Rodger Bumpass

Rodger Bumpass (born November 20, 1951)[1] is an American actor. He is known for his role as Squidward Tentacles on the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. He voices several other characters on the show as well, including the purple doctor fish and various anchovies.
He also voiced The Chief in the animated series Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?, Professor Membrane from Invader Zim and Mr. Besser, the school principal in the animated series The Kids from Room 402. Bumpass has many other credits in animated films, animated television series, and video games.
== Early life[edit] ==
Rodger Bumpass was born on November 20, 1951, in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Carroll C. (1923–2009) and Virginia Cathey Bumpass (1921–2004).[2][3] He had two siblings, one of whom was stillborn. His parents ran a dry cleaning business. He described his mother as “the life of the family” and his father “a typical Southern male with Southern male disgust“ but added that he was loving and giving.[3] As a child, Bumpass idolized Mel Blanc and would do impressions of Looney Tunes characters as well as other cartoon characters. He memorized the comedy albums of Jonathan Winters and Bill Cosby.[4]
Bumpass attended Little Rock Central High School, where he received his first training in theater. He then majored in radio–TV and minored in theater at Arkansas State University. He worked at the campus radio station and also at Jonesboro's ABC affiliated television station, KAIT-TV, where he had multiple duties as announcer, film processor, cameraman, audio technician, and technical director.[3] While at KAIT, Bumpass also wrote, produced, and performed in a late-night comedy program called Mid-Century Nonsense Festival Featuring Kumquat Theater.[5] He graduated from A-State in 1976, and when encouraged by an A-State professor to consider professional theater, he moved to New York in June 1977.[3]
== Career[edit] ==
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rodger_Bumpass_-_Standing_at_Panel_-_Cropped.jpg|thumb|Bumpass in 2009
Bumpass has been voicing and acting in films since the 1960s and has also appeared on stage through the mid-1970s until the late 1980s.[3][6][7] He is also known for voicing The Chief from Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?, Doctor Light on Teen Titans, and Professor Membrane on Invader Zim.[3]
In the late 1970s, Bumpass was involved with a number of National Lampoon productions. In 1977, he won a role in the National Lampoon music and comedy road show That's Not Funny, That's Sick[8][9] and toured with them until 1978. That same year, he appeared in the National Lampoon TV special Disco Beaver from Outer Space for HBO. In 1979, Bumpass was cast as the leading role in a National Lampoon film to be called Jaws 3, People 0 in which he would have a love scene with Bo Derek. However, the film was canceled due to objections by the creators of the movie Jaws.[3] In 1980, Bumpass created the character of 'Fartman' to appear on the National Lampoon LP The White Album, which later inspired the Howard Stern character by the same name.[10]
Bumpass is best known to present-day viewers as the voice of Squidward Tentacles and various incidental characters on the Nickelodeon animated comedy series SpongeBob SquarePants.[11][12]
In 2012, Bumpass received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for his role as Squidward.[13]
== Personal life[edit] ==
On July 27, 2019, Bumpass married Angela VanZandt, with whom he attended high school fifty years prior.[14]
=== Legal issues[edit] ===
On January 15, 2016, Bumpass was arrested for alleged DUI in Burbank, California. A police report of the incident alleged that officers of the Burbank Police Department found Bumpass in his blue car in the middle of the road. He was said to have leaned against the car, and when officers walked up to Bumpass for questioning, he tried to walk away and lost his balance, nearly falling to the ground. He confessed to driving after drinking at a Burbank bar before the police spotted him, and he was soon handcuffed after failing a sobriety test. His blood alcohol levels were said to be more than twice the legal limit. He was later released on a $15,000 bail shortly the next morning.[15][16][17]
