Will Friedle
American actor
Will Friedle
Born (1976-08-11 ) August 11, 1976 (age 48) Education Avon High School Occupation Actor Years active 1988–present Known for Spouse
Susan Martens
(
m. 2016)
William Alan Friedle (; born August 11, 1976) is an American actor.[ 1] He is best known for his role as Eric Matthews in the ABC sitcom Boy Meets World (1993–2000).
In animation, Friedle's first voice acting role was the lead role of Terry McGinnis / Batman in Batman Beyond (1999–2001). He also voiced Ron Stoppable in Kim Possible (2002–07), Doyle Blackwell in The Secret Saturdays (2008), Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle in Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008–11), Lion-O in the 2011–12 reboot of ThunderCats , Bumblebee in the Transformers franchise (2013–16), Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy (2015–19), and Kashaw Vesh in The Legend of Vox Machina (2022).
Early life
Friedle was born in Hartford, Connecticut , the youngest of three boys of Patricia Joan (née Leary) and Gary Allen Friedle, both lawyers. His older brothers are Gary and Greg Friedle.[ 2] [ 3] [ 4] After committing himself to becoming an actor, Friedle continually commuted from Avon, Connecticut , to New York City for auditions. He graduated from Avon High School in 1994.
Friedle is allegedly credited on school brochures as having attended Occidental College . However, when interviewed on the February 11, 2019, episode of Critical Role: Between The Sheets ,[ 5] he admitted having never attended the school. He stated that he learned he was being inaccurately credited by Occidental College as being an alumnus when his nephew visited the school and showed him the information package. Occidental College is not able to confirm that Friedle was ever used on marketing brochures; however, co-star Rider Strong attended Occidental College briefly during the filming of Boy Meets World . Additionally, he stated that he studied Latin for six years because he intended to become an archaeologist eventually. In the July 4, 2006, issue of People , Friedle mentioned he had thought about attending culinary school.
Career
After co-hosting Nickelodeon 's Don't Just Sit There for three seasons (1988–1991), Friedle's breakthrough came when he was cast as Cory Matthews's likeable but underachieving elder brother Eric on the long-running TV sitcom Boy Meets World from 1993 to 2000.[ 6] [ 7] [ 8] In 1998, he starred with Elizabeth Harnois , Dabney Coleman , and Jay Thomas in My Date with the President's Daughter as part of The Wonderful World of Disney .[ 8]
In 2004, he co-starred with Chris Owen in the independent film National Lampoon's Gold Diggers (originally titled Lady Killers ). He also appeared in a supporting role in the 2005 ABC Family movie Everything You Want . Friedle was cast as Mike in the WB sitcom Off Centre , but could not accept the role because of a previous commitment to the UPN series The Random Years . The role ended up going to Eddie Kaye Thomas .[ 9]
In December 2013, in spite of initial reluctance, it was announced that Friedle would reprise his Boy Meets World role of Eric Matthews on the sequel series Girl Meets World .[ 10] [ 11] [ 12]
Voice acting
Friedle at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019
Friedle's first voice acting role was the lead role in Batman Beyond (1999–2001) where he provided the voice of Terry McGinnis / Batman .[ 13] [ 14] He has reprised this role in multiple DC animated projects such as The Zeta Project (2001), Static Shock (2004), Justice League Unlimited (2004), and Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths (2024).[ 15] In April 2014, it was confirmed that Friedle reprised his Batman Beyond role of Terry McGinnis on the Batman Beyond short made by Darwyn Cooke to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Batman.[ 16]
Friedle voiced Seifer Almasy in the English-language version of the video game Kingdom Hearts II (2005), Gideon Wyeth in the English-language version of the video game Advent Rising (2005), and Jaster Rogue in the English-language version of the video game Rogue Galaxy (2005).[ 15] From 2008 to 2011, he voiced Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle on Batman: The Brave and the Bold .[ 15] [ 17]
