Portrait of Frank Welker

Birthday profile

Frank Welker

American actor (born 1946)

Born
March 12, 1946
Age in 2026
80
Zodiac sign
Pisces
Birth year
1946

About Frank Welker

Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific voice actors in history. With his films earning a total worldwide box-office gross of $17.4 billion, he is also amongst the highest-grossing actors as of 2024. Welker is best known for voicing Fred Jones from the Scooby-Doo franchise since its inception in 1969 and later Scooby-Doo himself since 2002. In 2020, Welker reprised the latter role in the animated film Scoob!, the only original voice actor from the series in the film's cast. He is also known for voicing Garfield from the Garfield franchise since 2007, as well as voicing several characters and creatures in Matt Groening's animated sci-fi sitcom Futurama, including Nibbler. In 2016, he received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award. He was nominated for the Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice Performance in an Animated Program in 2022. Welker is best known for voicing Fred Jones from the Scooby-Doo franchise since its inception in 1969 and later the titular character himself since 2002. Welker initially auditioned for the titular character (and, according to Casey Kasem, the role of Shaggy Rogers, as well) but instead won the role of Fred Jones in 1969. With his films earning a total worldwide box-office gross of $17.4 billion, he is also the amongst the highest-grossing actors as of 2024.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Frank Welker timeline

  1. Welker is best known for voicing Fred Jones from the Scooby-Doo franchise since its inception in 1969 and later the titular character himself since 2002.
  2. Welker initially auditioned for the titular character (and, according to Casey Kasem, the role of Shaggy Rogers, as well) but instead won the role of Fred Jones in 1969.
  3. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific voice actors in history.
  4. With his films earning a total worldwide box-office gross of $17.4 billion, he is also the amongst the highest-grossing actors as of 2024.

The world when Frank Welker was born

Frank Welker was born in 1946. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1946

  • #1 song"The Christmas Song" – Nat King Cole
  • Top movieThe Best Years of Our Lives
  • Best-selling bookThe King's General – Daphne du Maurier

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentFirst NBA (BAA) season begins
  • Top headlineUnited Nations General Assembly holds its first session
  • Technology milestoneENIAC — first general-purpose electronic computer
  • Defining fadBaby boom begins
  • Notable inventionTupperware
  • World population2.43 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderHarry S. Truman
  • Sports championSt. Louis Cardinals (World Series)
  • U.S. population141.4M

1946 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Frank Welker's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19462026
Gas$0.21$3.45/gal
Average home$6,600$435,000
Average income$4,300$67,500
Minimum wage$0.40$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.35$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population141.4M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.