The incident was first reported by celebrity gossip website TMZ several days after it occurred, on January 19. A day later, Bumpass alleged to the website that the police had lied about the DUI report, claiming that he was not leaning against his car when officers spotted him, and that he was being tailed and pulled over by the officers before his arrest, though he did confess again to the DUI charge. Nickelodeon representatives were notified of the incident by Bumpass, but did not release any immediate comments or actions regarding the matter.[18]
On January 25, 2016, ten days after the incident, Nickelodeon representatives confirmed to TMZ that Bumpass would remain on SpongeBob SquarePants for the foreseeable future. The representatives alleged that the network did not consider DUI charges to be an immoral act, and thus Bumpass was not legally subject to termination.[19]
== Filmography[edit] ==
=== Live action roles[edit] ===
==== Film[edit] ====
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1981	Escape from New York 	Dancer 	Credited as Roger Bumpass
1986	National Lampoon's Class of '86 	 	[20]
1987	The Running Man 	Phil Hilton 	
1996	Bio-Dome 	Narrator 	
1999	Baby Huey's Great Easter Adventure	Baby Huey (in-suit performer), Irv	Direct-to-video
==== Television[edit] ====
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1978	Disco Beaver from Outer Space 	 	Television film
1981	Two Reelers 	Roger 	Television film[21]
1983	Wizards and Warriors 	Prisoner 	Episode: "The Dungeon of Death"
1984	Footlight Frenzy 	Benny the Stage Manager, Johnny Chicago	Television film
1984	Hot Flashes 	Chuck Fodder 	5 episodes[22]
1988	What Price Victory 	 	Television film
1992	Silk Stalkings 	Jack Fellman 	Episode: "Shock Jock"
1994	Shadow of Obsession 	Custodian 	Television film
1995	Hart to Hart: Secrets of the Hart 	Higgins 	Television film
2002	Santa Jr. 	Wally Fisk 	Television film
2003	Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure	Lab Visitor, Plumber, Air Controller 	Television film
2004	Just Desserts 	Boz Roswell 	Television film
2004	Murder Without Conviction 	Patrick Talley, Jr. 	Television film
2004	A Boyfriend for Christmas 	Russell Parker 	Television film
2007	Marco Polo 	Rustigielo 	Television film
=== Voice over roles[edit] ===
==== Film[edit] ====
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1981	Heavy Metal 	Hannover Fiste, Dr. Anrak[23] 	Credited as Roger Bumpass
1984	Robo Force: The Revenge of Nazgar 	Mark Fury 	
1992	Porco Rosso 	Blond Pirate 	English dub
1994	The Super Dave Superbowl of Knowledge 	Additional voices 	Television film
1995	Theodore Rex 	Additional voices 	
1996	The Hunchback of Notre Dame 	Frollo's Soldiers 	
1997	Hercules 	Man pointing at Young Hercules 	
1997	Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas	Additional voices 	Direct-to-video
1998	Quest for Camelot 	Additional voices 	
1998	A Bug's Life 	Harry Mosquito 	
1998	Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World 	Additional voices 	Direct-to-video
1998	Antz 	Additional voices 	Uncredited
1999	Doug's 1st Movie 	Additional voices 	
1999	Toy Story 2 	Clerk 	
1999	The Iron Giant 	Maine Man, Rick the Soldier 	
1999	Tarzan 	Elephant #2, David 	credited as Roger Bumpass
1999	Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost 	Perkins 	Direct-to-video
1999	The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man 	Dr. Octopus 	
2000	Titan A.E 	Additional Vocals 	Uncredited
2000	The Emperor's New Groove 	Male Villager #8, Male Villager #1 	
2001	Atlantis: The Lost Empire 	Mr. Hickenbottom, Chief of the Watch	ADR Group
2001	Spirited Away 	Foreman 	2002 English dub
2001	Monsters, Inc. 	CDA, News Anchor 	
2001	Osmosis Jones 	Announcer for Nerve News Network 	
2001	Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius 	Additional Voices 	Uncredited
2002	Cinderella II: Dreams Come True 	King's Guards 	Direct-to-video
2002	The Hunchback of Notre Dame II 	Frollo's Soldiers 	Direct-to-video
Uncredited
2002	Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron 	Colonel's Soldiers 	
