Neil Ross is a British actor. Noted for his Trans-Atlantic accent, he has provided voices in many American cartoons, most notably G.I. Joe, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Voltron, and Transformers, as well as video games. Ross has also provided voice roles (such as radio announcers) for many movies, including Back to the Future Part II, Babe, and Quiz Show. He served as announcer for ABC's prime time revival of the classic game show Press Your Luck from 2019 to 2023, as well as the voice of its villainous character The Whammy.
Ross was the co-announcer for the 75th Annual Academy Awards Telecast in 2003, and the announcer for the 56th Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards Telecast in 2004. He has also narrated numerous episodes of A&E's Biography, and many editions of NOVA on PBS (including Mars – Dead or Alive, which was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2004).
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Early life
Ross was born in London, England. He was subsequently raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His family relocated to California when he was 12 years old, eventually settling in San Diego.
Career
Radio
Ross started working in radio when he finished school. His first station was KMUR in Salt Lake City, Utah. Following this, he moved on to KORL, KGMB and KKUA in Honolulu, Hawaii, before moving to KCBQ in San Diego in 1969. He stayed in California, working on KYA San Francisco and KMPC Los Angeles. He made his last broadcast in 1985.
Voice acting
He began his voice-over work in 1978 when he moved to Los Angeles. His first role was as a salesman in an episode of Richie Rich for Hanna-Barbera. Ross has voiced radio and television commercials for companies including Wal-Mart, AT&T, Volkswagen, Coca-Cola, Mattel, Goodyear, Disney, Hoover, Anheuser-Busch, Southwest Airlines, and Kellogg's, and has done promo work for CBS, NBC, ABC, TBS and Fox Kids, using an American accent in all of his performances. For five years he was the promotional announcer for Game Show Network.
Ross voiced the Green Goblin/Norman Osborn in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Shipwreck, Buzzer, Monkeywrench, Dusty, Thunder, and Heavy Metal in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, and Commander Keith and Pidge in Voltron: Defender of the Universe. In The Transformers, he voiced Springer, Hook, Slag, and Bonecrusher, reprising these roles in The Transformers: The Movie (1986).
Announcing and narration
Ross served as co-announcer on the 75th Annual Academy Awards telecast in March 2003 and as announcer on the 56th Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards telecast in September 2004. He narrated numerous episodes of A&E's Biography and many editions of NOVA for PBS.
In 2019, Ross became the announcer and voice of the Whammy character for the ABC primetime revival of Press Your Luck, hosted by Elizabeth Banks. He served in this role for four seasons until 2023.
Filmography
Live action
Press Your Luck – Announcer / Whammy (voice)
Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad – Skorn ("His Master's Voice", "An Un-Helping Hand", "Loose Lips Sink Microchips"), Stupid Virus ("Cheater, Cheater, Megabyte Eater") (voices)
Movies
Lifepod (1981) – Main Cerebral (voice)
The Transformers: The Movie (1986) – Bonecrusher / Hook / Springer / Slag (voice)
An American Tail (1986) – Honest John (voice)
G.I. Joe: The Movie (1987) – Buzzer / Dusty / Monkeywrench / Shipwreck (voice)
Innerspace (1987) – Pod Computer (voice)
Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1989) – Oompa (voice)
Back to the Future Part II (1989) – Biff Tannen Museum Narrator (voice)
Dick Tracy (1990) – Radio Announcer #3 (voice)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) – Announcer (voice)
The Little Engine That Could (1991, Short) – Doc / Control Tower / Handy Pandy (voice)
FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992) – Elder (voice)
The Town Santa Forgot (1993) – Pout the Elf (voice)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) – (voice)
Thumbelina (1994) – Mr. Bear / Mr. Fox (voice)
A Troll in Central Park (1994) – Pansy (voice)
Quiz Show (1994) – Twenty-One Announcer
The Pebble and the Penguin (1995) – Scrawny (voice)
Video games
Call of Duty – Announcer, Narrator
Command & Conquer: Renegade – Additional Voices
Command & Conquer: Generals – Additional Voices
Disney Universe – VIC
Doom 3 – Sergeant Kelly
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem – Dr. Edwin Lindsey
Final Fantasy VII Remake – Mayor Domino
Legacy of Kain – Malek the Paladin, King Ottmar, Elzevir the Dollmaker, Rahab
Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out! – Narrator
Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail! – Narrator
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty – Navy SEAL
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater – Colonel Volgin
Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge – Wally B. Feed
The Curse of Monkey Island – Wally B. Feed
Ninja Gaiden – Murai
Onimusha 3 – Guildenstern
Onimusha Blade Warriors – Guildenstern
RAGE 2 – Dr. Kvasir, Wellspring Guard
Return to Monkey Island – Wally B. Feed
Revenant – Sardok, Verhoevan, Townsmen