Spike Spencer

Last updated

Spike Spencer
Spike Spencer 2019.png
Spencer in 2019
Born
Charles Forrest Spencer

(1968-12-21) December 21, 1968 (age 54)
Education University of Houston
OccupationVoice actor
Years active1989–present
AgentPastorini-Bosby Talent
Notable credits
Spouses
  • Kendra Benham (divorced)
  • Kim MacKenzie
    (m. 2014)
Children2
Website www.spikespencer.com

Charles Forrest "Spike" Spencer [1] (born December 21, 1968) is an American voice actor and columnist best known for dubbing Japanese anime films. He is known for his roles in ADV Films dubs of Neon Genesis Evangelion as Shinji Ikari, Martian Successor Nadesico as Akito Tenkawa, and Excel Saga as Gojo Shioji. He has also performed voice acting for radio, especially commercials. His anime character voices tend to be either for timid, shy, or weak characters, or for eccentric and comical ones.

Contents

Career

Spencer attended the University of Houston for four years. [2] After doing a number of independent films, he met Amanda Winn-Lee, who suggested he audition for anime English dubbing at ADV Films. Spencer first landed a supporting role of Prime Minister Mikoshiba in Super Atragon, then a leading role of Takateru in Suikoden Demon Century. In August 1996, Spencer was cast as the lead role of Shinji Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion . After ADV Films' collapse, Funimation acquired the rights to the Rebuild of Evangelion movies. As part of Funimation's goal to get the service of the original voice actors from shows and movies they acquired distributing rights for, Spencer reprised Shinji in the movies. [2]

Spencer has done commercials for Houston Cellular, Applebee's, Kroger, Chevrolet, and Subway. Spencer has done additional acting in live-action films and in TV series such as The Big Easy. [2]

Spencer also travels the world with his panel, Don't Kill Your Date (and Other Cooking Tips), which teaches Spencer's trademark "food game," giving dating advice for men, cooking tips, and easy dinner recipes. Spencer's dating tips have been featured in USA Today and Men's Health . He also frequently writes dating tips for Neil Strauss, Carlos Xuma, and Singles Warehouse.

Personal life

Spencer was once married to Kendra Benham, who worked alongside him in Neon Genesis Evangelion as Maya Ibuki. [2] Spencer holds a brown belt in aikido and a 2nd-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. [2] Spencer is married to an entrepreneur, Kim MacKenzie, as of October 4, 2014. He is a foodie and has a website called DontKillYourDate.com. [1] Spike and Kim have two sons, one named Declan, who was born on July 29, 2017, [3] and another named Colton Christopher, who was born on February 4, 2021, in Australia. [4]

Filmography

Anime dubbing

Animation

Internet Appearances

Film

Video games

Related Research Articles

<i>Neon Genesis Evangelion</i> Japanese anime series

Neon Genesis Evangelion, also known simply as Evangelion or Eva, is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax, animated by Tatsunoko, and directed by Hideaki Anno. It was broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 1995 to March 1996. Evangelion is set fifteen years after a worldwide cataclysm called the Second Impact, particularly in the futuristic fortified city of Tokyo-3. The protagonist is Shinji Ikari, a teenage boy who gets recruited by his father Gendo to the mysterious organization Nerv to pilot a giant biomechanical mecha called an Evangelion and fight against beings known as Angels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Winn-Lee</span> American voice actress

Amanda Winn-Lee is an American semi-retired voice actress, ADR director and script writer who works mainly on anime dubs. She was the voice of Mimiru in .hack//SIGN, Rally Vincent in Gunsmith Cats, Yohko Mano in Devil Hunter Yohko, Momiji Kushinada in Blue Seed and was featured most notably as Rei Ayanami of Neon Genesis Evangelion fame. Aside from voice work she quite often handles production, ADR direction and the scripting of various projects for her dubbing company Gaijin Productions, LLC. She has also been credited as Amanda Winn, before she was married.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shinji Ikari</span> Fictional character from Neon Genesis Evangelion

