Rodger Bumpass (born November 20, 1951) is an American actor. He is a main cast member on the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, providing the voice of Squidward Tentacles and several other voices.
He also voiced The Chief in the animated series Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?, Professor Membrane in Invader Zim and Mr. Besser, the school principal in the animated series The Kids from Room 402. Bumpass has amassed credits on other animated films, animated television series, and video games, and reprises the role of Squidward Tentacles in all SpongeBob SquarePants associated media.
Early life
Rodger Bumpass was born on November 20, 1951, in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Carroll C. (1924–2009) and Virginia Cathey Bumpass (1921–2004).
Bumpass attended Little Rock Central High School, where he received his first training in theatre. He then majored in radio–TV and minored in theatre at Arkansas State University. He worked at the campus radio station and also at Jonesboro's ABC affiliated television station, KAIT-TV, where he had multiple duties as announcer, film processor, cameraman, audio technician, and technical director. While at KAIT, Bumpass also wrote, produced, and performed in a late-night comedy program called Mid-Century Nonsense Festival Featuring Kumquat Theater. He graduated from A-State in 1976, and when encouraged by an A-State professor to consider professional theatre, he moved to New York in June 1977. That same year, he appeared in the National Lampoon TV special Disco Beaver from Outer Space for HBO. In 1979, Bumpass was cast as the leading role in a National Lampoon film to be called Jaws 3, People 0, in which he would have a love scene with Bo Derek. However, the film was cancelled due to objections by the creators of the movie Jaws. He also made appearances in movies such as Escape from New York and Bio-Dome; however, when the demand for voice actors became higher, he started doing background voices on shows such as Batman: The Animated Series, Bonkers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles until he got a more prominent role on Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?.
He has since lent his voice in multiple Pixar films such as A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., The Incredibles, Cars and Monsters University. He has done additional voices for shows such as Gravity Falls, Rugrats, Alvin and the Chipmunks and Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, also voicing Foreman in the English dub of Spirited Away. He is also known for voicing The Chief from Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?, Doctor Light on Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go along with Professor Membrane on Invader Zim. When he auditioned for the role in 1999, the character notes he received highlighted Squidward's prominent nose, which inspired him to give the character the iconic "nasally" sounding voice. He has also provided the voice of other characters such as Squidward's mother. Bumpass has also voiced Squidward in the SpongeBob film series, spinoff shows and video games.
Many of the show's crew praise Bumpass for his performance and similitude to the character. Tom Kenny called Bumpass "brilliant" and has stated that "when he goes apoplectic as Squidward while recording, his head turns red, and you're afraid he's going to have an embolism."
In 2012, Bumpass received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for his role as Squidward.
The show had its 20th anniversary in 2019. In celebration, a television special was aired, titled "SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout". One scene includes each of the show's main characters' voice actors portraying live-action versions of their characters. While not the first SpongeBob SquarePants episode that blended animated sequences with live-action characters, this was the first time that the characters' voice actors have all been in a live-action scene together.
Personal life
On July 27, 2019, Bumpass married Angela VanZandt, with whom he attended high school 50 years prior.
Bumpass is an avid collector of SpongeBob memorabilia and believes he has one of the biggest collections in the world. In September of that same year, Bumpass was inducted into the Arkansas Walk of Fame in Hot Springs.
Legal issues
On January 15, 2016, Bumpass was arrested for alleged DUI in Burbank, California. A police report of the incident alleged that officers of the Burbank Police Department found Bumpass in his car in the middle of the road. Bumpass admitted to drinking and driving, and he failed a sobriety test. His blood alcohol levels were said to be more than twice the legal limit. He was later released on a $15,000 bail shortly the next morning.
The incident was first reported by celebrity gossip website TMZ several days after it occurred, on January 19. A day later, Bumpass alleged to the website that the police had lied about the DUI report, claiming that he was not leaning against his car when officers spotted him, and that he was being tailed and pulled over by the officers before his arrest, though he did confess again to the DUI charge. Nickelodeon representatives were notified of the incident by Bumpass, but did not release any immediate comments or actions regarding the matter.
On January 25, 2016, ten days after the incident, Nickelodeon representatives confirmed to TMZ that Bumpass would remain on SpongeBob SquarePants for the foreseeable future. The representatives alleged that the network did not consider DUI charges to be an immoral act, and thus Bumpass was not legally subject to termination.
