MY TOP 21 ACTORS IN THE "SPIDER-MAN"(1994-1998) TV SERIES

VENOM - Hank Azaria will always be one of my favorite voice actors. It wasn't until years later I found out that he had such an impact with "The Simpsons" TV series. He made such an awesome Eddie Brock voice, far more superior than Topher Grace in the "Spider-Man 3" movie. The movie still lets me down when I think of the alien symbiote. Venom is, the highlight of this entire TV series. Definitely my favorite character of the show right next to Carnage and Spider-Man.

FUN FACT: He has estimated that he has done 'literally 100, 150 different characters' voices on The Simpsons TV series. Some characters included are Moe the Bartender, Lou the Cop, Chief Wiggum, Apu, Dr. Nick Rivera, and the Comic Book Guy.

SPIDER-MAN - Christopher Daniel Barnes has never been given the chance I think he rightfully deserves in the movie world. Probably his best movie role is when he plays the oldest brother, Greg Brady. In the two "Brady Bunch" movies. He has a very likeable personality, which fit well in the character of Peter Parker. He's still my favorite Spider-Man voice actor, even with all of the TV series and video games that followed. Without Barnes, I don't think this show would've lasted five seasons.

FUN FACT: At 22, he is the youngest actor to have played the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man.

AUNT MAY - Linda Gary had been a professional voice actor long before the role of Aunt May. I didn't know actress Linda Gary had died, and that this was her final character role she voiced. I feel like Aunt May was in more than 19 episodes but she actually wasn't. Her presence had that much of an impact, that the show even used previous recordings of her voice for the two following seasons after she passed. Aunt May, one of the biggest hearts of the Spider-Man world. RIP (1944-1995, age 50)

FUN FACT: Best known for her cartoon characters Teela, Evil-Lyn, The Sorceress, Shadow Weaver, and Madame Razz from the 80's series "She-Ra: Princess of Power" and "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe". Also as Grandma from "The Land Before Time" cartoon movie sequels.

J. JONAH JAMESON - Edward Asner really has no flaw about him, he's one of the television greats. We're lucky to get such a talented and versatile actor to be in these cartoon shows. He could be a bad guy, a good guy, or even a guest for two episodes and his voice commands. Not to mention he was one of the lead cast members for all five seasons. I love him as J.J. even more so than I do as Roland Dagget in "Batman: The Animated Series". I wish we had more class voice actors.

FUN FACT: Has won more Emmy's, 7, as an actor than any other male performer.

HOBGOBLIN - Mark Hamill can probably do any kind of villain with his voice, and be so hauntingly good. I immediately spotted his 'Joker' laugh in the role of Hobgoblin when this episode first aired. I felt so lucky as a kid to have these great actors doing the voices for my favorite heroes and villains from one cartoon to the next. As you get older, you come to respect the career of these actors as a whole.

FUN FACT: In an ironic counterpoint to his problem of being typecast as a upright hero like "Luke Skywalker" in live-action movie roles such as "Star Wars", he has found that his successful career as an animation voice actor has typecast him as a player of flamboyant villains like "The Joker" in the animated "Batman" (1992) series.

KINGPIN - Roscoe Lee Browne truly did play a well convincing role on the show. Not once did I ever imagine an actor like Roscoe Lee Browne doing the voice for the giant blobby tyrant of Kingpin. He was in more episodes than any other villain, and was always so powerful line after line. Mad props to Roscoe Lee Browne throughout his long acting career. RIP (1925-2007, age 81)

FUN FACT: He was once told by a director that his speech sounded "white", to which he responded, "We had a white maid".

DR. HERBERT LANDON - David Warner, I don't know how many kids today know this actor, but he's amazing. He could co-star in the movies "The Omen", "TRON", or "Titanic", and still capture my attention. He doesn't do a lot of cartoon characters but when he does, I'm always interested. Too bad these early talents are now nearly retired from the acting business. Because of the character Dr. Herbert Landon, we got the episodes that featured the 'X-Men', also one of my favorite Marvel cartoons.

FUN FACT: Often plays sinister villains. Originally slated to play Freddy Krueger in "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984). Make-up tests were done, but Warner had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Robert Englund was cast instead.

