John William DiMaggio ( dim-AJ-oh; born September 4, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for voicing Bender in Futurama and Jake the Dog in Adventure Time.
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Early life
DiMaggio was born on September 4, 1968, and raised in North Plainfield, New Jersey. DiMaggio graduated from North Plainfield High School in 1986 where he acted in theater productions. One of his schoolmates was political strategist Steve Schmidt. He attended Rutgers University, majoring in theater, although he dropped out his junior year. DiMaggio started doing stand up comedy, where he did impressions and decided to become a voice actor after befriending Zak Orth.
Career
DiMaggio is known for his roles as Bender in Futurama, Marcus Fenix in the Gears of War franchise, Dr. Drakken in Kim Possible, Jake the Dog in Adventure Time, Wakka and Kimahri in Final Fantasy X, and Niblet in Pound Puppies. He is a former comedian, appearing on stage as part of a comic duo named "Red Johnny and the Round Guy" and has several on-screen credits, such as Steve Ballmer in Pirates of Silicon Valley (the docudrama about the history of Apple Computer and Microsoft) and as Dr. Sean Underhill, a recurring character in Chicago Hope.
In 2013, DiMaggio was the executive producer and narrator of I Know That Voice, a documentary on voice acting, along with producer Tommy Reid and director Lawrence Shapiro.
In 2022, upon news that Futurama would be revived for a second time through Disney and Hulu, DiMaggio ran into conflict during negotiations while demanding more money to reprise the role of Bender, which he dubbed "#BenderGate". Fans supported DiMaggio's hold out for better pay, while DiMaggio stated that he felt the entire cast deserved better pay and that it reflected a corporate attempt to take advantage of voice actors. The effort also received support from DiMaggio's colleagues, including veteran voice actors Tara Strong, Kari Wahlgren, and Mark Hamill, while James Adomian noted that a casting call for a sound-alike of DiMaggio had been sent out by the studio. While it was initially reported that DiMaggio would not be returning to the role, he later announced his decision to return. DiMaggio revealed that though he did not succeed in negotiating a pay increase, he felt the attention to the issue of proper compensation in the voice acting industry was worthwhile.
Personal life
DiMaggio lives in Los Angeles and New York City. He has been married to actress Kate Miller since 2014.
