Patrick Pinney

Patrick Cullen Pinney (born June 30, 1952) is an American actor and voice actor renowned for his extensive work in animation and commercials. Born in San Francisco County, California, he has provided voices for iconic characters across television series, films, and video games, including Mighty Mouse in Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures (1987–1988), Painty the Pirate in SpongeBob SquarePants, and Cyclops in Disney's Hercules (1997).^[1]^[2] Pinney attended the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, where he developed an interest in performing arts. After graduating, he pursued theater roles in the United States and Europe before relocating to Los Angeles to focus on voice-over work in the 1970s. His early career included live-action appearances, such as the Captain of the Guards in The Fifth Musketeer (1979) and Bar Customer in The Terminator (1984), marking his transition into the entertainment industry.^[3] Throughout his career, Pinney has contributed additional voices to numerous high-profile animated projects, including Disney films like Toy Story (1995), Mulan (1998), and Lilo & Stitch (2002), as well as television shows such as TaleSpin (as Professor O'Bowens) and Darkwing Duck (as the King). He also portrayed King Koopa in King Koopa's Kool Kartoons (1989) and appeared in stop-motion sketches on Robot Chicken, showcasing his versatility in parody and character work. With over 90 credited roles, Pinney remains active in voice acting as of 2025, including in SpongeBob SquarePants Presents The Tidal Zone (2023), emphasizing his enduring impact on animated entertainment.^[1]^[2]^[4]

Early life and education

Birth and family

Patrick Cullen Pinney was born on June 30, 1952, in San Francisco County, California.^[5] His middle name, Cullen, is his mother's maiden name.^[5] Public records indicate possible siblings, including William Morse Pinney (born 1949) and Paula McLean Pinney (born 1955).^[5] Limited additional information is available regarding his parents or specific family dynamics during his early years. Pinney grew up in the vibrant cultural landscape of California, an environment rich in entertainment opportunities that aligned with his developing interests in performance.^[6]

Academic pursuits

Pinney attended the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, where he pursued studies in theatre.^[7] During his time there, he formed key connections with fellow students who shared his passion for the performing arts, including being roommates with producer and director Dennis Jones.^[7] This environment fostered early collaborations and friendships that aligned with Pinney's emerging theatrical interests.^[7] Among his classmates were assistant director Michele Panelli Venetis and San Francisco Bay area costumer Alison Barnwell Morris, both of whom contributed to the vibrant theater community at the university.^[7] Pinney's involvement in the college's performing arts programs, through theater studies and peer interactions, laid the groundwork for his subsequent career in acting and voice work.^[7]

Career

Voice-over beginnings

Patrick Pinney launched his professional acting career in 1979, beginning with stage performances across the United States and Europe before pivoting toward voice-over opportunities.^[7] This initial focus on live theater honed his performative skills, setting the stage for his eventual specialization in animation.^[7] A crucial transition happened through his first significant voice role in a Hanna-Barbera animated project, which propelled him from traditional stage acting into the realm of voice work.^[7] This opportunity at the renowned studio not only introduced him to the demands of character voicing but also highlighted his versatility in delivering distinctive, animated personas.^[7] Secured by representation from the William Morris Agency, Pinney's early voice gigs further solidified his presence in animated media, particularly via foundational contributions at Hanna-Barbera.^[7]^[8] His academic background at the University of the Pacific provided the core training that supported this career evolution.^[7]

Live-action and stage roles

Following his education at the University of the Pacific, where he studied theatre, Patrick Pinney pursued a career in stage acting, performing in various productions across the United States and Europe during the 1970s and early 1980s.^[7] These early experiences honed his skills in physical performance and character portrayal, laying the foundation for his later versatility as an actor. Upon relocating to Los Angeles, Pinney performed in a play, marking an initial foray into the competitive local theater scene while balancing emerging opportunities in other media.^[7] Pinney's transition from stage to live-action screen roles occurred in the mid-1980s, with a notable appearance as a bar customer in James Cameron's The Terminator (1984), where he delivered a brief but memorable line amid the film's tense atmosphere.^[9] This uncredited yet visible role exemplified his ability to contribute to high-profile cinema through subtle, ensemble physical presence, contrasting with the more prominent voice-over path he was simultaneously developing. The performance highlighted his adaptability, as he navigated the demands of on-camera timing and interaction in a blockbuster setting. Pinney continued to diversify his portfolio with occasional live-action television work, including the role of Eugene Dugan in the 2017 episode "Howie & Fury" of the series Atwill at Large, directed by Charles Dennis, which showcased his capacity for dramatic supporting characters in web-based narratives. By 2015, he returned to the stage in a significant capacity, portraying Todd, a towering Scottish hitman, in the comedic farce Unnecessary Farce at the Sierra Repertory Theatre in Modesto, California, a production that emphasized his physical comedy and imposing 6-foot-4 stature.^[10] Throughout his career, Pinney's physical acting evolved alongside his voice work, allowing him to maintain a multifaceted presence in entertainment.

