Voiceover has come a long way over the past few decades, and
if you need evidence of that than you simply have to consider the fact that
Emmys are now handed out to voiceover artists annually. In 1992, the very first Primetime Emmy Award
was presented for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance. That first was actually six awards, presented
to several members of the cast of The
Simpsons.
Of course, even as late as 2008, this was not an award
treated in the same way as those presented for Best Actress or Best Supporting
Actor in a Drama. Instead of having a
list of nominees, from which the winner was selected, it was a juried
selection, and there was never a guarantee that anyone would receive the Emmy
in voiceover, as some years came and went without anyone being awarded it. Other years, as in 1992, there would be multiple
recipients.
Times have changed though.
The competition in the voiceover profession has gotten much more
intense. There has been greater interest
in animated film and television. The
technology has improved to make it easier to blend animation with voiceover for
a highly convincing character. As a
result, even large, long-standing establishments, like the Television Academy
took notice. The juried award for
voiceover was altered. Instead of having
a single category for voiceover work, there were to be two. In 2014, the category was divided into
Outstanding Narrator and Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance. This led to voiceover artists being
recognized for work in documentaries and educational programming, as well as
for work in animated television shows.
The first winner of the Emmy for Outstanding Narrator was Jeremy Irons,
who was the voice behind the Game of
Lions, a show featured during Big Cat Week on National Geographic. Meanwhile, The Simpsons claimed yet another Emmy that year. In 2014, the Emmy Award for Outstanding
Character Voice-Over Performance was awarded to Harry Shearer for his portrayal
of Kent Brockman, Mr. Burns, and Smithers in the Four Regrettings and a Funeral episode of the popular animated
show.
It is wonderful to see voiceover artists acknowledged in
such a way, and a great thing for all of us choosing this as our profession.
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