In 2013, Entertainment Weekly commented that "Friedle has largely ditched on-camera acting for voiceover work" although the "prolific voice actor" is "nevertheless best known as Eric Matthews, Cory's cute but dim brother on Boy Meets World ".[ 18] In 2015, Bustle highlighted that "after Boy Meets World was over, Friedle mostly went on to do mainly animated voice roles" and that he has "provided the voice of characters like Ron Stoppable (Kim Possible ), Fang (Teen Titans ), Ken Tennyson (Ben 10: Alien Force ), and Kid Flash (Teen Titans Go! ) — which is literally just a small handful of the numerous cartoons his voice can be heard in, either as a series regular or just for a single episode".[ 19]
From 2015 to 2019, he starred as Star-Lord on Guardians of the Galaxy .[ 15] [ 20]
In 2022, he reprised his role of Kashaw Vesh in The Legend of Vox Machina , an adaptation of the web series Critical Role ;[ 21] [ 22] he originally appeared as Kashaw in the first campaign (2015–2017) of the actual play as a guest player .[ 23] [ 24] On June 15, 2022, Friedle voiced the character Radiant Black in a promotional short for the comic's fifteenth issue. The short can be viewed on the official Black Market Narrative YouTube channel.[ 25] [ 26]
Podcasts and web series
From July 2017 to November 2018, Friedle hosted three seasons of the web series Geek & Sundry Painters Guild .[ 27] [ 28] [ 29] [ 30] The show originated from Friedle "painting" a miniature with "magic marker " and, after discovering this, Marisha Ray pitched Friedle on a show where he would be taught to paint miniatures correctly by various experts.[ 29] [ 30] After the conclusion of that series, Ray reached out to pitch Mini Primetime (2019) where Friedle would host a similar painting show for Critical Role 's new YouTube channel.[ 29] [ 30] On June 27, 2019, the premiere episode of Christy's Kitchen Throwback featuring Friedle was uploaded to Christy Carlson Romano 's YouTube channel.[ 31]
Friedle and Romano co-hosted the podcast called I Hear Voices from 2022 to 2023 which was available on Romano's YouTube channel and other podcast providers. In June 2022, the podcast did a Kim Possible 20th anniversary special episode with creators Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley and voice actors John DiMaggio (Drakken) and Nicole Sullivan (Shego), as well as a brand new Kim Possible scene with the four actors written by McCorkle and Schooley and directed by original voice director Lisa Schaffer.[ 32] [ 33] [ 34] He has hosted the Boy Meets World rewatch podcast Pod Meets World with Danielle Fishel and Rider Strong since 2022[update] .[ 35]
In 2024, he began to co-host the rewatch podcast Magical Rewind with Sabrina Bryan which focuses on Disney Channel Original Movies .[ 8] [ 36]
Personal life
In 1997, Friedle briefly dated actress Jennifer Love Hewitt . He co-starred with her in the romantic teen comedy Trojan War , and Hewitt parodied herself in the Boy Meets World episode "And Then There Was Shawn".[ 37] He married his girlfriend, Susan Martens, on September 25, 2016, in Connecticut. His affectionate name for her is Mrs. Squirrels, referencing Eric's nickname "Plays With Squirrels" from the final season of Boy Meets World .[ 38]
Friedle is best friends with actor Jason Marsden and was the best man at Marsden's wedding in October 2004. The two have also worked together in numerous productions: Boy Meets World (until Marsden's departure from the series in season 3 and his character Jason Marsden was eventually replaced by Matthew Lawrence 's character Jack Hunter starting in season 5), Trojan War , Static Shock , Kim Possible , Batman Beyond , Justice League Unlimited , Batman: The Brave and the Bold , ThunderCats , Transformers: Rescue Bots and Mad .
Filmography
Film
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1997
Trojan War
Brad Kimble
2000
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
Terry McGinnis / Batman
Voice, direct-to-video[ 15]
2003
National Lampoon's Gold Diggers
Calvin Menhoffer
2004
Howl's Moving Castle
Additional Voices
English dub
2008
Batman: Gotham Knight
Anton, Cultist, Youth #1
Voice, direct-to-video
2015
Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts
Nightwing
Voice, direct-to-video[ 15]
Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem [ 40]
2016
Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Gotham City Breakout [ 41]
Batman Unlimited: Mech vs. Mutants
2017
The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania!
