Bob West

Robert Matthew West (born June 25, 1956) is an American voice actor and graphic designer. He is best known as the original voice of Barney in the PBS children's television series Barney & Friends.

1979–1988: Early voice work career
After graduating from Trinity University in San Antonio with an art degree, West began his voice acting career in 1979.

In 1986, he was cast as the voices of Jasper T. Jowls and Pasqually in the Chuck E. Cheese's animatronic stage show. He voiced the characters for ten years, until 1998.

1988–2001: Barney
West became the voice of Barney the Dinosaur in 1988. His first voice work as Barney was for the direct-to-video pilot series Barney & the Backyard Gang. He continued voicing Barney in the television series Barney & Friends and the 1998 film Barney's Great Adventure, as well as live performances, toys, and music. In addition, West voiced Barney for appearances on radio shows, CBS and NBC primetime specials, the Daytime Emmy Awards, and several talk shows, such as The Today Show, Live with Regis & Kathie Lee, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Phil Donahue Show, John & Leeza from Hollywood, Marilu, and appearances around the world.

In 2001, he retired from voicing Barney after 13 years, citing that he wanted "new challenges" with his life. He was temporarily replaced by David Franks and Duncan Brannan, who met him through their affiliation with Chuck E. Cheese, then by Tim Dever (father of Kaitlyn Dever) and Dean Wendt.

However, West's voice could still be heard in A Day in the Park with Barney at Universal Studios Florida until the attraction's closure in February 2021, as it was recorded in the mid-1990s. Archival recordings of West as Barney were also used in some of HIT Entertainment's The Little Big Club live stage shows until October 12, 2022.

2001–present: Later career and graphic design
West provided voices for TV and radio ads for Pepsi, Bud Light (in both English and Spanish), Coors Light, Frito-Lay, KFC, Armour Meats, Circuit City, Texas Monthly Magazine, and Texas Lottery. He also worked as a creative director, writer, producer and director in various radio and television commercials.

In 2022, West appeared in I Love You, You Hate Me, a Peacock documentary miniseries about the negative reactions to Barney.

West now works as a graphic designer for film and television.

Commercials and ads

 * Pepsi
 * Bud Light (English and Spanish)
 * Coors Light
 * Frito-Lay
 * KFC
 * Armour Meats
 * Circuit City
 * Texas Monthly Magazine
 * Texas Lottery