JB Blanc

Overview

Born
February 13, 1969 · Paris, France
Birth name
Jean-Benoit Blanc
Height
6′ 0¾″ (1.85 m)

Biography

Family

Children

Self-verified on IMDbPro

Gender / Gender identity
Male

Trivia

Despite his surname and his career in voice acting, he is not directly related to Mel Blanc.
Speaks fluent English and French.
Once taught drama at Wandsworth Prison, London.
Is an accomplished voice director working for Activision, Epic Games, Blizzard Entertainment, WB Games, 2k Games, Monolith and others.
Though he was born in Paris, France, he grew up in Yorkshire when his mother (after separating from his father) relocated him and his siblings to England when he was five years old. Because he had been living in France during his formative childhood years, he has related in many interviews and podcasts that he was "kind of a foreign kid in a foreign land" who was often picked on in boarding school, both for his accent and for his weight. Growing up in the seventies, he admitted that "it wasn't good if you were different." He was "musical as a kid," developing a strong interest in singing and theatre to help cope with the bullying.

Quotes

[on developing his interest for acting] The best defense I could use against [being picked on as a child] was to do imitations. Imitations of teachers and other people. I don't think that's a particularly original story but one I think you hear quite a lot from voice actors.
[on growing up French in England] I was musical as a kid. I was a singer. And kind of a foreign kid in a foreign land. I was born in France but grew up in England and in England in the 70's it wasn't good if you were different. And you know, I looked a little different. Sounded a little different.
[on being a struggling actor in England] I was absolutely starving and made no money for years and years and years actually. Even when you're working in professional theatre and I worked in some great theaters, including The National Theatre, it's still hard to make money.
I've been very lucky in my career. I've worked in film, television, theater, and done everything from audio books to cartoons to commercials to video games. Video game voice acting is one of the hardest things I've ever done. The sheer range of stuff that you need to come up with to do it, the amount of physicality you have to put into it in a very short space of time is extremely exhausting.
[on voice acting in games] Variety is always the spice of life, and it's good to have a good range. And also, if I'm giving ten kicks to the stomach, I'm going to try to give a different sound each time because that gives them [the production staff] a lot more opportunities and makes the character sound less two-dimensional.