Mayor Mercury
2018
Batman Ninja
Red Robin , Laughing Mask Samurai B
Voice, direct-to-video[ 15]
2019
Lego DC Batman: Family Matters
Nightwing
Voice, direct-to-video[ 15]
2021
My Little Pony: A New Generation
Skye Silver, Glitter Cupcake, Comet Tail, Commercial VO
Voice[ 15]
2022
Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse
Aquaman , Lex Luthor
Voice, direct-to-video
2023
Lego Marvel Avengers: Code Red
Hydra Goons
Voice, Disney+ special[ 15]
2024
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths
Batman Beyond / Terry McGinnis , Kamandi
Voice, direct-to-video
Isla Monstro
El Feo
Voice[ 42] [ 43]
Lego Marvel Avengers: Mission Demolition
Demolition Man / Dennis Dunphy
Voice, Disney+ special[ 15]
Television
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1990
True Blue
Billy
Episode: "Caves"
1992
Law & Order
Russ
Episode: "Trust"
1993–2000
Boy Meets World
Eric Matthews
158 episodes
1994
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Jimmy Armstrong
Episode: "The Tale of the Long Ago Locket"
1996
ABC Afterschool Special
Jason Gallagher
Episode: "Educating Mom"
1998
My Date with the President's Daughter
Duncan Fletcher
Television film
1999
H-E Double Hockey Sticks
Griffelkin
1999
Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane
Jeremy Pinter
Episode: "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"
Odd Man Out
Phillip Evans
Episode: "Punch Line"
1999–2001
Batman Beyond
Terry McGinnis / Batman
Voice, main role[ 15]
2001
The Zeta Project
Voice, episode: "Shadows"[ 15]
3rd Rock from the Sun
Stan
Episode: "Dick Soup for the Soul"
Go Fish
Pete Troutner
5 episodes
2002
The Random Years
Alex
Episode: "Corrupting Jacob"
2002–07
Kim Possible
Ron Stoppable, Jonathan Stoppable
Voice, main role
2003
Regular Joe
Larry
Episode: "Time and Punishment"
Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time
Ron Stoppable
Voice, television film
2003, 2005
Lilo & Stitch: The Series
Ron Stoppable, Mackey Macaw Manager
Voice, 2 episodes
2004
Static Shock
Terry McGinnis / Batman
Voice, episode: "Future Shock"[ 15]
Teen Titans
Fang
Voice, episode: "Date with Destiny"[ 15]
Less Than Perfect
Caleb
Episode: "Claude Wants to Know"
2004–05
Justice League Unlimited
Kyle Rayner / Green Lantern , Terry McGinnis / Batman
Voice, 3 episodes[ 15]
2005
Kim Possible: So the Drama
Ron Stoppable
Voice, television film[ 15]
Everything You Want
Calvin Dillwaller
Television film
The Batman
Gearhead
Voice, episode: "RPM"[ 15]
2006
American Dragon: Jake Long
Cousin Greggy
Voice, episode: "Feeding Frenzy"
2008
Ben 10: Alien Force
Ken Tennyson
Voice, episode: "Max Out"[ 15]
2008–10
The Secret Saturdays
Doyle Blackwell
Voice, 16 episodes[ 15]
2008–11
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle , Scarlet Scarab
Voice, 15 episodes[ 15]
2010–11
Sym-Bionic Titan
Bryan, Jason, Student #1
Voice, 4 episodes
The Penguins of Madagascar
Randy
Voice, 2 episodes[ 15]
2011–12
ThunderCats
Lion-O
Voice, 24 episodes[ 15]
2011–13
Mad
Various
Voice, 10 episodes
2012
Green Lantern: The Animated Series
Prince Ragnar
Voice, 2 episodes[ 15]
Gravity Falls
Reginald
Voice, episode: "The Legend of the Gobblewonker"
2012–13
Winx Club
Nereus
Voice, 9 episodes; Nickelodeon dub
2013
Transformers: Prime
Bumblebee
Voice, episode: "Deadlock"[ 15]
Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising
Voice, television film[ 15]
Monsters vs. Aliens
Man-Beast, Patron
Voice, episode: "Curse of the Man-Beast"[ 15]
2013, 2016
Ultimate Spider-Man
Deadpool , Web Beard, Video Game Voice
Voice, 2 episodes[ 15]
2014
Turbo Fast
Fusion
Voice, episode: "Beat-A Fajita"[ 15]
2014–17
Transformers: Robots in Disguise
Bumblebee, Butch
Voice, 68 episodes[ 15]
2015
Avengers Assemble
Star-Lord , Jeter Kan Toon
Voice, 3 episodes; replacing Chris Cox [ 44] [ 15]
Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
Star-Lord
Voice, episode: "Planet Monster"[ 45]
2015–17
Girl Meets World
Eric Matthews
4 episodes
2015–19
Guardians of the Galaxy
Star-Lord
Voice, main role[ 15]
Teen Titans Go!
