Tara Strong

Teen Titans

**Tara Lyn Strong** (née **Charendoff**; born February 12, 1973)[1] is a Canadian-American actress who has done voice work for numerous animations and video games and performed in various live-action productions. Many of her major voice roles include animated series such as *Rugrats*, *The Powerpuff Girls*, *The Fairly OddParents*, *Drawn Together*, *Ben 10*, *Chowder*, *Teen Titans*and its spin-off *Teen Titans Go!*, *DC Super Hero Girls* and *My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic* as well as video games such as *Mortal Kombat X*, *Final Fantasy X and X-2* and the *Batman: Arkham* series. Her portrayals have garnered nominations in the Annie Awards and Daytime Emmys, and an award from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.

## Early life and career

Strong was born on February 12, 1973, in Toronto, Ontario, to Syd and Lucy Charendoff. Her family, Jews who lived in Russia, had immigrated to Canada after escaping the Anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire.[2] Her parents ran a candy and novelty store called The Wiz, and Syd had also worked as a pharmacist. Tara and her older sister Marla were raised in Toronto. At age four, she became interested in acting and volunteered to be a soloist at a school production.[3] She worked with the Yiddish Theater; though she did not know the Yiddish language, she memorized her lines phonetically. She also performed with the Toronto Jewish Theater (TJA), where she acted in *A Night of Stars* and was featured in an audiotape for "Lay Down Your Arms" with the Habonim Youth Choir, where she sang the lyrics in both English and Hebrew.[3]

Her first professional role was Gracie in Limelight Theater's production of *The Music Man* at age 13.[3] She had a guest role in the action series *T. and T.* Her first major cartoon role was the title role in *Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater*.[4][5] She starred in the short-lived CBC Television sitcom *Mosquito Lake*.[3] She took improv classes at The Second City in Toronto[4] and continued acting in both animated and live-action shows and films, before moving to Los Angeles in January 1994.[6][7]

## Acting and voice-over career

Further information: Tara Strong filmography

Tara Strong at Comic-Con San Diego, 2009

Strong is the voice of numerous animated characters, including main roles in *Fillmore!* as Ingrid Third; *The Fairly OddParents* as Timmy Turner and Poof; *Rugrats* and *All Grown Up!* as Dil Pickles; *The Powerpuff Girls* as Bubbles; *Ben 10* as Ben Tennyson, Upgrade, Blitzwolfer, and Buzzshock; *Chowder* as Truffles; *Teen Titans* and *Teen Titans Go!* as Raven; *Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends* as Terrence; the singing voice of Meg Griffin and additional voices on *Family Guy*; *My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic* as Twilight Sparkle, and *Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz* as Joanni.

She has also lent her voice to English-language localizations of Japanese anime such as *Spirited Away* and *Princess Mononoke*, as well as several video games, including her work as Elisa and Ursula in *Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops*; Paz Ortega Andrade in *Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker*, *Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes*, and *Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain*; Rikku in *Final Fantasy X*, its sequel *Final Fantasy X-2*, and *Kingdom Hearts II*; Talwyn Apogee in *Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction* and its sequel, *Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty*; Harley Quinn in *Batman: Arkham City*, replacing Arleen Sorkin from the franchise; and Juliet Starling, the main character of *Lollipop Chainsaw*. She also has a minor voiceover for the Teddy Bear; Ted in the motion picture Ted.

She has appeared in live roles in *National Lampoon's Senior Trip*, *Sabrina Goes to Rome*, *Sabrina Down Under*, and *The Last White Dishwasher*. She also made guest appearances on such shows as *Forever Knight*, *Street Legal*, *Touched by an Angel*, *Take Home Chef*, *Party of Five*, *Comic Book: The Movie*, *Kung Fu: The Legend Continues*, and *3rd Rock from the Sun*.[8] In January 2013, she voiced the character Plum in Cartoon Hangover's *Bravest Warriors*, created by Pendleton Ward. She has the role of the character Miss Collins in Nickelodeon's live-action series *Big Time Rush*.[9]

In 2004, she won an Interactive Achievement Award for her role as Rikku in *Final Fantasy X-2*.[10][11] She also served as the announcer for the 1999 Kids' Choice Awards, appeared as a guest panelist at several fan conventions (including BotCon, Jacon, Comic-Con International, and Anime Overdose), and was featured on the front cover of the July/August 2004 issue of *Working Mother*magazine, in which she said, "My son is now old enough to respond to my work. To me, that's what it is all about."[12] Strong has been nominated five times for Annie Awards.[13][14][15][16]

In 2013, Strong won the Shorty Award for "Best #Actress" for her use of social media.[17] The Behind the Voice Actors website selected her for a BTVA Voice Acting Award for Voice Actress of the Year for 2013,[18] and nominated her for the 2011 and 2012 years.