Shinji Ikari is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise created by Gainax. He is the franchise's poster boy and protagonist. In the anime series, Shinji has been abandoned by his estranged father Gendo. But years later, Gendo asks him to pilot a mecha called Evangelion Unit-01 to protect the city of Tokyo-3 from Angels, creatures which threaten to destroy humanity. Shinji appears in the franchise's feature films and related media, video games, the manga Petit Eva: Evangelion@School, the Rebuild of Evangelion films, and the manga adaptation by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gendo Ikari</span> Fictional character from Neon Genesis Evangelion

Gendo Ikari is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, created by Gainax. In the original anime series with the same name, Gendo is the supreme commander of the special agency Nerv, which is dedicated to the study and annihilation of Angels, a series of mysterious enemies of humans. Gendo is grief-stricken by the sudden death of his wife Yui, and abandons his son Shinji Ikari to devote himself to a plan named Human Instrumentality Project. Years later, Gendo asks Shinji to pilot a giant mecha named Evangelion; his pragmatic, cold, and calculating attitude leads him to use any means to achieve his personal goals. He also appears in the franchise's animated feature films and related media, video games, the original net animation Petit Eva: Evangelion@School, the Rebuild of Evangelion films, and the manga adaptation by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.

<i>Neon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel 2nd</i> 2005 video game

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel 2nd, subtitled in English Neon Genesis Evangelion: Iron Maiden 2nd, is a Gainax-produced adventure anime-style video game, and manga based on that game, set in the alternate universe seen in episode 26 of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The player controls Shinji Ikari, the hero of the original Evangelion series, as he navigates his home, school, and social life in a now-peaceful "Tokyo-3".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asuka Langley Soryu</span> Fictional character from Neon Genesis Evangelion

Asuka Langley Soryu is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise created by Gainax. She first appears in the original anime series, and also appears in the franchise's animated feature films and related media, including video games, the Rebuild of Evangelion films, and the manga adaptation by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. In Japanese, Yūko Miyamura voices Asuka in all her animated appearances and merchandise. In English, Tiffany Grant voices her in the ADV Films dub and Stephanie McKeon voices her in the Netflix dub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaworu Nagisa</span> Fictional character from Neon Genesis Evangelion

Kaworu Nagisa, real name Tabris, is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise created by Gainax. In the series, he is the pilot of a giant mecha named Evangelion Unit 02 for the special agency Nerv. Kaworu is the seventeenth and final member of the Angels which threaten humanity. When he arrives at Nerv, he meets Eva-01 pilot Shinji Ikari, showing great affection towards him. After revealing his nature as an Angel to Shinji, he asks him to kill him to allow humanity to survive. Kaworu appears in the franchise's animated feature films and related media, video games, the original net animation Petit Eva: Evangelion@School, the Rebuild of Evangelion films, and the manga adaptation by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. He also has a prominent role in Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, the third film of the Rebuild saga.

<i>The End of Evangelion</i> 1997 anime film

The End of Evangelion is a 1997 Japanese anime apocalyptic science fiction film written by Hideaki Anno, directed by Anno and Kazuya Tsurumaki, and animated by Gainax and Production I.G. It serves as an ending to the television series Neon Genesis Evangelion, which aired from 1995 to 1996 and ended with two episodes that became controversial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiffany Grant</span> American voice actress and script writer

Tiffany Lynn Grant is an American voice actress and script writer who is known for her English-dubbing work for ADV Films on such anime films and television series as Neon Genesis Evangelion, in which she voiced the character Asuka Langley Soryu.