Filmography

Animated films

Patrick Pinney's contributions to animated feature films primarily involve voice work for ensemble casts in major studio productions, including Disney, Pixar, and Blue Sky Studios releases. His performances often featured in supporting or additional roles that added depth to comedic, adventurous, and ensemble-driven narratives, spanning from the late 1980s through the early 2000s.^[7] In the 1990 Disney adventure DuckTales: The Movie - Treasure of the Lost Lamp, Pinney provided additional voices, supporting the core cast in the story of Scrooge McDuck's quest for a magical artifact, enhancing the film's whimsical tone and character interactions. Pinney made a notable mark in Pixar's pioneering computer-animated film Toy Story (1995), voicing the Pizza Delivery Guy and Angry Driver #2—minor but memorable human characters whose frustrated outbursts contributed to the film's satirical take on everyday life amid the toy world.^[11] He reprised his involvement in the sequel Toy Story 2 (1999), providing voices for the Green Army Men, bolstering the military-themed toy ensemble during key action sequences. For Disney's mythological comedy Hercules (1997), Pinney voiced the Cyclops, a hulking, one-eyed monster in the underworld scenes, delivering a gruff, humorous performance that amplified the film's blend of ancient lore and modern wit. Pinney provided additional voices in Disney's Mulan (1998), contributing to the ensemble of soldiers, ancestors, and Huns in the epic tale of a young woman's heroism during the Han dynasty. Pinney's Disney collaborations continued with additional voices in Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), where his work helped populate the underwater civilization and expedition crew, adding to the film's steampunk adventure atmosphere. That same year, in Pixar's Monsters, Inc., he voiced a CDA Agent, one of the hazmat-suited officials in the Child Detection Agency, contributing to the bureaucratic satire central to the monster society's plot.^[12] In Blue Sky Studios' Ice Age (2002), Pinney supplied voices for various mammals, enriching the prehistoric ensemble of animals on a migratory journey and supporting the film's themes of unlikely friendships amid survival challenges. His additional voices also appeared in Disney's Lilo & Stitch (2002), aiding the Hawaiian island setting and alien-human dynamics. Later, in Brother Bear (2003), Pinney contributed additional voices to the Alaskan wilderness tale, enhancing the spiritual and transformative narrative through background animal and human elements.

Year	Film	Role	Studio
1990	DuckTales: The Movie - Treasure of the Lost Lamp	Additional Voices	Disney
1995	Toy Story	Pizza Delivery Guy / Angry Driver #2	Pixar
1997	Hercules	Cyclops	Disney
1998	Mulan	Additional Voices	Disney
1999	Toy Story 2	Green Army Men	Pixar
2001	Atlantis: The Lost Empire	Additional Voices	Disney
2001	Monsters, Inc.	CDA Agent	Pixar
2002	Ice Age	Various Mammals	Blue Sky Studios
2002	Lilo & Stitch	Additional Voices	Disney
2003	Brother Bear	Additional Voices	Disney

