Maybe you know him best as Pinky, or Yakko, or Raphael, or by one of his hundreds of other characters, but we know him best as our friend and host of Talkin’ Toons. But soon everyone will know the story of how one of the greatest voice actors in the world almost lost his career and his life to throat cancer. Rob Paulsen details his journey in his new memoir, Voice Lessons: How a Couple of Ninja Turtles, Pinky, and an Animaniac Saved My Life.
Warm, funny, and kind, Rob is the absolute best. He’s also insanely talented, but that you already knew. He voices so many characters that it’s probably quicker to list the animated shows, movies, and video games he hasn’t worked on during his 35-year career. Of course for many he’ll always best be known a Pinky from Pinky and the Brain, Yakko from Animaniacs, and Raphael from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon.
Rob’s story goes beyond voicing those amazing characters: he battled throat cancer. Fortunately, Rob had a full recovery after aggressive treatment and recovery regimen. He explores the new outlook it gave him on his career and life in his new book Voice Lessons. We have your exclusive look at the cover:
Written with Mike Fleeman, Voice Lessons tells the life-affirming tale of how Rob beat cancer and rededicated himself to his fans—especially the new ones, the hundreds of sick children and their families he met. This book is a way for him to reach even more fans. As Rob said about beating cancer, “I can not only continue to make a living, but make a difference, and I can’t wait to use that on the biggest scale that I can.”
Voice Lessons: How a Couple of Ninja Turtles, Pinky, and an Animaniac Saved My Life by Rob Paulsen with Mike Fleeman will be available from Viva Editions at Start Publishing on October 8, 2019. You can pre-order it now at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo.
Voice Lessons cover photo: Lesley Bohm