The faces behind some of TV's most iconic voices

The Big Bang Theory fans will instantly recognise the unmistakable, booming New Jersey accent of Howard’s mother, Mrs. Wolowitz. Though she was a constant presence in the show, we only ever caught fleeting glimpses of the character –  her name, “Debbie”, was finally revealed in the season seven finale, but the character remained affectionately known as Mrs. Wolowitz or ma, defined by her overprotective motherly love for both her son and his friends.  

Behind that iconic voice was actress Carol Ann Susi, a seasoned performer who’d appeared in the likes of That ‘70s Show, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and NYPD Blue. When Carol passed away in 2014, the show chose to retire the character rather than recast her, in a touching tribute to the actress’ inimitable influence on the show. Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed a sweet nod to her in the season eight episode “The Comic Book Store: Relocation”, in the form of a small photo on Leonard and Sheldon’s fridge.

Every Friends fan remembers the infamous “Ugly Naked Guy” – formerly the “Cute Naked Guy” – the perpetually unclothed neighbour living across the street from Monica and Rachel’s apartment. An offbeat fixture known for cleaning with nothing on (and the curtains open), the character remained a running gag for years, only appearing on-screen with his back turned to the camera three times.

After two decades of speculation and internet sleuthing, it was finally revealed in 2016 that actor Jon Haugen was the voice behind the character. Jon was never credited for his appearances, and when a Huffpost journalist tracked him down, he explained the secrecy: “The reason I never came forward was because I was just keeping it mellow…they [Warner Brothers] wanted everybody to have a guess who I was”. 

“You’re nobody until you’re talked about,” the all-knowing chronicler of Upper East Side drama once famously declared. While the identity of Gossip Girl sent fans into a frenzy for years – finally revealed as Dan Humphrey in the show’s final episode – it was the unmistakable voice of Kristen Bell that protected the blogger’s identity and infused charm and mischief into the show’s narration, all sealed with the sultry sign-off, “xoxo, Gossip Girl”.

Kristen was confirmed as the voice of Gossip Girl just before the show’s premiere in 2007, following the cancellation of Veronica Mars. Kristen, who wanted to continue working with The CW, felt she was too old for an on-screen part, so pitched the idea of a narrator for the adaptation – a choice that would become central to the show’s style. The Nobody Wants This actress went on to narrate every episode of the original series, and also returned to lend her voice to the HBO Max revival series.

One of television’s original running gags – and the inspiration for keeping Mrs. Wolowitz’s unseen in The Big Bang Theory – Carlton was the incompetent (and often tipsy) doorman of Rhoda and Brenda’s Manhattan apartment building, whose interactions with tenants exclusively happened over the intercom. After much speculation, the identity of Carlton was finally revealed in a one-off animated special Carlton Your Doorman as voice actor Lorenzo Music, a sitcom veteran who co-created The Bob Newhart Show.

Following Rhoda, Lorenzo exercised his voice acting skills for the most famous role of his career – Garfield. Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, Lorenzo voiced the popular comic book cat in over twelve TV specials, ads, and the cartoon Garfield and Friends (1988–1994). Following his death in 2001, the mantle was passed onto Bill Murray and Frank Welker – proving Lorenzo served the franchise infinitely better than the character Carlton served as Rhoda’s doorman.

The ultimate nosy neighbour, Wilson W. Wilson Jr. lived next door to the Taylor family in Home Improvement and became known for delivering quirky anecdotes and pearls of wisdom to Tim – all while having his face obscured by the fence. Actor Earl Hindman was credited for his part – and TV fans already knew him from the soap opera Ryan’s Hope – but the show continued the gag right up until the end of the series.

The decision to obscure Wilson’s face was partly inspired by star Tim Allen’s experiences with his neighbours as a child in Michigan, and although it wasn’t set to be a long-running gag, the show found increasingly creative ways to hide Wilson’s face that resonated with audiences. The actor went on to appear in over 200 episodes of the show before his final bow – alongside a cardboard cut-out of a fence.

The wife of Norm who is never fully seen on-screen, Vera Peterson served as a connection to Norm’s life outside the world of Cheers, only making a few voice appearances throughout the series. While she did make a brief appearance in one episode – covered by a pumpkin pie – it became a running gag that she solely interacted with the bar’s patrons from other rooms.

Vera was actually voiced by Norm actor George Wendt’s real-life wife Bernadette Birkett, an actress known for films like The Ratings Game (1984). Bernadette’s only credited appearance is in season 11, and fans were ecstatic when they finally found out. The actress told People in 1993 that the Cheers cast “got along like siblings…to somebody peeking in from the outside, they look like they’re having the greatest time in the world”. The couple were married from 1978 up until George’s death in 2025.

Some fans knew from the opening “Good Morning, Angels” who voiced the mysterious presence of Charlie in Charlie’s Angels, but the identity of the actor was intentionally kept as discrete as possible to add to the character’s mystery. Charlie, who spoke to the “Angels” through a speakerphone, never appeared on set and was never credited in the show, despite network requests to show him on-screen. 

Seasoned actor John Forsythe was the man behind the voice, who was recognisable to some viewers from the popular ‘50s sitcom Bachelor Father. The actor told the Television Academy that he took over the role last-minute at the request of producers, and that appearing only as disembodied voice was “part of the fun”. Outside of Charlie’s Angels, John was perhaps best known for his starring role as Blake Carrington in Dynasty.

A suitable mystery for this popular crime drama, the enigmatic Robin Masters only appeared in six episodes of Magnum, P.I. delivering cryptic voice messages to Thomas Magnum, but left fans divided over who his on-screen identity could be – a running gag the series ran with. Off screen, however, legendary actor Orson Welles provided the voice of Robin, bringing his classic Citizen Kane gravitas to the part.

Orson was set to make an on-screen appearance as Robin in the series finale, possibly putting to rest rumours that Robin was actually Jonathan Higgins, but passed away in 1985 before it could happen. Red Crandell took over the role for the remainder of the series, and in a twist, producers opted to preserve Robin’s true identity even after the show concluded.