Hello Mr. Fraley. It's so nice to have you here. Shall we start with the interview?

Hi Rutger, nice to meet such a devoted Dutch TMNT fan. Sure shoot!

I read somewhere that you started with voice acting at the very young age of 13. Did you always wanted to become a (voice)actor?

Actually, I did my first voice over job in Australia in 1974. I think I have an error somewhere in my credits. I've been around but not that long. I wanted to be like a performer I saw on television as a boy, Red Skelton, when I was three or so. I always could get a laugh out of my mom, dad, and grandparents. I found out Red was an actor. From that time on, that's what I worked towards.

A very early role model then! So how did you auditioned for the TMNT show, and what character were you auditioning for in the first place?

The pilot episode was already recorded. Fred Wolf was not happy with the performance of three roles: Krang, Burne Thompson, and Vernon.I told him that I could not separate all three, but would take a stab at Krang and Burne. The audition was successful, and I was cast at Krang and Burne. Peter Renaday who was cast as Splinter took the role of fussy Vernon. A wonderful performer and a fine performance.They also gave me the role of Baxter Stockman, "The Fly Guy", which I enjoyed supplying.

You voiced many memorable characters like Krang, Baxter, Burne, Casey Jones and Slash. Which one was your favorite?

Krang! It was the most unique character I ever created. I had this idea that Krang was a loser, almost expected to lose, and got heartburn when he became angry. This accentuated the comedy aspects of the character and balanced well with Shredder, who was always just full of rage.

About Krang. How did you came up with his voice. And did you perform the squealing and burping sounds yourself?

They wanted a disgusting character. The burping effect was accomplished by talking while inhaling. It was a trick that I had used in an animated series the year before, Galaxy High, supplying the voice for Coach Frogface, and it seemed to accomplish the "ick" factor. I also used the rhythm of a Jewish Mother for Krang. Long-suffering. And yes, I did all the vocal effects.

Your acting career now spans over 30 years. Has the voice recording change in any way since the 70's?

My professional career began when I finished acting school at Cornell University in 1973. I've been at it now for 33 years. The way we record voices for cartoons has not changed that much since I started doing cartoons in 1979. Most of the time the whole cast is in the booth working with each other. Sometimes we have to record separately, and it's not as much fun.

You also voiced my animated youth hero Marshall BraveStarr. What did you think of that show?

I thought it was the most creative endeavor that the producing company, Filmation ever attempted. It was a Science Fiction Western. It should have done better, but there was a huge toy distribution problem.
The toys for BraveStarr arrived in the toy stores before the movie and series hit. Very unfortunate, and it didn't catch on. We did 65 of them, and then it went away.

That's too bad, I really loved that show. Do you have a favorite voice/character that you did in all those years?

I think doing Wildcat on the Disney series, Tale Spin. Also doing the voice of Jesus on a video series on the Bible-one joyful and silly, the other meaningful, and difficult.

Over the last few years you also did voices for videogames. Is that any different then for a cartoon, and what do you prefer?

Yes, they are different. Performances for videogames generally require more of a sense of reality. I enjoy the mix of doing wild, insane characters, and those that require the acting skills I was trained to deliver as a young man.

In the videogame Bloodrayne you played a woman. How was that and why did they cast you for that part?

I don't recall that performance. It could be another error in crediting. I have to figure I'd remember playing a chick.

True! Then I'm all out of questions. Thank you very much for taking time to do this interview and good luck in future projects.

Thank you Rutger. It's always a pleasure knowing that the audience is out there. It's why I became a performer in the first place. Make 'em laugh.