# Charles Fleischer
**Charles Fleischer** (born 1950 in Washington, D.C.) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and voice artist best known as the voice of [Roger Rabbit](https://www.edgepedia.org/roger-rabbit) in *Who Framed Roger Rabbit* (1988), in which he also voiced Benny the Cab and the weasels Greasy and Psycho.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0281486/bio/) • [2](https://d23.com/a-to-z/fleischer-charles/) His career spans stand-up comedy, television sitcoms, feature films, music, and published scientific writing.[3](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/who-framed-roger-rabbit-charles-fleischer-35th-anniversary-interview)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1950, Washington, D.C.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0281486/bio/) |
| Signature role | Voice of Roger Rabbit, Benny the Cab, Greasy, and Psycho in *Who Framed Roger Rabbit* (1988)[2](https://d23.com/a-to-z/fleischer-charles/) |
| How he got the role | Robert Zemeckis saw his stand-up act and had him read Roger off-camera during auditions for Eddie Valiant, then offered him the part[3](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/who-framed-roger-rabbit-charles-fleischer-35th-anniversary-interview) |
| Roger's stutter | The "p-p-p-please" speech impediment was created after he had the job, at the request of animation director Richard Williams[3](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/who-framed-roger-rabbit-charles-fleischer-35th-anniversary-interview) |
| On-set method | Performed off-camera in a full Roger Rabbit costume, reacting live to Bob Hoskins[4](https://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/big-screen/2013/mar/20/interview-with-charles-fleischer-the-voice-of-roge/) |
| Other screen work | Carvelli on *Welcome Back, Kotter*; *A Nightmare on Elm Street* (1984); *Back to the Future Part II* (1989); *Dick Tracy*; *Zodiac* (2007)[5](https://charles-fleischer.com/acting/) |
| Science writing | Published a paper on gamma rays for Cornell University in 2012[3](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/who-framed-roger-rabbit-charles-fleischer-35th-anniversary-interview) |
## Early life and comedy
Fleischer began performing stand-up comedy at age nine at Camp Kewanee in La Plume, Pennsylvania, and later studied acting at Chicago's Goodman Theatre.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0281486/bio/) According to his own account, he arrived in Los Angeles in 1974 and has worked as an actor and comedian since.[5](https://charles-fleischer.com/acting/) His stand-up act blended character voices, sound effects, and music; a 1988 *Los Angeles Times* profile described a freewheeling mix of stand-up material, various voices, audience chats, and songs, with a singing growl he compared to [Tom Waits](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-waits).[6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-09-07-ca-1449-story.html) On television in the 1970s he played Carvelli the bully on the sitcom *Welcome Back, Kotter* and was a regular on *Laverne & Shirley*.[5](https://charles-fleischer.com/acting/)
## Roger Rabbit
The role came about through [Robert Zemeckis](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-zemeckis), who had seen Fleischer perform stand-up at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles and was struck by what he called his "vocal presence."[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1988/06/25/the-importance-of-being-roger/bc75b3cd-d203-4c10-b4e8-31c6f2d8349a/) When auditions began for the human lead, Eddie Valiant, Fleischer was brought in to read Roger's lines off-camera so the auditioning actors would have someone to react to; after several sessions, Zemeckis offered him the job.[3](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/who-framed-roger-rabbit-charles-fleischer-35th-anniversary-interview) Fleischer recalled that his first reading used his own voice, and that an early version of Roger sounded lower, more like [John Huston](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-huston).[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1988/06/25/the-importance-of-being-roger/bc75b3cd-d203-4c10-b4e8-31c6f2d8349a/)
**The stutter.** After he had the role, the filmmakers asked him to add a speech impediment, reflecting animation director Richard Williams's view that great cartoon characters have one.[3](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/who-framed-roger-rabbit-charles-fleischer-35th-anniversary-interview) Fleischer, briefly worried the request meant he would lose the job, came up with the stuttered "p-p-p-please," which he has said was inspired by the Bowery Boys.[4](https://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/big-screen/2013/mar/20/interview-with-charles-fleischer-the-voice-of-roge/) He described the sound as "a constant consonant cheek flutter," and Williams filmed him making the noise so animators could study how to render it.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1988/06/25/the-importance-of-being-roger/bc75b3cd-d203-4c10-b4e8-31c6f2d8349a/)
**Working on set.** Although Roger appears only in animation, Fleischer was on set daily during principal photography at [Elstree Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/elstree-studios) in England, wearing a full Roger costume with bow tie, red overalls, and rabbit ears, and performing off-camera with his own microphone while [Bob Hoskins](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-hoskins) played to the space where Roger would be.