Filmography
Live-action roles
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="white-space:nowrap"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|1981 || Escape from New York || Dancer || Credited as Roger Bumpass
|-
|1986 || National Lampoon's Class of '86 || ||
|-
|1987|| The Running Man || Phil Hilton ||Credited as Roger Bumpass
|-
|1996|| Bio-Dome || Narrator ||
|-
|1999|| Baby Huey's Great Easter Adventure || Baby Huey (in-suit performer), Irv || Direct-to-video
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="white-space:nowrap"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|1978|| Disco Beaver from Outer Space || || Television film
|-
|1981|| Two Reelers || Roger || Television film
|-
|1983|| Wizards and Warriors || Prisoner || Episode: "The Dungeon of Death"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1984
|Footlight Frenzy
|Benny the Stage Manager, Johnny Chicago
|Television film
|-
| Hot Flashes || Chuck Fodder || 5 episodes
|-
|1988|| What Price Victory || || Television film
|-
|1992|| Silk Stalkings || Jack Fellman || Episode: "Shock Jock"
|-
|1994|| Shadow of Obsession || Custodian || rowspan="8"| Television film
|-
|1995|| Hart to Hart: Secrets of the Hart || Higgins
|-
|2002|| Santa Jr. || Wally Fisk
|-
|2003|| Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure || Lab Visitor, Plumber, Air Controller
|-
|rowspan="3"| 2004|| Just Desserts || Boz Roswell
|-
| Murder Without Conviction || Patrick Talley Jr.
|-
| A Boyfriend for Christmas || Russell Parker
|-
|2007|| Marco Polo || Rustigielo
|}
Theatre
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="white-space:nowrap"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|1977–1978 || That's Not Funny, That's Sick || Himself |||| Credited as Roger Bumpass
|-
|1984 || Robo Force: The Revenge of Nazgar|| Mark Fury ||
|-
|1992 || Porco Rosso || Blond Pirate || English dub
|-
|1994 || The Super Dave Superbowl of Knowledge ||Additional voices || Television film
|-
|1995|| Theodore Rex || Additional voices ||
|-
|1996 || The Hunchback of Notre Dame || Frollo's Soldiers ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |1997 || Hercules || Man pointing at Young Hercules ||
|-
| Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas|| Additional voices || Direct-to-video
|-
| rowspan="3" |1998 || Quest for Camelot|| Additional voices ||
|-
| A Bug's Life|| Harry Mosquito ||
|-
| Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World || Additional voices || Direct-to-video
|-
| rowspan="5" |1999 || Toy Story 2 || Clerk ||
|-
| The Iron Giant || Maine Man, Rick the Soldier||
|-
| Tarzan || Elephant #2, David||Credited as Roger Bumpass
|-
| Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost || Perkins||Direct-to-video
|-
| The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ||Dr. Octopus||
|-
| rowspan="2" |2000|| Titan A.E || Additional voices ||
|-
| The Emperor's New Groove || Male Villager #1, Male Villager #8||
|-
| rowspan="4" |2001 || Atlantis: The Lost Empire || Mr. Hickenbottom, Chief of the Watch||ADR Group
|-
| Spirited Away || Foreman|| 2002 English dub
|-
| Monsters, Inc. || CDA, News Anchor ||
|-
| Osmosis Jones || Announcer for Nerve News Network||
|-
| rowspan="5" |2002 || Cinderella II: Dreams Come True|| King's Guards||Direct-to-video
|-
| The Hunchback of Notre Dame II || Frollo's Soldiers || Direct-to-video<br />Uncredited
|-
| Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron || Colonel's Soldiers ||
|-
| Treasure Planet || Turnbuckle, Police Robot #1 ||
|-
| Lilo & Stitch || Man ||
|-
|2003 || Brother Bear || Male Bear #2 ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |2004 || The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie || Squidward Tentacles || Squidward Tentacles ||
|-
|2019 || Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus || Professor Membrane
|-
|Order Up
|Squidward Tentacles
|
|-
| The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants || Squidward Tentacles
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|1984 || Alvin and the Chipmunks || Additional voices || 13 episodes
|-
|1985 || The Jetsons || Additional voices || Episode: "Elroy in Wonderland"
|-
|1987 || Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures || Additional voices || 17 episodes
|-
|1989 || Ring Raiders || Scorch || 5 episodes
|-
|1989–1991 || The Real Ghostbusters || Louis Tully || 12 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" |1991 || TaleSpin || Dr. Axolotl || Episode: "Bullethead Baloo"
|-
| Tiny Toon Adventures || Ronald Grump || Episode: "Pollution Solution"<!-- url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hK5gdNQy7o -->
|-
|rowspan="2"|2013 || SpongeBob SquarePants: Plankton's Robotic Revenge || Squidward Tentacles, Captain
|-
|2025 || SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide || Squidward Tentacles, Anchovies, Citizens ||
|}
Awards and nominations
- 2012 – Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program – Nominated
- 2013 — Behind the Voice Actors Awards Best Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series - Children's/Educational for SquarePants Sqaurepants — Nominated
- 2016 — Behind the Voice Actors Awards for Feature Film Voice Acting Award-Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film: for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water — Nominated