, she won an Interactive Achievement Award for her role as Rikku in Final Fantasy X-2. She also served as the announcer for the 2000 Kids' Choice Awards, appeared as a guest at several fan conventions (including BotCon, Jacon, Comic-Con International, and Anime Overdose), and was featured on the front cover of the July/August 2004 issue of Working Mother magazine, saying, "My son is now old enough to respond to my work. To me, that's what it is all about."[2][5]
Personal life
Prior to her marriage, she was originally credited under her maiden name, Charendoff. She has one sister, Marla Charendoff (born 1971). Strong attended Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, class of 1991. After leaving high school she studied at The Second City in Toronto for two years before moving to Los Angeles in January 1994. Strong and actress Neve Campbell lived together when they both moved to Los Angeles at the same time. They both auditioned for the same role, Julia, in the '90s TV series Party of Five. Strong appeared in an episode as Lorna.
She met former American actor, turned real estate agent, Craig Strong in early 1999 at a party hosted by Sharon Stone's sister. Tara and Craig married on May 14, 2000. They have two sons, Sammy (b. 2002) and Aden (b. 2004). The family resides in Toluca Lake, California with their dogs, Baci and Latka. She and Craig are the founders of VoiceStarz, Inc., an Internet-based company which teaches people how to get into the voiceover business. Craig is the CEO.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | Street Legal | Angela | |
Desiree's Wish | Waitress | ||
1988 | T. and T. | Sydney | |
1989 | Mosquito Lake | Tara Harrison | |
1991 | Married to It | Student in Pageant | |
1992 | A Town Torn Apart | ||
The Judge | Millie Waters | ||
Forever Knight | |||
1993 | Family Pictures | ||
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues | Elizabeth | ||
Ready or Not | |||
1994 | Reform School Girl | Lucille | |
Thicker Than Blood: The Larry McLinden Story | Terra (age 16) | ||
1995 | Skin Deep | Tina | |
Party of Five | Lorna | ||
The Outer Limits | Judy Walsh | 1 episode | |
1996 | 3rd Rock from the Sun | Yoga Lady | Episode My Mother the Alien |
1998 | Sabrina Goes to Rome | Gwen | |
1999 | Sabrina, Down Under | Gwen | |
Touched by an Angel | |||
Black Mask | Additional Voices | ||
Candid Camera | |||
1997 Kids' Choice Awards | Herself | Winner (with the cast of Rugrats) for Favorite Cartoon | |
1998 Kids' Choice Awards | Herself | Winner (with the cast of Rugrats) for Favorite Cartoon | |
1999 Kids' Choice Awards | Herself | Presenter, Winner (with the cast of Rugrats) for Favorite Cartoon, Winner (with the cast of The Rugrats Movie) for Favorite Movie | |
2004 | Comic Book: The Movie | ||
2006 | Take Home Chef | Herself | |
2007 | The Bad Girls Club | Season 2 Narrator | |
2008 | According to Jim | Kayla | |
2010–present | Big Time Rush | Miss Collins | Recurring Role |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | The Care Bears | ||
1987 | Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater | Hello Kitty | |
Garbage Pail Kids | Patty Putty | ||
Sylvanian Families | Bridget | ||
Maxie's World | |||
My Pet Monster | Amie | ||
The Wild Puffalumps | Holly | ||
1988 | Clifford's Fun with... | Additional voices | |
1989 | Babar | Young Celeste | |
Beetlejuice | Clare, Bertha | ||
1990 | The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 | Lemmy "Hip" Koopa and Iggy "Hop" Koopa | |
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures | |||
Madeline | Chloe | ||
Piggsburg Pigs! | |||
1991 | Here's How! | ||
ProStars | |||
The Raccoons | Donna (1 episode "Join the Club") | ||
Rupert | Frances | ||
Super Mario World | Lemmy "Hip" Koopa and Iggy "Hop" Koopa | ||
Wish Kid | |||
1992 | X-Men | Magik | |
1993 | The Incredible Dennis the Menace | ||
Tales from the Cryptkeeper | |||
1994 | Tekkaman Blade II | Yumi Francois/Tekkaman Hiver | |
1995 | Gadget Boy & Heather | Heather | |
Little Bear | Tutu | ||