[3](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/who-framed-roger-rabbit-charles-fleischer-35th-anniversary-interview) • [7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1988/06/25/the-importance-of-being-roger/bc75b3cd-d203-4c10-b4e8-31c6f2d8349a/) Both actors' voices were recorded at the same time, so Fleischer could react in real time when Hoskins grabbed for Roger's ears; he called the technique "Trans-Projectional Acting."[4](https://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/big-screen/2013/mar/20/interview-with-charles-fleischer-the-voice-of-roge/) • [3](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/who-framed-roger-rabbit-charles-fleischer-35th-anniversary-interview) Hoskins initially thought the costume was absurd, Fleischer recalled, and later called it the smartest thing he had done.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1988/06/25/the-importance-of-being-roger/bc75b3cd-d203-4c10-b4e8-31c6f2d8349a/)
The film, directed by Zemeckis with [Steven Spielberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-spielberg) as executive producer, was the second-highest-grossing film of 1988, earning more than $156 million.[8](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2013-mar-31-la-et-mn-roger-rabbit-classic-hollywood-20130401-story.html) Fleischer has said Roger is the character closest to himself, since both make people laugh for a living.[4](https://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/big-screen/2013/mar/20/interview-with-charles-fleischer-the-voice-of-roge/) He later reprised Roger for cartoon shorts and the 2022 film *Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers*.[9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0281486/fullcredits)
## Other acting work
Fleischer's screen credits include *A Nightmare on Elm Street* (1984) as Dr. King, *Back to the Future Part II* (1989) as Terry, *Dick Tracy* (1990) as a reporter, *Straight Talk* (1992) as Tony, and [David Fincher](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-fincher)'s *Zodiac* (2007) as Bob Vaughn.[5](https://charles-fleischer.com/acting/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0281486/bio/) On the [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel) he played Dr. Krickstein in the movie *Genius*.[2](https://d23.com/a-to-z/fleischer-charles/) Two films he appeared in, *A Nightmare on Elm Street* and *Who Framed Roger Rabbit*, have been selected for the [National Film Registry](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-registry) by the Library of Congress.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0281486/bio/)
## Science and other pursuits
Fleischer describes himself as a musician, comedian, inventor, and self-styled "closet mathematician," and in 1988 he described a number-pattern discovery he said fell within group theory.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1988/06/25/the-importance-of-being-roger/bc75b3cd-d203-4c10-b4e8-31c6f2d8349a/) In 2012 he wrote a paper on gamma rays for Cornell University, and SYFY WIRE has called him a published scholar on that basis.[3](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/who-framed-roger-rabbit-charles-fleischer-35th-anniversary-interview) A 1996 *Los Angeles Times* profile described him working as a computer artist and painter with a home studio of electronic drawing equipment.[10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-17-fi-15896-story.html)
## Personal life
Fleischer married Victoria Fleischer on July 11, 2023; he was previously married to Sheryl Stressman from 1977 to 2006, with two children.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0281486/bio/) He is not related to Max and Dave Fleischer, the brothers behind the [Fleischer Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/fleischer-studios) cartoons of Popeye and [Betty Boop](https://www.edgepedia.org/betty-boop).[6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-09-07-ca-1449-story.html)
## References
1. [Charles Fleischer – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0281486/bio/)
2. [Fleischer, Charles – Disney A to Z, D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/fleischer-charles/)
3. [Who Framed Roger Rabbit Turns 35: Voice of Roger Reflects on Filming Classic Cartoon Crossover, SYFY WIRE](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/who-framed-roger-rabbit-charles-fleischer-35th-anniversary-interview)
4. [Interview with Charles Fleischer, the voice of Roger Rabbit, San Diego Reader](https://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/big-screen/2013/mar/20/interview-with-charles-fleischer-the-voice-of-roge/)
5. [Charles Fleischer Acting and Stand-up, charles-fleischer.com](https://charles-fleischer.com/acting/)
6. [Eclectic Voice of Roger Rabbit Has Broad Horizons, Los Angeles Times (September 7, 1988)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-09-07-ca-1449-story.html)
7. [The Importance of Being Roger, The Washington Post (June 24, 1988)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1988/06/25/the-importance-of-being-roger/bc75b3cd-d203-4c10-b4e8-31c6f2d8349a/)
8. [Classic Hollywood: On the case of 'Roger Rabbit', Los Angeles Times (2013)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2013-mar-31-la-et-mn-roger-rabbit-classic-hollywood-20130401-story.html)
9. [Charles Fleischer – Full Credits, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0281486/fullcredits)
10. [The Compleat Geek, Los Angeles Times (June 17, 1996)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-17-fi-15896-story.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Voice performers and animation 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