# Bill Farmer
**Bill Farmer** (William Robert Farmer) is an American voice actor, comedian, and impressionist best known as the official voice of Disney's Goofy and Pluto, roles he has held since the mid-1980s. Born in 1952 in Pratt, Kansas, he moved to Hollywood in 1986, won the Goofy role soon after, and was named a Disney Legend in 2009 in the Voice category.[1](https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/bill-farmer/) • [2](https://d23.com/a-to-z/farmer-bill/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / birth | William Robert Farmer, born 1952 in Pratt, Kansas[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/bill-farmer/bio/3030492889/) |
| Signature roles | Voice of Goofy and Pluto for Disney since the mid-1980s; also Horace Horsecollar[1](https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/bill-farmer/) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/50015/bill-farmer) |
| Start date | D23's encyclopedia entry dates his Goofy voice to 1986; Farmer himself and several interviews say 1987[2](https://d23.com/a-to-z/farmer-bill/) • [5](https://mickeymindset.wordpress.com/2015/04/17/a-conversation-with-the-goof-interview-with-voice-actor-bill-farmer/) |
| Disney Legend | Inducted 2009, Legends Award category: Voice[1](https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/bill-farmer/) |
| Other lead roles | Hop Pop Plantar in *Amphibia*; Doc and Sir Yipsalot in *The 7D*[6](https://www.disneylandalumni.org/goofy-moments-with-mr-farmer/) |
| Awards | Annie Award for "Goofy's Grandma"; first voice actor to receive the Friz Freleng Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Animation; Daytime Emmy nomination, 2011[5](https://mickeymindset.wordpress.com/2015/04/17/a-conversation-with-the-goof-interview-with-voice-actor-bill-farmer/) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/bill-farmer/bio/3030492889/) |
| Education | Degree in broadcast journalism, University of Kansas[1](https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/bill-farmer/) |
## Early life and path to voice acting
Farmer grew up in Pratt, Kansas, a small town he described as a place where "there wasn't an awful lot to do," so he gravitated to the movies, especially cartoons, at the Barron and Trail [drive-in theaters](https://www.edgepedia.org/drive-in-theater).[1](https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/bill-farmer/) • [7](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Station-Books/KWNS-The-Mighty-1290-Radio-Story-Detwiler-2015.pdf) As a boy he found he could imitate the voices he heard on screen, and he had been doing impressions since age 15, ordering burgers at drive-through speakers as [Walter Brennan](https://www.edgepedia.org/walter-brennan).[1](https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/bill-farmer/)
At the [University of Kansas](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-kansas) he earned a degree in broadcast journalism while building a repertoire of more than 100 celebrity impressions. He then spent a few years in radio and about five years in standup comedy as an impressionist before moving to Hollywood in 1986.[1](https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/bill-farmer/)
## Goofy and Pluto
The Goofy role carried a legacy: the character's original voice was [Pinto Colvig](https://www.edgepedia.org/pinto-colvig), a 1993 Disney Legend who had been a storyman at the Disney Studios in the 1930s, and the character had also been voiced by George Johnson and Bob Jackman.[1](https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/bill-farmer/) • [8](https://d23.com/a-to-z/goofy/) Farmer has said the hardest thing to learn was Goofy's signature yell, "ya-ha-hooooooiieewe!"[1](https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/bill-farmer/)
Sources differ slightly on the start date. D23's Disney A to Z entry says he became the voice of Goofy in 1986,[2](https://d23.com/a-to-z/farmer-bill/) while Farmer has stated, "Since 1987 it's been all me. Whenever you hear Goofy anytime since then, I've been behind that voice. Pluto as well."[5](https://mickeymindset.wordpress.com/2015/04/17/a-conversation-with-the-goof-interview-with-voice-actor-bill-farmer/) He has also said he auditioned for [Mickey Mouse](https://www.edgepedia.org/mickey-mouse) at the same time he auditioned for Goofy.[9](https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/bill-farmer-disney-voice-of-goofy)
His Goofy work spans theatrical and television animation, theme park shows, toys, and games. He starred in Goofy's first animated feature film, *A Goofy Movie* (1995), and in the television series *Goof Troop* (1992) and *[Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas](https://www.edgepedia.org/mickeys-once-upon-a-christmas)*; his first project voicing both Goofy and Pluto was the 1987 television special *DTV Doggone Valentine*.[1](https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/bill-farmer/) • [6](https://www.disneylandalumni.org/goofy-moments-with-mr-farmer/) He has described the character's emotional depth as central to the work, particularly in *A Goofy Movie*, and his performances in *Mickey Mouse Clubhouse* received Emmy nominations.[10](https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/media/dvc/languagespecific/eng/member/justformembers/disneyfilesmagazine/2012/DisneyFilesMagazine_Spring2012.pdf)
Pluto presents a different challenge because the character does not speak. Farmer has said barking is one of the hardest parts of his work, since each bark's intonation has to carry a specific emotion.[11](https://vocal.media/geeks/a-few-minutes-with-bill-farmer) When asked whether Goofy is a dog, Farmer has answered that Goofy is not a dog in Pluto's sense: "Pluto is a dog, but Goofy seems to be in the canine family in the same way that a wolf is not a dog."[12](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/article/is-goofy-a-dog-bill-farmer-interview-disney-170129657.html)
