Bret William Iwan (born September 10, 1982)[2] is an American voice actor and illustrator. He has been the fourth and current voice of Mickey Mouse after the death of Wayne Allwine in 2009.[3]
Early life
Bret William Iwan was born on September 10, 1982, and raised in Pasadena, California, he is the son of Bill and Fiona Iwan.[2]
Iwan was hired to voice Mickey Mouse and replace Wayne Allwine after his death on May 18, 2009.[3] Iwan had previously understudied for the role when Allwine was facing health difficulties and Iwan credits Allwine's archival work as providing excellent mentorship.[6]
Iwan first recorded Mickey Mouse dialogue for the Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park as well as the 2009 shows Disney On Ice: Celebrations and Disney Live: Rockin' Road Show.[7] He voiced Mickey Mouse in Have a Laugh!. He gave his first full performance as Mickey Mouse for the English version of the PlayStation Portable game Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. He also gave his voice performance as Mickey Mouse in the Epic Mickey games.
His first voice-over work in a Disney Park could be heard in the Animal Kingdom closing show "Adventurers' Celebration Gathering" as well as on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover attraction at the Magic Kingdom in which, upon passing through Mickey's Star Traders, Mickey responds with his signature laugh and says: "That's right, it's outta this world!".
Personal life
Iwan is openly gay, making him the first openly LGBTQ+ actor to voice Mickey Mouse. He married his longtime partner, art director Douglas Hoffman, in July 2021.[8]
