Clancy Brown is a reserved man. A man of few words.
No really, you try writing a little article like this about him. He’s entirely polite and fun in interviews, but he gives short and concise answers and never rattles on. Doesn’t work too well when you’re looking for meaty content to talk about.
He’s also a very strong self-depricating man. When a moment of praise raises up for him he either diverts it to other members of the cast and crew or flat out denies his talent in the given project. He’s says he’s a very lucky man who feels like this was all a big accident.
His first time acting was on stage when he was in 7th grade for a play called “The Mouse that Roared”. He didn’t fully become invested in the world of acting until his friend came into his life sometime during high school. The friend was a neighbor to Clancy and a son of two atomic scientists. He was a bit of a genius and also a bit of an outcast. When they began spending time together Clancy would see the different fields his friend would learn about. One season the friend was heavily into Shakespeare and Clancy, by extension, became very interested in it as well.
Clancy ended up attending Northern University with a scholarship for discus throwing. While he was there he participated in a few plays and a little while later his track coach approached him saying “Look, you’re a better actor than you are an athlete. We think you should switch majors and give up your scholarship.” With some contemplation Clancy decided it was the right decision to follow what he truly enjoyed. He says he hasn’t had to “work” a day in his life since.
It’s funny because the characters he plays both on camera and in voice over are anything but his personality described earlier.
He seems to almost entirely play villains, tough guys, and total jerks. Dr. Neo Cortex from the Crash Bandicoot series, Yakone form The Legend of Korra, The Rhino and several other villains in The Ultimate Spider Man, Lex Luthor in several DC series, Long Feng from Avatar The Last Airbender, and Captain Black and Ratso from Jackie Chan Adventures are just a few to name.
Or take his on camera credits like Captain Hadley in The Shawshank Redemption and The Kurgan in Highlander. As Clancy himself says, “I’m always an *ss hole!”
That’s not to say he doesn’t have a share of likable and friendly roles to play. He plays Odin in The Avengers: The Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Rawhide in Buckaroo Bonzai Across the 8th Dimension, and most notably can be heard as the crusty crustacean from under the sea, Mr. Krabs.
For such a deep and commanding voice he seems to prefer to stay reserved in most cases. But maybe the words outside of our beloved series and movies aren’t as important as the content in them that often impacts us so deeply. And Clancy has certainly left a legacy behind of iconic and inspiring characters to be remembered.
Of his few choice words in interviews he does have something to say about the characters he’s been privileged to play. He says Dr. Cortex, Mr. Krabs, and Lex Luthor are among his favorites. He says that he sees Lex Luthor as a timeless and iconic character. (Clancy is actually the voice actor to portray Lex for the longest amount of time.) He says of Mr. Krabs that he thinks kids view him as the “adult” center of the show and provides that balance to Spongebob and Patrick’s antics that the show needs. He also speaks highly of the Nickelodeon Avatar world and that he put in the word to the show’s voice director, Andrea Romano, that he strongly wanted to have a part in the second series (Korra). He feels privileged to play Yakone and to be a further part of the franchise.
Maybe it’s not necessary to be a man of many words. If you deliver the performance that resonates, that’s what counts. Clancy is most certainly a shining example.
NEXT EDITION’S FEATURED VOICE ACTOR: The nunchuck whirling Turtle himself, Townsend Coleman!
Chrispoiriervo 