# Phil LaMarr
**Phil LaMarr** (Phillip Louis LaMarr, born 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and voice actor, known as an original cast member of the sketch comedy series *MADtv*, as Marvin in *Pulp Fiction* (1994), and as the voice of the title character in *Samurai Jack*, Hermes Conrad in *Futurama*, John Stewart/[Green Lantern](https://www.edgepedia.org/green-lantern) in *[Justice League](https://www.edgepedia.org/justice-league-tv-series)*, and Virgil Hawkins/[Static](https://www.edgepedia.org/static-dc-comics) in *Static Shock*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0482851/bio/) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/34646/phil-lamarr)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1967, Los Angeles, California; birth name Phillip Louis LaMarr[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0482851/bio/) |
| Training | Harvard-Westlake School, Yale University, and The Groundlings Theater[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0482851/bio/) |
| Live-action breakouts | Original cast member of *MADtv* (1995), five seasons; Marvin in *Pulp Fiction* (1994)[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/34646/phil-lamarr) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0482851/bio/) |
| Signature voice roles | Samurai Jack; Hermes Conrad in *Futurama*; John Stewart/Green Lantern in *Justice League* and *Justice League Unlimited*; Static in *Static Shock*[3](https://www.phillamarr.com/about) |
| Video game work | Credited on more than 150 games, including the *Metal Gear Solid*, *Mortal Kombat*, and *Jak and Daxter* series; NAVGTR Award for Best Supporting Actor for *Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor* (2014)[4](https://www.mobygames.com/person/96449/phil-lamarr/) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0482851/) |
| Stage | Cowboy Curtis in *The Pee-wee Herman Show* at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Broadway and in the Emmy-nominated HBO special[3](https://www.phillamarr.com/about) |
| Output | Over 250 voice acting credits across animation and gaming[6](https://generativerevolution.ai/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/GRD_ebookv3.pdf) |
## Early life and training
LaMarr is a Los Angeles native and a graduate of [Harvard-Westlake School](https://www.edgepedia.org/harvard-westlake-school).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0482851/bio/) At Yale University he took basic acting classes but decided to major in English, and he discovered improv there before joining the Groundlings Theater, the Los Angeles improv company, after graduating.[7](https://animesuperhero.com/toonzone-interviews-phil-lamarr-the-return-futurama/) • [8](https://screenradar.com/phil-lamarr-interview/)
His first professional job came while he was still in high school: a role in the *Mister T* animated series, which he describes as a couple of seasons of work rather than the start of a voice-over career.[9](https://sciencefiction.com/2018/09/24/exclusive-interview-phil-lamarr-voice-acting-final-farewell-samurai-jack/) A friend of his mother's who worked at NBC had helped him get the audition after seeing him in high school plays.[10](https://comiconverse.com/comiconverse-phil-lamarr-4518)
## MADtv and Pulp Fiction
LaMarr was one of the original featured cast members of Fox's sketch comedy series *MADtv*, which premiered in 1995, and he stayed for five seasons.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/34646/phil-lamarr) His characters on the show included Jaq the UPS Guy, and he performed impressions of figures such as [Michael Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jackson), Chris Tucker, and [Bill Maher](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-maher).[11](https://www.bubbleblabber.com/2012/06/exclusive-interview-phil-lamarr-aka-hermes-from-futurama/) In the same period he appeared in [Quentin Tarantino](https://www.edgepedia.org/quentin-tarantino)'s *Pulp Fiction* (1994) as Marvin.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0482851/bio/)
*MADtv* also gave him his first sustained experience behind a microphone. When the show began producing claymation pieces, the cast voiced the animated characters, and LaMarr has said this was where he got to practice and realized he liked voice work.[9](https://sciencefiction.com/2018/09/24/exclusive-interview-phil-lamarr-voice-acting-final-farewell-samurai-jack/)
## Voice acting career
After leaving *MADtv* he pursued voice work full time, landing roles on *Futurama*, *[The Weekenders](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-weekenders)*, and *Static Shock*.[10](https://comiconverse.com/comiconverse-phil-lamarr-4518) The connection to *Futurama* came through casting: Jill Anthony and Julie Mossberg, who cast *MADtv*, were also casting *Futurama*, and they brought him in to meet creator [Matt Groening](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-groening).[7](https://animesuperhero.com/toonzone-interviews-phil-lamarr-the-return-futurama/) He has voiced the Jamaican bureaucrat Hermes Conrad across the series' run from 1999 onward, along with other characters such as Dwight Conrad and Reverend Preacherbot.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0482851/)
