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Over the years, AIO has had many talented actors. Who, do you think has been the best actor so far? I think that HANDS DOWN Katie Leigh is the best, the emotional performances she can pull off are just WOW.

I don't know if I can say categorically who was the best, but I'll give some of my favorites.

Aria Curzon was fantastic as Mandy. Listening to her in the Straussberg separation saga really made me feel for Mandy—the emotional turmoil she went through is very organic in those episodes. Aria's one of those actresses who has great chemistry with almost anyone with whom she performs, and her interactions with Robbie Rist as David, Nathan Carlson as Stephen, and Vanessa Marshall as Rachel were all so very real and natural.

I also really enjoy Kendre Berry's portrayal of Marvin. Don't get me wrong, Jordan Calloway wasn't bad, but he made Marvin seem like this slightly-timid, average Joe, insecure guy with a bit of sass on the side. Kendre Berry brought out a cocky, outgoing, snarky character who was much more interesting as a person and who provided good contrast to high-strung characters like Trent and Tamika with his more laid-back personality.

Earl Boen is nothing short of marvelous as both Blackgaards; it's almost hard to believe that the same guy can produce the glorious hamminess and theatrics of Edwin and the bonechilling deadliness of Regis. I have to wonder how the recording of "The Return" went down, considering how rapidly he would have had to switch between Edwin's utter terror at seeing his brother again vs. Regis's menacing intimidation of his brother if their lines were recorded simultaneously.

There are others, of course, but those are the three that stand out to me.

Hmm... good topic, gabler. I would actually agree with tiger shadow that Kendre Berry's performance as Marvin is highly underrated among AIO fans. Now that I think about it, he might be one of the few "deep-voiced" characters that the show has. However, I wouldn't necessarily call him the "best".

As far as the actual most skilled actors that the show has ever had (in terms of the voice suiting the character, their ability to change voices, and do many different kinds of scenes) I would say that, in my humble opinion, the five most talented actors AIO has ever had would have to be, in no particular order: Corey Burton, Hal Smith, Walker Edminston, Earl Boen, and Alan Young. All men, I know, but... get over it. Honorable mentions include Dave Madden, Katie Leigh, and Will Ryan. I think it sort of goes without saying that the best actors on AIO are going to be playing the major adult characters. Still, the kiddies deserve a shoutout too, so, once again in my humble opinion, the three greatest child actors the show has ever had are: Genni Mullen (Long), Brandon Gilberstadt, and the almighty David Griffin.

Maybe it's just me being weird, but I tend to pay more attention to child actors I like, probably because to me it takes more skill to be able to own your character when you're a kid and you're less experienced than when you're an adult who has been doing voice acting for many years...which is probably another reason why I'm not a fan of adult actors voicing young children. //shrug

But yes, I agree, the actors you mentioned are very talented—especially Corey Burton and Walker Edmiston, with enough voices in their arsenals to give Mel Blanc a run for his money. Wish Corey was still on the show. It's just not the same without having eight different characters in one episode all falling under his credit.

Yes, I would definitely agree that adult actors playing kid characters give the characters a more "polished" feel, making them less genuine as kids, as opposed to the technically subpar, yet still more entertaining and realistic performances of the early kids on AIO. However, I never really got a "polished" feel from the adult actors I mentioned. They seemed just as genuine in their adult parts as the old AIO kids, plus they had the experience and vocal talent to complement that genuine feel, so I would ultimately say that I prefer those actors to the kids. Still, David Griffin and Genni Long made it a close race.

ArnoldtheRubberDucky wrote:Yes, I would definitely agree that adult actors playing kid characters give the characters a more "polished" feel, making them less genuine as kids, as opposed to the technically subpar, yet still more entertaining and realistic performances of the early kids on AIO. However, I never really got a "polished" feel from the adult actors I mentioned. They seemed just as genuine in their adult parts as the old AIO kids, plus they had the experience and vocal talent to complement that genuine feel, so I would ultimately say that I prefer those actors to the kids. Still, David Griffin and Genni Long made it a close race.

I think Christina Puccelli is brilliant. Peasant

I'm ashamed to say I don't know my actors, But whoever plays Penny is great!

Kimmy Robertson plays Penny, and she does have a pretty unique voice.

Well again, I love Kimmy and Kristina Zach etc... but there was a topic just like this recently, Which Character Has the Best Voice.

Brandon Gilberstad was pretty good.

So was Hal Smith.

Pound Foolish wrote:Well again, I love Kimmy and Kristina Zach etc... but there was a topic just like this recently, Which Character Has the Best Voice.

The best voice and best actor are totally different. Penny does have a unique voice, but she's not the best actor.

I'd go for Tom. He's great with the emotions. Other characters are bad at emotions. Particularly crying, that always sounds fake.

Tom in The Mortal Coil at Whit's bedside, and dealing with his animosity towards P. D. Barnes in Greater Love are, in my opinion, two of the greatest scenes in Odyssey history. They bring out the emotional side to a person that is a bulwark when everyone else is struggling.

Yes, I would agree with that, TOJ. Walker Edminston is definitely in the top 3 Best AIO Actors Ever. But I still believe that Corey Burton was the most versatile. I mean, when you think about the difference in voices from Cryin' Bryan Dern and Shakespeare, it's just amazing. Perhaps even more amazing than the difference between Tom and Bart. I remember trying to find really tiny vocal similarities between Dern and Shakespeare one time, and I literally could not do it. I could actually find a hint of Tom in Bart and vice-versa, as well as a hint of Doris in the old Katrina, but Dern and Shakespeare are really about as different vocally as Odyssey characters get.

Will Ryan is one of the best actors in my opinion. I mean who would think he played Harlow Doyle?