Kid Flash
Voice, 7 episodes, also wrote "Pie Bros"[ 15]
2016
Transformers: Rescue Bots
Bumblebee
Voice, episode: "Uninvited Guest"[ 15]
2016–17
Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!
Various
Voice, 3 episodes[ 15]
2016–18
Future-Worm!
Lobster Boy
Voice, 3 episodes
2017–18
Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters
Officer Reynolds
Voice, 7 episodes[ 15]
2018
Hollywood Darlings
Will
Episode: "Y2K"
Bunnicula
Captain Science Magic Love
Voice, episode: "Flunicula"
2019–21
DC Super Hero Girls
Lex Luthor, Aiden, Aquaman, Truant Officer
Voice, 7 episodes
2019–2020
Big Hero 6: The Series
Ian / Hardlight
Voice, 2 episodes[ 15]
2020
Spider-Man
Star-Lord, Scientist #1, A.I.M. Agent #1
Voice, episode: "Amazing Friends"
2022
Robot Chicken
Lance, Nightwing , Pointy-Haired Boss
Voice, episode: "May Cause a Squeakquel"
2023-2024
The Legend of Vox Machina
Kashaw Vesh
Voice, 5 episodes[ 15]
Video games
Web series
References
^ https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/worst-ever-podcast-with-christine-and-alaa/id1225846060?mt=2&i=1000410056460 Archived May 7, 2018, at the Wayback Machine at the 27:53 mark
^ "Art-World Movie Shot In State To Be Shown Saturday In New Milford" . tribunedigital-thecourant . Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2016 .
^ "The Hartford Courant article archive – Friedle-Leary" . Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2016 .
^ "The Hartford Courant article archive – She Chose to Have Both" . Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2016 .
^ "Between the Sheets: Will Friedle" . Between the Sheets . Season 2. Episode 8. Critical Role Productions . February 13, 2019. Archived from the original (YouTube ) on March 12, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2023 .
^ Arnott, Christopher (March 10, 2024). "90s Con or bust: Will Friedle returns to his CT roots for two 'Boy Meets World' events" . Hartford Courant . Archived from the original on March 10, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ Holmes, Adam (May 19, 2022). "Boy Meets World's Will Friedle Talks How 'Unbelievable' It Is The TGIF Series Still Resonates With Fans After Nearly 30 Years" . Cinemablend . Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ a b c d Merrill, Allison McClain (February 17, 2024). "Even Disney Channel Stars Are Nostalgic for Disney Channel" . The Daily Beast . Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ Wilkes, Neil (March 4, 2002). "Friedle lands UPN sitcom" . Digital Spy . Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2019 .
^ Swift, Andy (December 3, 2014). "Girl Meets World: Eric, Mr. Feeny & More Returning in Season 2 — First Photo" . TVLine . Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2019 .
^ @GMWWriters (December 3, 2014). "Announcement #4: Shawn, Eric and Mr. Feeny will be an important part of season 2. Lives will change. People will grow. People won't" (Tweet ). Retrieved August 29, 2019 – via Twitter .
^ Friedle, Will [@willfriedle] (December 3, 2014). "There is nothing as important as family. I think it is time I met my niche. #WednesdaywisdomwithMrSquirrels" (Tweet ). Retrieved March 10, 2019 – via Twitter .
^ Valencia, Veronica (January 18, 2024). "Boy Meets World's Will Friedle recalls how Batman Beyond helped him grow as an actor" . Popverse . Archived from the original on March 2, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ Holmes, Adam (August 11, 2019). "Why Batman Beyond Is One Of The Best Iterations Of Batman" . Cinemablend . Archived from the original on March 1, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar "Will Friedle (visual voices guide)" . Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved October 15, 2023 . A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
^ Stedman, Alex (April 20, 2014). "Watch: The New 'Batman Beyond' Short Unveiled at WonderCon" . Variety . Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ Phegley, Kiel (January 28, 2009). "The Bravest & Boldest: Will Friedle" . Comic Book Resources . Archived from the original on January 29, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2010 .
