Tara Strong
Tara Lyn Strong (née Charendoff; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian-American actress specializing in voice-over work for animated television series, films, and video games.[1]
Strong launched her professional career at age 13 in Toronto, securing roles in television, film, and musical theater, including her first lead in the Canadian series The Diary of Evelyn Lau, before relocating to Los Angeles amid seismic activity.[2]
Renowned for her vocal range, she has portrayed over 500 characters, among the most prominent being Bubbles in The Powerpuff Girls, Timmy Turner in The Fairly OddParents, Raven in Teen Titans, and Twilight Sparkle in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.[3][4]
Her contributions have garnered recognition, including the 2004 Interactive Achievement Award for her performance as Rikku in Final Fantasy X-2 and the 2013 Shorty Award for excellence in social media engagement as an actress.[2]
In recent years, Strong has encountered professional repercussions, such as recasting in an upcoming project, stemming from her outspoken support for Israel during the Israel-Hamas conflict, highlighting tensions in the entertainment industry over geopolitical stances.[5]
Early life
Upbringing in Toronto
Tara Lyn Charendoff was born on February 12, 1973, in Toronto, Ontario, to Syd and Lucy Charendoff, who operated a convenience, toy, and candy store called The Wiz, with Syd also working as a pharmacist.[1][6] She was the younger daughter, raised alongside her older sister Marla in a close-knit family environment.[7] Strong grew up in an observant Jewish household, attending Hebrew school and singing in the children's choir at her local synagogue, where family traditions included maintaining a kosher kitchen, lighting Shabbat candles on Friday nights, and observing Passover seders.[8] Her grandfather served as a cantor, while her grandmother and mother contributed to the catering operations at Toronto's Beth Radom Congregation.[8] The family's Jewish heritage was shaped by historical traumas, including the loss of half its members in the Holocaust and her grandmother's efforts to rescue five sisters from Russian pogroms by facilitating their emigration to the United States.[8][9] This upbringing instilled a strong sense of cultural identity and respect for tradition, reinforced by experiences such as participating in the March of the Living at age 16, which involved touring Nazi concentration camps in Poland and singing at sites like Auschwitz-Birkenau.[8][9]Initial acting and education
Strong first demonstrated an interest in performing at age four by volunteering as a soloist in a Toronto school production, which ignited her passion for acting.[10] [11] Her professional career commenced at age 13, when she secured roles in Toronto-based television, film, and musical theater productions.[2] [12] In 1987, Strong obtained her first leading role in animation, voicing the title character in the Canadian-American-Japanese series Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater, marking her entry into voice acting.[13] [14] [15] This opportunity followed her acceptance into a performing arts school around the same age, where she honed her skills through formal training.[16] Strong supplemented her early experience with classes in improv and sketch comedy at The Second City in Toronto, which she pursued alongside her burgeoning roles.[10] Upon completing high school, she gained admission to multiple colleges offering performing arts programs, though she prioritized professional commitments over further formal enrollment.[17] These foundational experiences in theater and voice work laid the groundwork for her transition to Los Angeles and expanded animation opportunities in the late 1980s and 1990s.[2]Professional career
Breakthrough in animation (1990s–2000s)
Strong's entry into American animation occurred in the early 1990s following her move to Los Angeles, where she secured guest and recurring voice roles in series such as Beetlejuice (1989–1991), voicing characters like Claire Brewster, and Piggsburg Pigs! (1990), as Dotty.[1] These early appearances built on her prior Canadian work, including the lead in Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater (1987), but marked her initial forays into U.S. production.[2] A pivotal role came in 1998 with Bubbles in The Powerpuff Girls, an original Cartoon Network series created by Craig McCracken that premiered on November 18, 1998, and ran until 2005.[18] Strong's portrayal of the high-pitched, optimistic superpower trio member highlighted her vocal range for youthful, energetic characters, contributing to the show's critical and commercial success, including multiple Emmy nominations.[19][18] This performance is widely regarded as her breakthrough, establishing her as a go-to talent for animated leads amid the era's boom in children's programming.[20] Around the same time, she voiced Dil Pickles in Rugrats starting with the 1998 feature film The Rugrats Movie, expanding her presence in Nickelodeon properties. Entering the 2000s, Strong landed the starring role of Timmy Turner in The Fairly OddParents, a Nickelodeon animated series that debuted on March 30, 2001, and continued through 2017, amassing over 150 episodes.[21] Her depiction of the mischievous boy with fairy godparents further cemented her versatility in comedic, child-protagonist voices, aligning with the network's emphasis on long-running hits.[3] Additional key credits included Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in The New Batman Adventures (1997–1999) and Raven in Teen Titans (2003–2006), the latter introducing a more subdued, introspective tone to her portfolio within DC Comics adaptations. These roles, spanning Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Warner Bros. Animation, underscored her rapid ascent during a decade of expanding voice acting demand driven by cable television growth.[1]Major roles in television and film