Animated television

Patrick Pinney began his notable contributions to animated television in the late 1980s, providing distinctive voices that blended gravelly authority with comedic flair for a variety of characters across series. His work in this medium spans pilots, short-lived shows, and long-running staples, often emphasizing heroic or antagonistic figures in ensemble casts.^[2] One of Pinney's early breakthroughs came in Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures (1987–1988), where he voiced the titular hero Mighty Mouse across all 19 episodes of the series. In this Ralph Bakshi-produced revival, Pinney's portrayal reimagined the classic character with a deeper, more dynamic tone, supporting the show's postmodern humor and action-oriented segments that contrasted the original 1940s version's simplicity. He also lent his voice to supporting roles like Gandy Goose and Petey Pate, contributing to the series' blend of parody and adventure that aired on CBS.^[13] In the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! (1989), Pinney voiced the villainous King Koopa (also known as Bowser) in the animated segments, delivering a bombastic, reptilian performance that drove the comedic adventures of Mario and Luigi in the Mushroom Kingdom, airing as part of the Saturday morning lineup on syndication.^[2] In 1989, Pinney voiced Wolverine in the unsold pilot X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, a 22-minute special that introduced Kitty Pryde joining the team against the Brotherhood of Mutants. His performance delivered the character's gruff, snarling demeanor with an Australian accent, diverging from Wolverine's typical Canadian inflection and highlighting the pilot's bold, if unproduced, take on Marvel's mutants. Though the episode did not lead to a full series, it remains a cult favorite for its early animated adaptation of the X-Men roster.^[14]^[15] Pinney's versatility shone in Fraggle Rock: The Animated Series (1987), where he provided multiple voices over its 13 episodes, including the boisterous Pa Gorg, the exploratory Uncle Traveling Matt, and the mystical Cantus Fraggle. These roles expanded on the original Jim Henson puppet series' whimsical world, with Pa Gorg embodying the dim-witted giant antagonist whose development involved humorous family dynamics with Ma Gorg, while Uncle Traveling Matt's reports added exploratory charm to the Fraggles' underground society. The series aired on NBC, showcasing Pinney's range in ensemble storytelling.^[16]^[17] Pinney voiced Professor O'Bowens in Disney's TaleSpin (1990–1991), appearing in episodes of the adventure series featuring aviator Baloo and his crew, where his character contributed eccentric, treasure-hunting expertise to the airborne escapades in the tropical Cape Suzette setting. He also voiced the King in Darkwing Duck (1991), adding regal bluster to the superhero parody's ensemble of villains and allies in the city of St. Canard.^[7] From 1997 to 2001, Pinney voiced recurring characters Wormguy and Idikiukup in Men in Black: The Series, appearing in multiple episodes of the 53-episode run based on the film franchise. Wormguy, a diminutive alien informant with a nasally whine, evolved from a comic sidekick to a key ally in alien conspiracy plots, often providing slapstick relief amid the agents' high-stakes missions, while Idikiukup added quirky alien bureaucracy. The show, which aired on Kids' WB, extended Pinney's portfolio in sci-fi animation.^[18]^[2] Pinney's most enduring animated television role is as Painty the Pirate in SpongeBob SquarePants (1999–present), where he has performed the character's sea-shanty singing in the opening theme for all episodes through 2025, totaling over 290 installments across 14 seasons. This iconic, painted pirate head with a parrot companion introduces each adventure with a folksy, bellowing rendition that sets the show's underwater whimsy, occasionally appearing in-story for meta-humor. The longevity of this performance underscores Pinney's influence on one of television's most beloved animated franchises.^[19]^[20] Pinney has also appeared in the Adult Swim series Robot Chicken (2005–present), providing voices for various parody sketches in stop-motion animation, including characters like He-Man, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and others, showcasing his comedic range in satirical takes on pop culture across multiple seasons.^[7]

Live-action screen roles

Pinney's live-action screen roles are limited, primarily consisting of small but memorable appearances in films and television during the late 1970s and early 1980s, with a later return in a web series.^[7] In 1979, Pinney portrayed the Captain of the Guards in the swashbuckling adventure film The Fifth Musketeer, directed by Ken Annakin and starring Beau Bridges and Sylvia Kristel; this uncredited role contributed to the ensemble of royal intrigue in a loose adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' The Man in the Iron Mask.^[21]^[22] His television debut came in 1983 as a heckler in the Fantasy Island episode "God Child/Curtain Call," part of the ABC anthology series created by Irwin Allen, where he appeared in a segment involving dramatic fantasies on the mysterious island resort.^[23] Pinney's most notable live-action film role was in 1984's The Terminator, directed by James Cameron, in which he played a bar customer who briefly complains about the television news report listing Sarah Connor's name, heightening the tension in the early pursuit sequence amid the film's ensemble of futuristic assassins and human targets.^[9]^[24] Decades later, in 2017, Pinney appeared as Eugene Dugan in the episode "Howie & Fury" of the web series Atwill at Large, a thriller directed by Charles Dennis featuring espionage elements and starring Neil Dickson as the titular fugitive MI5 agent.^[25]

Stage credits

Pinney's stage career originated during his undergraduate studies in theater at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, where he performed in student productions at the school's Rotunda Theatre.^[6] Notably, he costarred with fellow student and future director Dennis Jones in a production of The Deputy, a play by Rolf Hochhuth that explores moral dilemmas during the Holocaust; this collaboration highlighted early connections within the university's theater community and alumni networks that would influence his later professional opportunities.^[6] After graduating in the mid-1970s, Pinney engaged in regional theater across the United States, honing his live performance skills in various productions that served as a foundational training ground for his subsequent work in voice acting and on-screen roles. These early experiences emphasized character development, timing, and audience interaction, elements central to his versatile career trajectory. A significant later highlight came in 2015, when Pinney returned to the stage for Unnecessary Farce, a farce by Paul Slade Smith staged at the Sierra Repertory Theatre's East Sonora Theatre from May 29 to June 28. Directed by his longtime friend and University of the Pacific roommate Dennis Jones, the production marked their first professional collaboration and featured Pinney as Todd, a towering 6-foot-4 Scottish hit man involved in a chaotic plot of mistaken identities, slamming doors, and comedic mishaps.^[10] Pinney described the role as demanding precise comedic timing amid the play's rapid-fire action, sexual innuendo, and physical comedy, calling it a "heck of a good time" and a refreshing "work vacation" from his voice-over commitments.^[10] This appearance, alongside actors like Daniel Hines and Kristin Howell, underscored the enduring ties to his academic roots and represented his most recent documented stage performance as of 2015.