^ "Will Friedle talks 'Transformers: Prime' and 'Girl Meets World' " . Entertainment Weekly . July 26, 2013. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ Griffiths, Kadeen (December 21, 2015). "Where is Will Friedle From 'Boy Meets World' Now? Eric Matthews Lives On In More Than Just Our Hearts" . Bustle . Archived from the original on September 2, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ McMillan, Graeme (February 18, 2015). "Marvel Crowns a New Star-Lord for Animated 'Guardians of The Galaxy' " . The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ TV, Roxy Simons; Reporter, Film (January 20, 2023). " 'The Legend of Vox Machina' Season 2 cast: New and returning guest stars" . Newsweek . Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ Matadeen, Renaldo (February 3, 2023). "The Legend of Vox Machina Wastes Critical Role's Vision for Will Friedle's Kashaw" . CBR . Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ a b Peplinski, Jack (June 25, 2020). "Critical Role: Guest Stars' Characters, Explained" . CBR . Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020 .
^ Biederstadt, Derek (April 18, 2022). "Critical Role: The 12 Best Guest Player Characters" . ScreenRant . Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ VERSUS | Radiant Black vs. Blaze , archived from the original on June 16, 2022, retrieved June 16, 2022
^ "RADIANT BLACK FANS TREATED TO ORIGINAL ANIMATION FEATURING VOICE OF WILL FRIEDLE" . Image Comics . Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022 .
^ a b "Learn to Paint Miniatures with Will Friedle on PAINTERS GUILD Now on YouTube" . GeekTyrant . March 8, 2019. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ a b "Watch G&S Painters Guild" . Amazon Prime Video (Product page). Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ a b c "Will Friedle and I Talk About MINI PRIMETIME, BATMAN BEYOND, and Painting Minis" . GeekTyrant . October 11, 2019. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ a b c d Granshaw, Lisa (October 30, 2019). "Exclusive: Will Friedle on painting minis, Critical Role and his new series Mini Primetime" . SYFY WIRE . Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020 .
^ "Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable Make THE NACO!!! – YouTube" . YouTube . Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021 . Christy Carlson Romano and Will Friedle have an absolute blast recreating one of Kim Possible's favorite foods! Christy and Will dish about their time working together on Kim Possible and chat about everything from Boy Meets World, to Even Stevens, to how they've recently rejoined forces on Big Hero 6
^ a b I Hear Voices LLC. "I Hear Voices" . Apple Podcasts . Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022 .
^ a b Fishman, Scott (January 21, 2023). "Christy Carlson Romano & Will Friedle on a 'Kim Possible' Reboot & Awkward Moments With Fans" . TV Insider . Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ a b Dar, Taimur (August 5, 2022). "INTERVIEW: Will Friedle & Christy Carlson Romano discuss launching I HEAR VOICES podcast" . The Beat . Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ a b Ridlehoover, John (June 3, 2022). " 'Boy Meets World' Rewatch Podcast Coming Soon From Stars Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong and Will Friedle" . Collider. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022 .
^ a b Fishman, Scott (February 27, 2024). " 'Magical Rewind': Will Friedle & Sabrina Bryan Reminisce About Disney Channel Original Movies" . TV Insider . Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ Huff, Lauren (November 3, 2024). " 'Boy Meets World' stars recall 'intense' Jennifer Love Hewitt makeout scene: 'Wow, that's uncomfortable' " . Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved November 4, 2024 .
^ "Will Friedle – His Life With Mrs Squirrel" . The Celeb Times . June 24, 2020. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2021 .
^ Gerding, Stephen (June 2, 2015). "EXCLUSIVE TRAILER DEBUT: Joker Rules in "Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem" " . Comic Book Resources . Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015 .
^ Siegel, Lucas (April 4, 2016). "EXCLUSIVE: WB Reveals Next LEGO DC Comics Movie with Announcement Trailer" . Comic Book Resources . Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016 .
^ Gajewski, Ryan (July 24, 2024). "Harland Williams, Spencer Grammer, Harry Lennix Lead Voice Cast for Animated Sci-Fi Movie 'Isla Monstro' (Exclusive)" . The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on July 24, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024 .
^ "Sitges2024 Completes its Constellation of the World's Best Fantastic Genre" . Sitges Film Festival . September 10, 2024. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024 .
^ "Guardians of the Galaxy 'Assemble' again on TV" . USA Today . February 19, 2015. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2016 .
^ "Planet Monster, Part 2". Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H . Season 2. Episode 26. June 28, 2015. Disney XD.
^ "G&S Painters Guild" . Geek & Sundry . Archived from the original on May 4, 2019.
External links
International National Artists