<i>Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji Ikari Raising Project</i> Windows based PC game

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji Ikari Raising Project is a life simulation computer game based on the anime series, Neon Genesis Evangelion. The player assumes control of both Shinji Ikari and Misato Katsuragi, the protagonists of the aforementioned anime series, to "raise" Shinji. This is done through making him complete a number of different tasks. Shinji Ikari Raising Project is the second and final entry in the Raising Project series of Evangelion games, preceded by Neon Genesis Evangelion: Ayanami Raising Project in 2001. Both games bear a strong similarity to publisher Gainax's Princess Maker series. The game was released officially in Japanese and Korean, and has received fan translations into English and Russian. The game was written by Nobuaki Takerube, and its artwork was drawn by Kengo Yonekura and Dream Japan Co., Ltd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Swasey</span> American actor

John Allan Swasey is an American voice actor, ADR Director, and script writer known for his work at Funimation, ADV Films and Sentai Filmworks.

<i>Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days</i> Manga based on the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel 2nd, titled as Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days in North America and Neon Genesis Evangelion: The 2nd Iron Maiden in Europe, is a manga by Fumino Hayashi based on the videogame Neon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel 2nd. It is a dramatization of the actions of the Instrumentality from the final episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion, which featured the show's cast in a high school romantic comedy in contrast to the dark, apocalyptic themes of the television show that inspired it. It was serialized in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten in Monthly Asuka from 2003 to 2005 and collected in 6 bound volumes.

Brett A. Weaver is an American voice actor working with ADV Films, Funimation, OkraTron 5000, and Sentai Filmworks. He is known for his roles in the English-language dubs of anime series. He lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, cartoonist and graphic novelist E.K. Weaver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angel Attack</span> Episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion

"Angel Attack" is the first episode of the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, created by Gainax. The episode was written by the series director Hideaki Anno and directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki. It was originally aired on TV Tokyo on October 4, 1995. The series is mostly set in the futuristic, fortified city Tokyo-3, fifteen years after a worldwide cataclysm named Second Impact. The protagonist is Shinji Ikari, a teenage boy whose father Gendo has recruited him to the organization Nerv to pilot a giant bio-machine mecha named Evangelion to combat beings called Angels. In the episode, Tokyo-3 is attacked by the Angel Sachiel, who fights the United Nations Army and the JSSDF. Gendo summons Shinji for the first time and Shinji reluctantly agrees to pilot the mecha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rei I</span> Episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win!</span> Episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magmadiver</span> Episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion

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Daniele Raffaeli is an Italian voice actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casey Mongillo</span> American voice actor

Casey Mongillo is an American voice actor, who has played roles in animation and video games. Mongillo is best known for portraying lead character Shinji Ikari in the Netflix English dub of Neon Genesis Evangelion in 2019, and has also played Emporio Alniño in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, Shou Suzuki in Mob Psycho 100, and Raichu, Scorbunny, Raboot, Cinderace, Chrysa, and Allister in the Pokémon anime.

References

  1. 1 2 Clodfelter, Tim (March 10, 2016). "Interesting characters invading Winston-Salem this weekend". Winston-Salem Journal . Archived from the original on January 22, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Horn, Carl Gustav (February 1998). "Anime Focus Sound Bites: Spike Spencer". Animerica . Viz Media. 6 (2): 60–1. ISSN   1067-0831.
  3. "Instagram post by Spike Spencer • Jan 9, 2018, at 6:58 am UTC". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  4. "Tweet by Spike Spencer • February 4, 2021, at 7:41 PM", Twitter, retrieved February 4, 2021
  5. "Toonami Asia Reveals More Dub Cast for Dragon Ball Super Anime". Anime News Network. January 17, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 "Voice Resume". Spike Spencer. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  7. FromSoftware. Armored Core: Verdict Day. Bandai Namco Entertainment. Scene: Ending credits, 2:10 in, CAST LIST.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Spike Spencer (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 13, 2020. 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 opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  9. "Detective Pikachu (2018 Video Game)". Behind the Voice Actors. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  10. "One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows (2020 Video Game)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved June 13, 2021. 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 opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  11. "Xenoblade Chronicles X (2015 Video Game)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved June 5, 2022.