2002	Treasure Planet 	Turnbuckle, Police Robot #1 	
2002	Lilo & Stitch 	Man 	
2003	Brother Bear 	Male Bear #2 	
2004	The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 	Squidward Tentacles[23] 	
2004	The Incredibles 	Mr. Incredible's Lawyer 	
2006	Curious George 	Hunter #1 	
2006	Cars 	Claude Scruggs 	
2006	Ice Age: The Meltdown 	Various Mammals 	
2009	The Haunted World of El Superbeasto 	Screaming Patron[23] 	Direct-to-video
(credited as Roger Bumpass)
2010	Kung-Fu Magoo 	General Smith, Driver[23] 	
2013	Monsters University 	Jerry Jablonski 	
2015	The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water[24] 	Squidward Tentacles 	
2019	Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus 	Professor Membrane[23] 	Netflix film
2020	The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run 	Squidward Tentacles[23] 	
2021	Seal Team 	Sharks[23] 	
2024	Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie 	Squidward Tentacles[25] 	Netflix film
2025	The Plankton Movie 	Squidward Tentacles[25] 	Netflix film
==== Television[edit] ====
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1984 	Alvin and the Chipmunks 	Additional voices 	13 episodes
1985 	The Jetsons 	Additional voices 	Episode: "Elroy in Wonderland"
1987 	Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures 	Additional voices 	17 episodes
1989 	Ring Raiders 	Scorch 	5 episodes
1989–1991 	The Real Ghostbusters 	Louis Tully 	12 episodes
1991 	TaleSpin 	Dr. Axolotl 	Episode: "Bullethead Baloo"
1991 	Tiny Toon Adventures 	Ronald Grump 	Episode: "Pollution Solution"[23]
1991 	Toxic Crusaders 	Toxie, Dr. Killemoff 	13 episodes
Credited as Roger Bumpass
1992 	Petal to the Metal 	Grumbles 	Short
1992 	Raw Toonage 	Grumbles the Grizzly 	13 episodes
1993 	Batman: The Animated Series 	Hoffman 	Episode: "Paging the Crime Doctor"
1993 	Problem Child 	Additional voices 	Television series short
1993–1994 	Bonkers 	Grumbles Grizzly 	10 episodes
1994 	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 	Titanus 	3 episodes
1994–1999 	Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? 	Chief 	40 episodes[23]
1995 	Timon & Pumbaa 	Savage Lion 	Episode: "You Ghana Join the Club"
1996 	Quack Pack 	Countdown Voice 	Episode: "None Like It Hot"
1997 	101 Dalmatians: The Series 	Additional voices 	Unknown episodes
1998 	The Angry Beavers 	Elephant, Sentry 	Episode: "Zooing Time"
1998 	CatDog 	Pig 	Episode: "CatDogPig"
1998 	Oh Yeah! Cartoons 	Ravenrant, Radio DJ, Announcer, Cyclops 	2 episodes[23]
1998 	Monster Farm 	Rex, Frankenswine 	[23]
1999 	Rugrats 	Uncle Freddy 	Episode: "Brothers Are Monsters"[23]
1999–present	SpongeBob SquarePants 	Squidward Tentacles, various characters 	[23]
1999–2000 	The Kids from Room 402 	Principal Besser 	13 episodes[23]
2000 	Batman Beyond 	Cop 	Episode: "Betrayal"[23]
2001 	Time Squad 	Socrates 	Episode: "Feud for Thought"
2001–2003 	Invader Zim 	Professor Membrane, others 	18 episodes[23]
2002 	The Zeta Project 	Submarine Captain 	Episode: "The Hologram Man"[23]
2002 	3-South 	Additional voices 	Episode: "College Material"
2003–2005 	Teen Titans 	Doctor Light 	3 episodes[23]
2003–2008 	ChalkZone 	Biclops / Man 	10 episodes
2005 	What's New, Scooby-Doo? 	Steve 	Episode: "Gentlemen, Start Your Monsters"
2007–2008 	Yin Yang Yo! 	The Lesson 	2 episodes
2008 	Random! Cartoons 	Lemurman 	Episode: "Mind the Kitty"[23]
2010 	Chuggington 	Additional voices 	
2012 	Gravity Falls 	Various characters 	
2013–present	Teen Titans Go! 	Doctor Light 	Recurring role[23]
2014–2020 	Doc McStuffins 	Army Al 	10 episodes[23]
2015 	We Bare Bears 	Theater Manager 	Episode: "Shush Ninjas"
2015–2016 	Mixels 	Flamzer, Naut, Major Nixel, Gate Keepe, Narrator, others[23]	2 episodes
2021 	Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years	Squidward Tentacles, Regigilled, Campers[23] 	
2021 	The Patrick Star Show 	Squidward Tentacles, various characters[23] 	
Category:1951 births
Category:Living people
Category:Actors from Craighead County, Arkansas
Category:American male comedians
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American male video game actors
Category:American male voice actors
Category:Arkansas State University alumni
Category:Nickelodeon people