When you need a very specific voice for a movie, TV show, or video game, it seems Bill Hader is your guy. It was just announced that Hader will have a role in Finding Dory, the sequel to Finding Nemo, but it's just one of the many (many, many) voice acting roles the Saturday Night Live alumnus has racked up over the years. While he's starred as Aaron, the too good to be true love interest of Amy Schumer in Trainwreck and co-starred with Kristen Wiig in The Skeleton Twins, not to mention hilarious supporting roles in Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the To Do List, written and directed by his wife Maggie Carey, it's probably more likely your favorite Hader roles are ones where he's heard and not seen.
Seriously, just peruse his IMDb page, and you'll count off 28 roles in animated movies, TV shows, and video games. You'll easily recognize that voice of his — he often doesn't change it too much — in say that very famous Pixar movie from last year, but he's managed to keep himself busy taking on both big and small voice roles that have made it fun to try and spot his voice. To make things a little easier, I've highlighted a few of Hader's best voices, some of which sound exactly like him, while others have him putting on a peculiar new accent in hopes of getting at the character. (His French-Canadian one is hilariously spot-on, just so you know.)
1. Inside Out (2015)
Obviously, his most famous voice role to date, Hader played Fear in the Pixar movie that looks at the emotions of one little girl named Riley. Hader's voice doesn't sound too unlike his own as he keeps Riley safe from all the scary things in the world, which ranges from internal combustion to getting called on by the teacher. Luckily, he still thinks earthquakes are a myth, or he'd be even more jittery.
2. Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs (2009)
Hader stars as amateur inventor Flint Lockwood in this delicious movie, which was many fans first introduction to his voice work, and its 2013 sequel where he accidentally causes it to rain food down from the skies onto his hometown. Worse, the food starts to mutate. Hader, who again changed his voice very little, had to scream, shout, and act horrified by the thought of flying food. Hader also had to eat a lot of hamburgers to get that chewing sound just right. I think he nailed it.
3. Mr. Peanut (2013)
Yes, that talking Planter's peanut with his monocle and cane is voiced by none other than Hader, who inherited the role from Robert Downey, Jr. Hader's Mr. Peanut is a man who wants to help you stay energized, doing commercials for Planters Nut-rition Sustaining Energy Mix. He's also more of an every-man, just trying to stay active. Hader's voice is more laidback, a bit cooler, with a little Tony Robbins thrown in. Seriously, this guy knows how to engage a crowd.
4. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Those blips and bleeps of the adorable BB-8? All courtesy of the movie's vocal consultant Hader, along with some help from Parks and Recreation's Ben Schwartz. Hader told the Washington Post about voicing the soccer ball droid that director J.J. Abrams played around with an iPad voice effects app, while he used a voice morphing talk box to give it that mechanical sound, which is nearly as adorable as the little droid itself.
5. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)
Hader gets to be "The Voice," narrating Scott Pilgrim's backstory. He basically is the all-knowing voice that fills in for the captions of the graphic novel itself. While Hader's voice often doesn't change, for this role, he goes deep and gruff to become the almighty voice that keeps viewers in the loop.
6. Bob's Burgers (2012-2014)
Hader has stopped by Bob's restaurant more than a couple of times, taking on the role of Mickey, a former bank robber who befriends the Belchers. He's straight out of Dog Day Afternoon when he tries to rob the bank across the street without his friend Rodney, but Bob helps protect him and later gives him a job at the restaurant, only to find out he's trying to pull another robbery. He's really not a bad guy though, and Mickey shows up around town to do some odd jobs like run an amusement park ride and drive a pedicab.
7. The Awesomes (2013-2015)
On this show about a team of superheroes who just happen to be the best of all time, Dr. Giuseppe Malocchio is a villain who can control your mind and enjoys fine dining. Since he's such an evil guy, Hader decided to give him a vaguely Russian accent that definitely sounds like he should be twirling that mustache of his.
8. Her (2013)
Scarlett Johansson is the voice you'll remember from Her, certainly not Hader as Chat Room Friend #2. In fact, you probably missed it entirely. No one blames though you, since Hader is playing a man pretending to be a woman in a phone-sex chat room. Also, he gets a bit overshadowed by Kristen Wiig, who plays another woman in the chat room who asks Joaquin Phoenix's Theodore to choke her with a dead cat. Hard to be remembered after that.
9. Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (2011)
Hader plays Hansel in this sequel to Hoodwinked! Like the original, Little Red Riding Hood is training to save her storybook friends, who have been taken hostage. This time around, she's got to save Hansel and Gretel, played by Amy Poehler from an evil witch. For this role, Hader puts on a German accent, perfect for a child who may look cute with those baby cheeks, but is really quite the evil mastermind.
10. Turbo (2013)
Usually, Hader gets to voice the lovable losers, but, in this movie about a garden snail that wants to become the fastest snail in the world, he's a real jerk. As Guy Gagné, a five-time Indianapolis 500 champion, he's the guy Theo, a.k.a. Turbo, looks up to. But he's really just doing it for the money; he doesn't care about the sport. To play this dastardly character, Hader went with a deep French-Canadian accent, which seems perfect for this conceited race car driver.
11. Monsters University (2013)
Hader is pretty adorable in the prequel to Monsters, Inc as Slug, who tries so hard to get to school on time. But, you know, he's a slug, so quick isn't really his thing. His voice though is very peppy, nothing lethargic about it.
12. Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)
You didn't see Hader in Star Trek, and you may not have even noticed that you hear him. He was the voice of the Computer on the USS Vengeance who lets Benedict Cumberbatch know he's going down. In a very mechanical, non-emotional way, of course.
13. Aqua Teen Hunger Force (2009-2010)
What does an inflatable Hitler sound like? Turns out, Bill Hader with a funny Austrian accent. His take on the Fuhrer has him realizing the wrongs he's committed thanks to his love of Adam Sandler. Yeah, that sounds about right for this show.
For those who can't wait to hear Hader's voice again, don't worry, his vocal chords are set to have a very busy 2016. He'll be voicing Guacamole in Seth Rogen's Sausage Party, a giant in Steven Spielberg's The BFG and Leonard, a pig, in The Angry Birds. Can't wait to hear what all of these guys sound like, though, we imagine, they won't sound that much different than Bill Hader.
Image: Giphy