1996 | Ace Ventura: Pet Detective | Additional voices | |
Adventures from the Book of Virtues | Girl | ||
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest | Kazrina | ||
1997 | 101 Dalmatians: The Series | Spot, Two-Tone, Vindella de Vil | |
Channel Umptee-3 | Additional voices | ||
Extreme Ghostbusters | Kylie Griffin | ||
Healthspells | |||
The New Batman Adventures | Batgirl/Barbara Gordon | ||
Pepper Ann | Brenda | ||
King of the Hill | |||
1998 | Rugrats | Dil Pickles, Timmy McNulty | |
Gadget Boy's Adventures In History | Heather | ||
The Powerpuff Girls | Bubbles | ||
Histeria! | Big Fat Baby Girl Additional voices |
||
Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Molly Dolly | ||
1999 | Detention | Shareena Wickett | |
The Kids from Room 402 | Penny | ||
Recess | Becky Benson | ||
Sonic Underground | Additional Voices | ||
2000 | Clerks: The Animated Series | Giggling Girl | |
Sailor Moon S | Additional voices | ||
2001 | Baby Felix & Friends | Baby Kitty | |
The Proud Family | Bebe and Cece Proud, Puff | ||
The Fairly OddParents | Timmy Turner, Poof, Britney Britney, Additional voices | ||
Lloyd in Space | Cindy's Nice Head | ||
2002 | Scruff | Scruff, Princess | |
Codename: Kids Next Door | Mushi Sanban, Numbuh 10, Sally Sanban, Katie and The Interesting Twins From Beneath The Mountain | ||
Fillmore! | Ingrid Third, Jenna ("Red Robins Don't Fly"), Croquet Kid ("Next Stop, Armageddon"), Ariella Third ("A Cold Day At X"), Treplew ("Two Wheels, Full Throttle, No Breaks") | ||
Gotham Girls | Batgirl/Barbara Gordon, Elizabeth Styles | ||
The Paz Show | Additional voices | ||
Kim Possible | Tara, Joss Possible, Britina | ||
Totally Spies! | Various characters | ||
What's New, Scooby-Doo? | Terry/Alexandra Viggi/Trudy | ||
2003 | The Animatrix | Crew Woman ("Final Flight of the Osiris") / Nurse ("World Record") / Misha ("Beyond") | |
Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks | Dannan 'O Mallard / Molly Winks | ||
Justice League | Sera, Queen | ||
Lilo & Stitch: The Series | Angel, Adult Lilo | ||
Spider-Man: The New Animated Series | Christina, ("Head Over Heels") | ||
Teen Titans | Raven, Kitten, Kole, Jinx ("Titans Together"), Gizmo ("Titans Together") | ||
Xiaolin Showdown | Omi | ||
All Grown Up! | Dil Pickles | ||
2004 | Danny Phantom | Ember McLain, Star, and Penelope Spectra | |
Drawn Together | Princess Clara, Toot Braunstein, Wilma Flintstone, Unusually Flexible Girl, Paper Baby | ||
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends | Terrence, Various Characters | ||
The Infinite Darcy | |||
Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi | Little Girl | ||
Megas XLR | Pulsar, Comet | ||
2005 | American Dragon: Jake Long | Kara & Sara, Veronica, Stacey | |
Avatar: The Last Airbender | Tom-Tom | ||
Ben 10 | Ben Tennyson, Upgrade, Adult Gwendolyn Tennyson ("Ben 10,000" and "Ken 10"), Benwolf ("Benwolf"), Ken Tennyson, Buzzshock, ("Ken 10"), Cousin Lucy ("Big Fat Alien Wedding"), Sandra Tennyson ("Goodbye and Good Riddance"), Additional voices | ||
Brandy & Mr. Whiskers | Gabriella/Mom Howler | ||
The Buzz on Maggie | Dawn Swatworthy | ||
Camp Lazlo | Amber, Tootie, & Honey | ||
Celebrity Deathmatch | Paris Hilton | ||
Family Guy | Meg Griffin's singing voice | ||
The Life and Times of Juniper Lee | Roger, Lila the Sasquatch | ||
2006 | Justice League Unlimited | Johnny | |
Family Guy | additional voices | ||
Legion of Super-Heroes | Alexis Luthor/Esper/Emerald Empress | ||
The Replacements | Sierra, additional voices | ||
2007 | My Friends Tigger & Pooh | Porcupine | |
Afro Samurai | Otsuru, Jiro | ||
The Boondocks | Cindy McPhearson | ||
Chowder | Truffles | ||
Phineas and Ferb | Additional Voices, including a bird. | Episode: "Interview With a Platypus" | |
Sushi Pack | Maguro | ||
Storm Hawks | Screaming Queens Sky Knight | ||
Transformers Animated | Sari Sumdac, Slipstream, Slo-Mo, Strika, Red Alert, Mayor Edsel's press secretary, Carly, Teletran-1 | ||
