Have you ever heard of Tara Strong? Does the name sound familiar to you? No? Well, you might not remember her name or her face, but her voice should definitely trigger flashbacks of your childhood. After all, she did voice numerous iconic characters in television and video game series from the late '90s and early 2000s.
Tara Strong was born on February 12, 1973, in Toronto, Ontario. Since she was 4-years-old, Strong had grown an interest for acting. Through school productions, she became involved with theater and acted out many roles. She even worked with the Yiddish Theater and performed for the Toronto Jewish Theater.
At age 13, Strong’s first major professional was as Gracie in Limelight Theater’s production of "The Music Man." Her first major voice-acting role in a cartoon was in "Hello Kitty's Furry Tail Theater." Strong continued acting in various live-action and voice-acting roles, while also taking classes in Toronto. By January 1994, Strong moved to Los Angeles, where she found various opportunities and roles to pursue.
The up-and-coming voice actress began taking roles of cartoon characters that would become iconic to many children of the 90s and early 2000s. She took on numerous roles for shows on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. Some of the more well-known characters that she voiced include Timmy Turner from the long-running "Fairly OddParents," Dil Pickles from the nostalgic "Rugrats," Bubbles from the popular "Powerpuff Girls," Ben Tennyson in the well-known "Ben 10," Raven from the amazing "Teen Titans" and Batgirl/Barbara Gordon from the classic "New Batman Adventures." Her other roles included characters from "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends," "Family Guy" and "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic."
Her long list of roles include the english-translation of popular Japanese anime films, such as "Princess Mononoke" and "Spirited Away." Strong has also lent her voice on well-known video games, such as the "Metal Gear Solid" series and the "Final Fantasy" series. Currently, her most famous role in video games is as the insane clown queen, Harley Quinn, in the "Batman: Arkham" series.
Besides starring in different live-action and voice roles, Strong owns a business with her husband called VoiceStarz, which helps people get into the voice-over business. The couple also has designed and patented their own line of baby bottles with caps that allow the user to store calendar dates for breast milk storage. She has also been heavily involved in different charities and has helped raised money for their causes.
At the moment, Strong continues voicing a variety of characters on different animated television shows and video games. She currently voices Raven on "Teen Titans Go!," Poof and Timmy Turner on "The Fairly OddParents" and will also voice Ben on the new reboot that will premiere soon. Strong already has plans to lend her voice on upcoming movies, cartoons and video games in the near future.
It is quite obvious by now as to why she is considered “The Voice of Our Childhood” (literally). If you were born in the '90s or early 2000s, then you can thank the one and only Tara Strong for making our childhood so memorable and nostalgic.
