Dean Wendt

Last updated
Dean Wendt
Born
Dean Alan Wendt

(1968-02-17) February 17, 1968 (age 57)
Elgin, Illinois, U.S.
Alma mater University of Illinois [1]
Occupations
  • Voice actor
  • host
  • DJ
Years active1990-present
Spouse
Lori Plummer
​
(m. 2010)​
Children2 [2]
Website www.vothatsreal.com

Dean Alan Wendt (born February 17, 1968) is an American voice actor, host and music DJ, best known as the second voice of Barney on the hit children's show Barney & Friends following the departure of the character's original voice actor, Bob West. [3]

Contents

Career

From 1996 to 2001, Wendt was a DJ and producer on Radio Disney.

Barney & Friends

While working at Radio Disney, Wendt heard about a casting call to find a new voice actor for Barney. Wendt auditioned for Barney through his agent. Due to Wendt traveling extensively to Los Angeles, California for Radio Disney, he could never audition in person. Wendt sent in a CD of his initial audition and got a callback. After not hearing anything for a while, he was called to record another demo. Wendt did the audition in the closet at the apartment of Joseph Phillips, the music director of Barney & Friends, in Plano, Texas. [4] He also sang a couple songs and was interviewed as Barney during the auditions. [2] Prior to voicing Barney, Wendt would do the voice for his daughters, who were then two and three years old, respectively. [2]

Wendt started voicing Barney in September 2001 [5] with his first project being the music video for "We Are Family", a music video featuring various children's character made in response to 9/11. His Barney voice was first heard publicly in the 2001 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Wendt continued to portray as the purple dinosaur until the show's hiatus and did a few projects as Barney afterwards until 2013. Wendt reprised his role as Barney in 2019 for Jerry Franklin's retirement gala. [6] [7]

Personal life

On the set of Barney & Friends , Wendt met Lori Plummer who was an educational researcher and content developer of the show. They both got married during the last year the show was being produced in 2010. [8]

Filmography

2001-2023: Barney & Friends

Film

Voice role

References

  1. ↑ "Dean Wendt". PB Talent. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Myers, Kurt (January 11, 2014). "A Big Gig Comes from a Demo on CD, Recorded in a Closet". Voice Over Herald. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  3. ↑ Wendt, Dean (December 6, 2013). "Character Voices: How to make them work — VO That's Real | Dean Wendt, Voice Actor". www.vothatsreal.com. Archived from the original on 2020-01-28.
  4. ↑ Jay, Nancy; Stinson, Carey (March 12, 2019). "Listening In with Barney Musical Director Joe Phillips - Purple Tales Podcast Episode 2". Purple Tales Podcast (Podcast). Retrieved September 10, 2025– via YouTube.
  5. ↑ "Dean Wendt in Los Angeles, California, U.S." Voices. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  6. ↑ "The Jerry Franklin CPTV Gala". Hartford Courant. May 2, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  7. ↑ Jay, Nancy; Stinson, Carey (May 14, 2019). "Carey 'Barney' Stinson takes his turn in the guest chair - Purple Tales Episode 11". Purple Tales Podcast (Podcast). Retrieved September 15, 2025– via YouTube.
  8. ↑ Luna, Shirley (Spring 2020). "'Jacks of All Trades: Lori Wendt '89". Sawdust. Retrieved September 10, 2025– via Stephen F. Austin State University.
Preceded by Voice of Barney
2001, 2002–2010		Succeeded by
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