2008 | Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! | Daizy | |
Ben 10: Alien Force | Princess Attea | ||
Wolverine and the X-Men | Marrow, Dust, X-23, Firestar, Stepford Cuckoos, Magik/Illyana | ||
The Garfield Show | Monica the Cat | ||
2009 | The Powerpuff Girls Rule! | Bubbles | |
Batman: The Brave and the Bold | Professor Helena Bertinelli/Huntress, Billy Batson, Mary Batson[7] | ||
The Goode Family | |||
The Penguins of Madagascar | Eggy the duckling, Mother Duck, Know-it-all Kid, Additional Voices | ||
The Super Hero Squad Show | H.E.R.B.I.E., Invisible Woman, Scarlet Witch, Brynnie Bratton, Toro | ||
Random! Cartoons | Beth, New Alien | ||
El Chavo | Doña Florinda, La Popis | ||
2010–present | My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic | Twilight Sparkle | Speaking Voice only |
2010 | Sym-Bionic Titan | Ilana | |
Ben 10: Ultimate Alien | Ben Tennyson (age 10), Serena | ||
Mad | Various voices | ||
2010–present | Pound Puppies | Becky O'Bannon, Lily (cat), Woman, Little girl 2, Zipper (dog), Julie, Bubbles (dog) | |
2011 | Young Justice | Dr. Serling Roquette, Lunch lady, Additional Voices | |
Dan Vs. | Timmy | ||
The Looney Tunes Show | Sniffles, Penelope Pussycat | ||
2012 | Napoleon Dynamite | Kangaroo singer, Scantronica, Dody, Shaylene, Candy, Egg Queen | |
Ultimate Spider-Man | Mary Jane Watson, Thundra, Sandy | ||
Super Best Friends Forever | Barbara Gordon/Batgirl | ||
Green Lantern: The Animated Series | Iolande | ||
Ben 10: Omniverse | Benjamin Kirby Tennyson (11 years old), Pakmar, Princess Attea | ||
Robot Chicken | Selena Gomez, Harley Quinn | ||
Electric City | Makaela | Web series | |
Brickleberry | Pamela Anderson, News Reporter, Bear No. 1 | ||
Bravest Warriors | Plum | Web series | |
2013 | Xiaolin Chronicles | Omi | |
Teen Titans Go! | Raven | ||
Sofia the First | Melody |
Discography
"Tara Strong" | |
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Song |
For the documentary film Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony,[9] Tara Strong co-wrote and recorded the song "Take My Hand".[10]
References
- ^ IMDb Tara Strong
- ^ a b c d e f "Tara Strong official website". Tarastrong.com. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
- ^ TV.com
- ^ IMDB Award List
- ^ "Strong on the cover of ''Working Mother'' magazine". Mkbmemorial.com. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
- ^ "TOTS: The Official Tara Strong filmography!". Mkbmemorial.com. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
- ^ "Toon Zone - Your Source for Toon News!". News.toonzone.net. 2009-03-26. Archived from the original on 2009-03-30. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
- ^ http://marvel.com/news/story/19959/download_this_week_in_marvel_episode_62.5
- ^ https://twitter.com/tarastrong/status/293227916920250370
- ^ Tara Strong (2013-01-22). "Tara Strong retweets announcement of her single release". Retrieved 2013-01-25.
External links
- 1973 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- 20th-century Canadian actresses
- 21st-century Canadian actresses
- Actresses from Toronto
- American bloggers
- American child actresses
- American entertainment industry businesspeople
- American film actresses
- American people of Canadian-Jewish descent
- American soap opera actresses
- American stage actresses
- American tap dancers
- American television actresses
- American television personalities
- American video game actresses
- American voice actresses
- Canadian bloggers
- Canadian businesspeople
- Canadian child actresses
- Canadian expatriate actresses in the United States
- Canadian film actresses
- Canadian soap opera actresses
- Canadian stage actresses
- Canadian tap dancers
- Canadian television actresses
- Canadian television personalities
- Canadian voice actresses
- Canadian emigrants to the United States
- Interactive Achievement Award winners
- Jewish Canadian actresses
- Musicians from California
- Naturalized citizens of the United States
- People from Los Angeles, California
- Second City alumni