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Rodney Saulsberry is an American voice-over performer, actor, vocalist, announcer and author, known for his voice work on commercials (Twix, Zatarain's), his three books You Can Bank on Your Voice, Step Up to the Mic, Rodney Saulsberry's Tongue Twisters and Vocal Warm-Ups, the host of the popular podcast Success Talks With Rodney Saulsberry and the voice of Robbie Robertson in the 1994 animated TV series Spider-Man.[1][2]
Rodney Saulsberry | |
|---|---|
 Saulsberry in Glendale, California | |
| Occupation(s) | Voice-over artist, actor, vocalist, announcer, author |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse | Helen Montgomery (m. 1980) |
| Children | 1 |
Saulsberry's first R&B album Rodney Saulsberry produced two Billboard-charting singles, "I Wonder" and "Look Whatcha Done Now".
Career
editAs an actor, Saulsberry's films include The Philadelphia Experiment (1984), Tango & Cash (1989), and the animated feature The Invincible Iron Man (2007). His voice work includes audiobooks and numerous film trailers (How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Finding Forrester, Crooklyn). He narrated the documentary Ax Handle Saturday: 50 Years Later (2010), Michael Jackson: Life of a Superstar (2009), Andy Bobrow's mockumentary The Old Negro Space Program (2004), a satire on Ken Burns' Baseball (1994), and the Marvin Gaye E! True Hollywood Story (1998).[3] Currently, Rodney is the radio announcer voice for the New Orleans Pelicans Basketball Team 2012 Season.
Upscale Magazine regarded Saulsberry as "a voice to be reckoned with", while Black Enterprise magazine labeled him "the voice of choice for behind-the-scenes-narration".[4]
On television, he has been seen in various guest-star roles, including the recurring role of Anthony Walker on The Bold and the Beautiful (1987) Law & Order: LA (2010) Taxi (1978), M*A*S*H (1972), Gimme a Break! (1981), 227 (1985), The A-Team (1986), Hill Street Blues (1981), Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993), Without a Trace (2002) and Monk (2002). He was a series regular in the role of Jeff Johnson on Capitol (1982).[5]
Saulsberry, who has composed original music for several productions, created the film, television and commercial music placement website, Tomdor Music, in the fall of 2011.[6]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Look Who's Talking Now! | Dogs (voice) | [7] |
| 2003 | The Animatrix | Chyron (voice) | Segment: "Matriculated"[7] |
| 2006 | The Invincible Iron Man | Jim Rhodes (voice) | Direct-to-video[7] |
| 2011 | The Little Engine That Could | Freight Train, Bud (voice) | Direct-to-video[7] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Skeleton Warriors | Additional voices | 11 episodes |
| 1994–1997 | Aaahh!!! Real Monsters | Ufwapo, Galoth, Hal, Stagehand (voice) | 5 episodes[7] |
| 1994–1998 | Spider-Man | Robbie Robertson, additional voices | 31 episodes[7] |
| 1999–2007 | Xyber 9: New Dawn | Willy (voice) | 5 episodes |
| 2002 | Rugrats | Security Guard, Harry Halibut (voice) | Episode: "The Age of Aquarium"[7] |
| 2003 | Static Shock | Philip Rollins / Sparky (voice) | Episode: "Blast from the Past"[7] |
| 2003 | The Electric Piper | Mr. Jones (voice) | Television film[7] |
| 2006 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Additional voices | Episode: "The Drill" |
| 2006 | Minoriteam | Fasto (voice) | 7 episodes |
| 2024 | Dee & Friends in Oz | Ozzie (voice) | 8 episodes[7] |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Star Trek: Starfleet Command III | Klingon Officer | |
| 2006 | Driver: Parallel Lines | Bishop | |
| 2007 | CSI: Hard Evidence | Everett Bower, Eddie Tillis | [7] |
| 2009 | G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra | Heavy Duty | [7] |
| 2009 | Grey's Anatomy: The Video Game | Richard Webber | |
| 2011 | SOCOM 4 U.S. Navy SEALs | Wells | |
| 2022 | The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution | Sonny |
Public appearances
editSaulsberry has performed on the television variety show Soul Train and was the announcer for the 34th NAACP Image Awards and the 2003 Essence Awards. He was a guest presenter at the first annual Voice 2007 in Las Vegas and a featured speaker and panelist for two consecutive years at Voice Coaches Expo in Schenectady, New York. He has taught his voice-over workshop in various locations around the country that include, New York, Chicago, Nashville, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. He has also been a guest lecturer for the Theatre Department at Western Michigan University, California State University, Northridge and the Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem. Saulsberry has appeared at several book-signing events, including Borders and Barnes and Noble, and he is a regular featured panelist and workshop instructor for the SAG Foundation in support of the Don LaFontaine Voice-Over Lab. Rodney was a guest on the web series VO Buzz Weekly where he performed his motivational R&B single, "Miracles" from his album, "Better Than Before."[8]
Discography
edit- Midnight Crossing (1988) - "Alone" (writer, performer)
- Night and the City (1992) - "Love Doesn’t Matter" (performer)
- I'll Do Anything (1994) - "I'll Do Anything" (background vocals)
- The Lion King (1994) - "Hakuna Matata", "Circle of Life" (background vocals)
- Sprung (1997) - "We Are Love" (Writer, performer)
- The Prince of Egypt (1998) - "Playing with the Big Boys" (background vocals)
- Michael Jordan: An American Hero (1999) - "I'm So Glad You're Mine" (Writer, performer)
- Adventureland (2009) - "I Need to Know" (writer, performer)
- The Bold and the Beautiful (2010) - "Miracles", "I Like It Girl", "I Gotta Lot of Friends", "Love In Your Heart" (writer, performer)
- Just Another Day (2010) - "Better Than Before" (Writer, performer)
- Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) - "Who Do You Love" (writer, performer)
Awards
editIn 2011, Saulsberry received a nomination from the 42nd NAACP Image Awards committee in the category of Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series for his role of Anthony on The Bold and the Beautiful.
In 2012, Saulsberry received a second nomination from the 44th NAACP Image Awards committee in the category of Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series for his role of Anthony on "The Bold and the Beautiful".
Saulsberry played the lead role in the Academy Award-winning short film Violet (1981).
References
edit- ^ says, University Update (2007-05-25). "Interview 8, Rodney Saulsberry". Bob Souer. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ "Voice Over Xtra". www.voiceoverxtra.com. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ "An Interview with Rodney Saulsberry". Indezine. 2004-08-10. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ Black Enterprise
- ^ TV/film credits.[dead link]
- ^ Tomdor
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Rodney Saulsberry (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved September 12, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
- ^ Webinfo Portal.Archived 2010-12-07 at the Wayback Machine