## Other work
Farmer's credits extend well beyond the two signature characters. He voiced [Yosemite Sam](https://www.edgepedia.org/yosemite-sam) in *Space Jam*, and his film work includes contributions to *Who Framed Roger Rabbit*, *Beauty and the Beast*, *Ed Wood*, and Pixar films such as *A Bug's Life*, *Monsters, Inc.*, *Toy Story*, and *Toy Story 2*.[1](https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/bill-farmer/) • [13](https://www.deathwishcoffee.com/pages/fbdc-ep-101-bill-farmer) On television he plays Hop Pop Plantar in Disney's *Amphibia* and was Doc, and the voice of Doc's dog Sir Yipsalot, in [Disney XD](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-xd)'s *The 7D*; he has said Doc is his favorite character to voice.[6](https://www.disneylandalumni.org/goofy-moments-with-mr-farmer/) • [11](https://vocal.media/geeks/a-few-minutes-with-bill-farmer) He won an Annie Award for the cartoon "Goofy's Grandma," in which he also designed the voice and character of Goofy's grandmother.[5](https://mickeymindset.wordpress.com/2015/04/17/a-conversation-with-the-goof-interview-with-voice-actor-bill-farmer/)
In video games he has voiced Goofy throughout the *Kingdom Hearts* series from its start, recording far more lines of dialogue than a film or series requires and working from the Japanese performances as reference.[14](https://d23.com/the-voices-behind-goofy-and-donald-duck-reflect-on-kingdom-hearts/) He has also taken non-Disney game roles, including Makoto Date in the English version of *Yakuza: Like a Dragon*.[15](https://www.mobygames.com/person/3726/bill-farmer/credits/) His one on-camera film role was as a news reporter in *RoboCop* (1987), the same year his Goofy career began, after which he moved to voice work full time.[16](https://popculturefiles.com/filmographies/bill-farmer-filmography)
Since 2020 he has hosted the Disney+ reality series *It's a Dog's Life with Bill Farmer*, which steps out from behind the microphone to feature real dogs.[12](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/article/is-goofy-a-dog-bill-farmer-interview-disney-170129657.html) • [17](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/s_life_fact_sheet_a51515df.pdf)
## Recognition and teaching
Farmer was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2009.[1](https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/bill-farmer/) He was the first voice actor to receive the Friz Freleng Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in [Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/animation), and he received a 2011 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program.[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/bill-farmer/bio/3030492889/) Through his production company, Toonhouse, Inc., he teaches voice-acting students, produces voice-actor demos, and offers private coaching.[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/bill-farmer/bio/3030492889/) He has also spoken publicly about being diagnosed with attention deficit disorder in adulthood and strategies for managing it.[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/bill-farmer/bio/3030492889/)
## References
1. [Bill Farmer, Disney Legends, D23](https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/bill-farmer/)
2. [Farmer, Bill, Disney A to Z, D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/farmer-bill/)
3. [Bill Farmer Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/bill-farmer/bio/3030492889/)
4. [Bill Farmer, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/50015/bill-farmer)
5. [A Conversation with the Goof: Interview with Voice Actor Bill Farmer, The Mickey Mindset](https://mickeymindset.wordpress.com/2015/04/17/a-conversation-with-the-goof-interview-with-voice-actor-bill-farmer/)
6. [Goofy Moments with Mr. Farmer, Disneyland Alumni Club](https://www.disneylandalumni.org/goofy-moments-with-mr-farmer/)
7. [KWNS, The Mighty 1290 Radio Story, WorldRadioHistory](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Station-Books/KWNS-The-Mighty-1290-Radio-Story-Detwiler-2015.pdf)
8. [Goofy, Disney A to Z, D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/goofy/)
9. [Bill Farmer, the voice of Disney's Goofy, says he originally auditioned for Mickey Mouse, Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/bill-farmer-disney-voice-of-goofy)
10. [One on One with Bill Farmer, Disney Files Magazine, Spring 2012](https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/media/dvc/languagespecific/eng/member/justformembers/disneyfilesmagazine/2012/DisneyFilesMagazine_Spring2012.pdf)
11. [A Few Minutes with Bill Farmer, Geeks (Vocal Media)](https://vocal.media/geeks/a-few-minutes-with-bill-farmer)
12. [Bill Farmer, the voice of Goofy since 1987, answers age-old question: Is Goofy a dog?, Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/article/is-goofy-a-dog-bill-farmer-interview-disney-170129657.html)
13. [Fueled By Death Cast Ep. 101, Bill Farmer, Death Wish Coffee](https://www.deathwishcoffee.com/pages/fbdc-ep-101-bill-farmer)
14. [The Voices Behind Goofy and Donald Duck Reflect on 17 Years of Kingdom Hearts, D23](https://d23.com/the-voices-behind-goofy-and-donald-duck-reflect-on-kingdom-hearts/)
15. [Bill Farmer Video Game Credits, MobyGames](https://www.mobygames.com/person/3726/bill-farmer/credits/)
16. [Bill Farmer Filmography in Order, Pop Culture Files](https://popculturefiles.com/filmographies/bill-farmer-filmography)
17. [It's a Dog's Life fact sheet](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/s_life_fact_sheet_a51515df.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Voice performers › American voice performers › Animation and cartoon voice actors › Classic cartoon and radio era voice actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license