Pat Fraley is an American actor, voice actor, and comedian born on 18 February 1949 in Seattle, Washington. A Cornell University alumnus, he built a career across acting, voice acting, and comedy before channeling that experience into a structured teaching practice. His instructional audio set Creating Character Voices, published in 1993, gave the craft of character voice work a documented, repeatable framework that working actors could study outside of a studio. He is also a cousin of fellow voice actor Cam Clarke, a family connection that placed two relatives in the same landmark animated series.
Key facts
- Born: 18 February 1949
- Birthplace: Seattle
- Country: United States
- Occupation: actor; voice actor; comedian
- Education: Cornell University
Career and Background
Fraley’s professional identity spans three disciplines: acting, voice acting, and comedy. That breadth shaped both the range of characters he voiced and the way he later articulated vocal technique to students. His education at Cornell University gave him a formal foundation before he moved into the entertainment industry.
Among his work is his role in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series. His cousin Cam Clarke voiced Leonardo in the same production, making theirs one of the more unusual family connections in the show’s cast.
Teaching and Instructional Work
In 1993, Audio Partners published Fraley’s Creating Character Voices, an instructional audio set that became a foundation of his teaching methodology. The set gave aspiring voice actors a structured way to approach character creation.
His Greatest Cartoon Voice Tricks Ever Smuggled Out of Hollywood, described on his official website, collects 60 vocal tricks, skills, and techniques.
Did you know
- Fraley appeared in the 2014 documentary Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles alongside fellow original cast members Townsend Coleman (Michelangelo), Barry Gordon (Donatello), James Avery (Shredder), and his cousin Cam Clarke (Leonardo). (movieweb.com)
Data sources
Data updated: 2026-10-30