DR. OCTOPUS - I never put the two voices together of 'Alfred Pennyworth' from "Batman: The Animated Series" and 'Otto Octavius' from this series thinking it was the same actor. It's a great transformation from hero to bad guy between both cartoons. For the actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr. being in his 70's during that time, it certainly earns him a place in this list of talented voice actors.

FUN FACT: He has played the same character (Alfred Pennyworth) on five different series: "Batman" (1992), "Superman" (1996), "The New Batman Adventures" (1997), "Static Shock" (2000) and "Justice League" (2001).

SCORPION - Martin Landau has been an incredible actor ever since his television roles in the 50's. For the most part his career was long before my time, but the voice for Scorpion he contributed was genius. Sadly he only did the voice for two seasons before being replaced by the TV actor Richard Moll. Best known as 'Two Face' from "Batman: The Animated Series", who also did an amazing job with Scorpion.

FUN FACT: He received two of his three Oscar-nominations for portraying real-life people. One of which he won an Academy award for (Ed Wood).

KRAVEN THE HUNTER/MYSTERIO - Gregg Berger has had some very memorable cartoon character voices from the 80's to right now. I never imagined these two deadly foes being voiced by the same actor. Not to mention voiced by 'Grimlock' from "The Transformers" cartoon (my personal favorite). Out of the two villains, I'll have to choose Mysterio for being the cooler bad guy. Too bad they never made a "Spider-Man 4" movie with actor Bruce Campbell(The Evil Dead) playing Mysterio.

FUN FACT: Has provided the voices of many heroes and villains in many cartoons. Including Grimlock, Long Haul, and Jetfire from "The Transformers" (1986). Spirit and Firefly from "G.I.Joe" (1986).

SHOCKER - If you've heard of Jim Cummings then you know how in depth this Spidey cast really is. I grew up watching Jim Cummings, without even knowing that I was hearing his voice from a few different cartoons all at the same time. I'm sure a lot of his villain roles helped contribute to my taste for liking the bad guy more than the hero. Jim Cummings even does a lot of voice-over acting. A true chameleon in the voice acting world.

FUN FACT: Has provided the voices of many heroes and villains in many cartoons. Including Shredder from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (1987). Taz from "Taz-Mania" (1991). Darkwing Duck from "Darkwing Duck" (1992). And the evil Dr. Robotnik from "Sonic the Hedgehog" (1994). With many more.

HYDRO-MAN - Rob Paulsen has did it all when it comes to voice actors. He does the voice to my favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, and my favorite Animaniac character. Like a lot of these other actors in this list, just click to look at his career. He's done around a hundred different voices in cartoons, movies, and video games. I think all of us Marvel and cartoon fans would kill to have a similar kind of career. I know I certainly would.

FUN FACT: Has provided the voices of many heroes and villains in many cartoons. Including Slingshot from "The Transformers" (1986). Raphael from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (1987). Max from "Mighty Max" (1993). Yakko from "Animaniacs" (1993). Pinky from "Pinky and the Brain" (1995). With many more.

BLACK CAT - I personally like Jennifer Hale more than a lot of the other female actors who gave their voice to the show. Jennifer Hale in general has always been a temptress in her voice acting. I'm surprised they don't have a picture of her on IMDB. 'Black Cat' might not be as original as 'Catwoman', but I wouldn't compare any other two to each other.

FUN FACT: She has done much voice work in popular games franchises such as "Mass Effect" and "Metal Gear Solid". Despite frequently providing voiceovers for characters in video games, states that she doesn't play video games, much less has any interest in them.

NORMAN OSBOURNE/GREEN GOBLIN - Okay so Norman Osbourne didn't have a big impact on the show, as Norman's son Harry Osbourne did. But the original Green Goblin was voiced by the talented voice actor Neil Ross. He starred in almost every action cartoon in the 80's and 90's, which were the cartoons that had a huge influence on the kind of entertainment I still love today. The plots of these cartoons kill any cartoon that's out today, as do the actors who helped contribute to them.

FUN FACT: Has provided the voices of many heroes and villains in many cartoons. Including Bonecrusher and Springer from "The Transformers" (1986). Shipwreck and Buzzer from "G.I.Joe" (1986). Super-Skrull and Dr.Doom from "Fantastic Four" (1994). Fin Fang Foom and Yinsen from "Iron Man" (1994).