**DC animation.** LaMarr came to prominence among animation fans as John Stewart/Green Lantern on *Justice League* and *Justice League Unlimited*, and he later voiced Virgil Hawkins/Static on *Static Shock*.[12](https://dccomicsnews.com/2015/08/02/exclusive-interview-with-actor-phil-lamarr/) He has noted that John Stewart was not DC's first black superhero, nor its first animated black superhero, a distinction he credits to Static.[10](https://comiconverse.com/comiconverse-phil-lamarr-4518) His other roles include Wilt in *Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends* and Aquaman in *Young Justice*.[13](https://www.vanityfair.com/video/watch/reviews-phil-lamarr-breaks-down-his-most-famous-character-voices)
**Other series and Star Wars.** He voiced the title character in [Genndy Tartakovsky](https://www.edgepedia.org/genndy-tartakovsky)'s *Samurai Jack* from its debut in 2001 and returned for the fifth and final season in 2017 after roughly a decade away from the role.[14](https://www.kpbs.org/podcasts/cinema-junkie/2017/03/11/voice-behind-samurai-jack) In the [Star Wars](https://www.edgepedia.org/star-wars) franchise he played Jedi Kit Fisto and Senator Bail Organa on *Star Wars: The Clone Wars*.[3](https://www.phillamarr.com/about) • [7](https://animesuperhero.com/toonzone-interviews-phil-lamarr-the-return-futurama/) His television voice credits also include Ollie Williams on *Family Guy*, Bolbi Stroganofsky in *The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius*, Carver Descartes in *The Weekenders*, and Baxter Stockman in *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles*.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/34646/phil-lamarr) • [3](https://www.phillamarr.com/about)
## Video games
LaMarr has been credited on more than 150 video games, including Vamp in *Metal Gear Solid 2* and *Metal Gear Solid 4*, Kotal Kahn in *Mortal Kombat X*, Sam B in *Dead Island*, and roles in the *Jak and Daxter*, *InFAMOUS*, and *Kingdom Hearts* series.[4](https://www.mobygames.com/person/96449/phil-lamarr/) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/34646/phil-lamarr) For his performance as Ratbag the Orc in *Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor* (2014) he won the NAVGTR Award for Best Supporting Actor.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0482851/)
## On-camera and stage work
His live-action film appearances include *Pulp Fiction* (1994), *[Bio-Dome](https://www.edgepedia.org/bio-dome)* (1996), *Spider-Man 2* (2004), and *Real Steel* (2011).[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/34646/phil-lamarr) On television he has appeared in *Veep* as Congressman Graves, *Supergirl* as Malefic, and *The Flash* as Ragdoll.[3](https://www.phillamarr.com/about) On stage he has worked with The Actor's Gang, South Coast Repertory, and Sacred Fools Theatre, and he portrayed Cowboy Curtis in *The Pee-wee Herman Show* both at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Broadway and in the Emmy-nominated HBO special.[3](https://www.phillamarr.com/about)
## Recent work
LaMarr continues to voice Hermes Conrad in the revived *Futurama* on Hulu and performs the role of [Sherlock Holmes](https://www.edgepedia.org/sherlock-holmes) in Audible's audio series *Moriarty*.[3](https://www.phillamarr.com/about) He performs monthly with the improv show "The Black Version" and appears onscreen in the film *[Paradise Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/paradise-records-film)*, created by and starring the rapper Logic.[3](https://www.phillamarr.com/about) Across a career of more than 30 years, his combined television, film, and voice output has made him one of the most prolific working voice actors, with over 250 voice acting credits.[3](https://www.phillamarr.com/about) • [6](https://generativerevolution.ai/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/GRD_ebookv3.pdf)
## References
1. [Phil LaMarr Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0482851/bio/)
2. [Phil LaMarr, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/34646/phil-lamarr)
3. [History, LaMarr Land (official site)](https://www.phillamarr.com/about)
4. [Phil LaMarr, MobyGames](https://www.mobygames.com/person/96449/phil-lamarr/)
5. [Phil LaMarr, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0482851/)
6. [Generative Revolution ebook bio](https://generativerevolution.ai/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/GRD_ebookv3.pdf)
7. [Toonzone Interviews Phil LaMarr on the Return of "Futurama", Anime Superhero News](https://animesuperhero.com/toonzone-interviews-phil-lamarr-the-return-futurama/)
8. [Phil LaMarr Interview, Screen Radar](https://screenradar.com/phil-lamarr-interview/)
9. [Exclusive Interview: Phil LaMarr Talks Voice Acting and The Final Farewell To 'Samurai Jack', ScienceFiction.com](https://sciencefiction.com/2018/09/24/exclusive-interview-phil-lamarr-voice-acting-final-farewell-samurai-jack/)
10. [We ComiConverse With Phil LaMarr, ComiConverse](https://comiconverse.com/comiconverse-phil-lamarr-4518)
11. [Exclusive Interview: Phil LaMarr aka "Hermes" from Futurama, Bubbleblabber](https://www.bubbleblabber.com/2012/06/exclusive-interview-phil-lamarr-aka-hermes-from-futurama/)
12. [Exclusive: Interview With Actor Phil LaMarr, DC Comics News](https://dccomicsnews.com/2015/08/02/exclusive-interview-with-actor-phil-lamarr/)
13. [Phil LaMarr Breaks Down His Most Famous Character Voices, Vanity Fair](https://www.vanityfair.com/video/watch/reviews-phil-lamarr-breaks-down-his-most-famous-character-voices)
14. [The Voice Behind Samurai Jack, KPBS Public Media](https://www.kpbs.org/podcasts/cinema-junkie/2017/03/11/voice-behind-samurai-jack)
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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 › Contemporary animation voice actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 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