Strong voiced the optimistic and bubbly character Bubbles, one of the three superhero sisters, in the Cartoon Network animated series The Powerpuff Girls, which aired from 1998 to 2005.[3] She also originated the voice of Timmy Turner, the young protagonist who uses magical fairy godparents, in Nickelodeon's long-running series The Fairly OddParents, spanning 2001 to 2017.[3] Additional early television credits include Dil Pickles, the infant brother in the Nickelodeon series Rugrats, starting from the character's introduction in 2000.[2] In the DC Comics animated adaptation Teen Titans (2003–2006), Strong provided the voice for Raven, the stoic, half-demon sorceress and team member dealing with emotional suppression and supernatural heritage.[3] She reprised the role in the direct-to-video film Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo (2006) and later in the theatrical release Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (2018).[1] Strong further portrayed Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) in the R-rated animated feature Batman: The Killing Joke (2016), which adapts the graphic novel exploring the Joker's origin and Batgirl's paralysis.[1] Strong delivered the voice of Twilight Sparkle, the studious unicorn-turned-alicorn princess and central protagonist, in Hasbro's My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic television series from 2010 to 2019.[3] She reprised the character in the animated film My Little Pony: The Movie (2017), where Twilight leads a quest to save her homeland from an ancient evil.[22] Earlier, Strong returned as Bubbles for the theatrical adaptation The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002), depicting the origin of the superpowered girls created by Professor Utonium.[1]Video game and other media contributions
Tara Strong has voiced characters in over 180 video games, spanning major franchises in action, adventure, and fighting genres.[23] Her performances often emphasize versatile emotional range, from manic energy to youthful determination, contributing to immersive storytelling in interactive media.[24] Strong's breakthrough in video games came with roles in DC Comics adaptations, including Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) in Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (2003).[25] She later portrayed Harley Quinn across the Batman: Arkham series, debuting as the character in Batman: Arkham City (2011), reprising the role in Batman: Arkham Origins (2013) and Batman: Arkham Knight (2015), where her delivery captured the antiheroine's chaotic psyche.[3] [25] In other franchises, she voiced Rikku in Final Fantasy X-2 (2003), providing the English dub for the agile thief character.[23] Strong also lent her voice to Ben Tennyson in Ben 10: Protector of Earth (2007), Keira Hagai in Jak X: Combat Racing (2005), and Talwyn Apogee in Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (2007) and subsequent entries.[24] [26] More recent contributions include Ashi in Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time (2020), Jessica Jones in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (2019), and a reprisal of Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (2024).[23] These roles demonstrate her ongoing demand in high-profile titles blending narrative depth with gameplay.[23] Beyond video games, Strong has provided voices for web-based content and mobile apps tied to her animated series, such as interactive elements in My Little Pony digital media, though these remain secondary to her core voice acting portfolio.[3]Recent projects (2010s–present)
In the 2010s, Strong expanded her portfolio with lead roles in major animated franchises. She voiced Princess Twilight Sparkle, the studious unicorn-turned-alicorn protagonist, in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, which aired from October 2010 to October 2019 across nine seasons, totaling 221 episodes. This role contributed to the series' global popularity, including spin-offs like Equestria Girls. She also reprised Bubbles in the The Powerpuff Girls reboot, which ran for three seasons from 2016 to 2019, maintaining the character's high-pitched, optimistic persona amid updated storytelling. Strong continued voicing Raven in Teen Titans Go!, a comedic spin-off that premiered in 2013 and has produced over 300 episodes as of 2025, emphasizing the character's deadpan sarcasm and emotional depth. In DC Comics adaptations, she portrayed Harley Quinn in video games such as Batman: Arkham City (released November 2011), where the character served as a key antagonist, and Batman: Arkham Knight (June 2015), voicing both Harley and Dr. Harleen Quinzel in narrative-driven sequences. She also voiced Batgirl/Barbara Gordon in the animated film Batman: The Killing Joke (July 2016), delivering a performance noted for its portrayal of the hero's vulnerability during a pivotal origin event.[27] Into the 2020s, Strong diversified into live-action series voice work, providing the Southern-accented, clock-faced AI Miss Minutes in Marvel's Loki, appearing in season 1 (June 2021) and season 2 (October 2023), where the character exhibits obsessive loyalty to the Time Variance Authority.[28] She contributed additional voices to video games including MultiVersus (May 2022), a platform fighter featuring DC and Warner Bros. characters, and The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle expansion (June 2022).[23] Other credits include Unikitty in Unikitty! (2017–2019), a manic positive unicorn cat in 39 episodes.Her recent output reflects sustained demand for her versatile range, with over 100 credits post-2010 across animation, gaming, and hybrid media, often involving chaotic or youthful female archetypes.[3]