Please Rewind Talent Wall

Bill Farmer

Bill Farmer has built his career on the idea that voice acting begins with acting, not simply with making a funny sound. That approach has served him well across decades of animation, film, television and video games, most notably as the voice of Disney’s Goofy. Born on November 14, 1952, in Pratt, Kansas, Farmer began experimenting with voices at 10, performing impressions of Western stars including John Wayne and Walter Brennan. After graduating from the University of Kansas in 1975, he worked in radio and television before moving into stand-up comedy as an impressionist. He performed at the Comedy Corner in Dallas from 1982 until his move to Hollywood in 1986. Farmer’s early guidance came from voice actor Daws Butler, who stressed that a character voice needs thought, motivation and performance behind it. That lesson shaped Farmer’s audition for Goofy in 1986. He studied Pinto Colvig’s original performance, including the character’s laugh and distinctive delivery, and inherited the role in January 1987. He added Pluto in 1990 and originated Disney’s version of Horace Horsecollar in The Prince and the Pauper. His range extends well beyond those recurring Disney characters. Farmer supplied voices for The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse, Space Jam, A Bug’s Life, The Iron Giant, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Brother Bear and The Incredibles. He also appeared on screen as reporter Justin Ballard-Watkins in RoboCop and later hosted the Disney+ series It’s a Dog’s Life with Bill Farmer. Television gave him another substantial role as Hopediah “Hop Pop” Plantar in Amphibia from 2019 to 2022. Across all these performances, Farmer’s work reflects the principle taught by Butler: the voice may catch the ear, but the character has to come first.