10. Bobcat Goldthwait

Better known as the annoying-voiced guy from the really bad “Police Academy” movies, his shrill, irritating voice is piercing enough to strip the black off a chalkboard.

9. Bill Cassidy

Some of you may be wondering how NIU’s own journalism professor made the list. Originally Nick Bakay, the voice of Salem The Cat from “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,” was number nine, but it is nearly impossible to distinguish the professor from the actor based on voice alone. Cassidy won because, as a professor, he affects countless impressionable young minds everyday, making him the real celebrity. Big thumbs up, Dr. Cassidy.

8. Mr. T

When Sergeant “B.A.” Baracus gets mad, watch out. Mr. T’s tirades are so explosive they made “The Italian Stallion” doubt his own abilities in “Rocky III.” Just ignore the Mr. T of later years when he promoted milk drinking, school in-staying and God. Just not as fierce.

7. Patrick Warburton

As a member of TV’s tough-guy group – with roles such as David Puddy, the Tick and Brock Samson – Warburton manages to transform simple-minded characters into “Ambassadors of Cool” with his velvety baritone pipes.

6. Betty White

As television’s First Lady, White has the ultimate sweet-grandmother voice. No matter if she is telling you she just baked some cookies or you are a completely worthless failure, her soothing, nurturing voice will make you wish she had more insults to hurl at you.

5. Patrick Stewart

The first stop when you need to class-up anything, Stewart’s British accent and years of classical training have created characters that are loaded with gravitas.

4. Barry White

White has the power to swoon anybody with that sexy-fied bass-box that lives in his throat. There is a reason every man has a Barry White CD in their collection. The man can transform the most mundane words into the most romantic lyrics under the Spanish sun.

3. Christopher Walken

Constant pauses and … CHANGES in pitch … volume and rate give WALKEN … a unique and … GREAT VOICE. Though used mainly as … a punchLINE, his verbal MANNerisms make his voice … THE TOPS.

2. Will Arnett

With his raspy, movie-announcer voice always on, Arnett has made a career out of giving already ridiculous dialogue a comedic sophistication. It also doesn’t hurt that his vocal cords are the David Bowie of voices; they can change between reciting Shakespeare and voicing a puppet without skipping a beat.

1. James Earl Jones

Think of the most influential movie characters in your life – Mufasa, Darth Vader, the blind baseball player from “The Sandlot” – all Mr. Jones. Simply put, he has the greatest voice of all time.