VULTURE - Eddie Albert is another actor who was around long before my time. But what better actor could you have got than someone as gifted as Eddie Albert. His personal life and his movie career is an amazing tale. I wish we could've only seen more of the Vulture on the show. He might not be one of my favorite villains out of this list, but I sure don't mind now after knowing more about the actors behind the voices. It's the best part about a cartoon series. RIP (1906-2005, age 99)

FUN FACT: The last starring role for this WWII veteran on a TV series before his death.

CAPTAIN AMERICA - David Hayter hasn't had a big career in the movie business. However he was able to write the screenplays to both of the "X-Men" and "X2" Marvel movies. As well as many other unused Marvel drafts for movies. Captain America isn't one of those mutants I thought we'd see in the Spider-Man TV series. But that's what made this cartoon so great, if it had a couple more mutants than it would've even been able to have 'The Avengers' star in a few episodes.

FUN FACT: Famous as the voice of Solid Snake in Konami's Metal Gear Solid games. He is the only Metal Gear Solid actor to actually play and beat the games he voice-acted in.

NICK FURY - Jack Angel is one of those voice actors who doesn't get enough credit. He's done dozens after dozens of movies and cartoons, yet still doesn't have a biography on IMDB. I don't know many actors for playing the role of Nick Fury, I still can't get used to the idea of actor Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in the movies. Now with Jack Angel, I see him and I see Nick Fury from the "Spider-Man" series.

FUN FACT: A famous voice-actor since the mid 70's in many TV series, Cartoon series, TV movies, and video games. Best known for his role as 'Teddy' in the movie "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" and Ultra Magnus from the 1984 TV series "The Transformers".

BLACK MARVEL - When I think of Paul Winfield I think of his role from the hit 80's movie, "The Terminator". His role as Black Marvel wasn't the biggest ally to join forces with Spidey on the TV series. But Paul Winfield is such a talented actor that he deserves to be on this list. A pair of two other black actors who had guest episodes on the Spider-Man TV series are actors James Avery and Alfonso Ribeiro. Both from the 90's TV comedy series "Fresh Prince of Bel Air". Paul Winfield will be missed. RIP (1939-2004, age 64)

FUN FACT: Earned himself an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in the movie "Sounder" (1972). Becoming the third black actor (Sidney Poitier and James Earl Jones preceded him) to receive such an honor at the time.

ANNA WATSON - Majel Barrett takes up the voice of Mary Jane Watson's denying aunt, Anna Watson, who is suspicious of Peter Parker's private life. Majel Barrett is one of the best voice actors spread out over four decades in her career. Keep in mind, this is a list of my favorite actors behind the voice and why. Majel Barrett has one of the most dedicated careers in the voice acting world. She rightfully deserves a place on this list. RIP (1932-2008, age 76)

FUN FACT: Her trade mark role was the computer voice in all five live-action "Star Trek" series as well as five of the Star Trek films.

MADAME WEB - Joan Lee has only ever starred in two different cartoon series throughout her career, this and the mid 90's "Fantastic Four" cartoon series. Her voice as Madame Web was captivating, playing an important role in Spider-Man's ultimate battle between good and evil. I never knew who Joan Lee was at the time these episodes were first airing, but now that I do know, truly amazing voice acting work.

FUN FACT: Spouse to Marvel creator Stan Lee for 65 years. Children: Joanie Celia Lee (born 1950), Jan Lee (born 1953, died three days after birth).

GWEN STACY - Mary Kay Bergman did the voice for Gwen Stacy in only one episode entitled "Farewell Spider-Man". Gwen Stacy was not included as a part of the show, though her character is one of the saddest deaths in 'The Amazing Spider-Man' comic books. Mary Kay Bergman was a truly talented actress, her suicide is one of the saddest tragedies to a voice actor much like the murder of Judith Barsi from "The Land Before Time". RIP (1961-1999, age 38)

FUN FACT: In the television series, "South Park", she voiced almost all of the female characters. Sharon Marsh, Shelly Marsh, Sheila Brofloski, Wendy Testaberger, and Carol McCormick were only a handful of voices she performed. She helped creators Parker and Stone pave the waves of fame for "South Park" in the late 1990s, until her surprising suicide on Veteran's Day of 1999.