Pamela Segall Adlon (born July 9, 1966) is an American-British actress, voice actress, screenwriter, producer and director, best known for voicing Bobby Hill in the animated comedy series King of the Hill (1997–2010), for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award. She also voiced Baloo in Jungle Cubs (1996–1998), the title role in the Pajama Sam series of video games (1996–2001), Lucky in 101 Dalmatians: The Series (1997–1998), Ashley Spinelli in Recess (1997–2001), Moose Pearson in Pepper Ann (1997–2000), and Brigette Murphy in Milo Murphy's Law (2016–2019), among numerous others.
Adlon is also known for her roles in the comedy-drama series Californication (2007–2014) and Louie (2010–2015), the latter of which she additionally wrote and produced alongside Louis C.K. Her work on Louie garnered her four Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Since 2016, Adlon has starred as Sam Fox on the acclaimed FX comedy-drama series Better Things, which she also co-created, writes, produces, and directs. The series won a Peabody Award and she has been nominated twice for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
Adlon has featured in numerous films since making her acting debut in Grease 2 (1982). Her most notable film roles include appearances in Say Anything... (1989), Bed of Roses (1996), Lucky 13 (2005), Conception (2011), I Love You, Daddy (2017), All Square (2018) and Holler (2020).
Career[]
Adlon made her acting debut as Dolores Rebchuck in the 1982 musical sequel film Grease 2. She then had a recurring role as Kelly Affinado in the sitcom The Facts of Life (1983–1984). This was followed by appearances in Bad Manners (1984), Night Court (1984), Willy/Milly (1986), Say Anything... (1989), Sgt. Bilko (1996), and Plump Fiction (1997). As successful as her child actress years had been, she struggled to find parts in her 20s. This led her to develop a substantial voice-over career, which she cited as saving her career.
Adlon gained further acclaim and recognition for voicing the starring role of Bobby Hill in the animated comedy series King of the Hill (1997–2010), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 2002. Adlon also gained recognition for voicing Margaret "Moose" Pearson in Pepper Ann (1997–2000), Ashley Spinelli in Recess (1997–2001), Brigette Murphy in Milo Murphy's Law (2016–2019). The voice of newborn Halley Wolowitz in ‘’The Big Bang Theory’’.
Adlon is recognizable for her husky voice, which led to her voicing young boys in numerous animated series and films. She voiced Baloo in Jungle Cubs (1996–1998), the title role in the video game series Pajama Sam (1996–2001), Lucky in 101 Dalmatians: The Series (1997–1998), Hector MacBadger in Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks (2003–2007), and Andy in Squirrel Boy (2006–2007), among numerous others. She was nominated for an Annie Award for her role as Otto Osworth in the Cartoon Network animated comedy series Time Squad (2001–2003). She continued to voice characters in films, such as The Animatrix (2003) and as Vidia in the Tinker Bell film series (2008–2015).
Adlon had notable live-action roles as Emma Path in the ABC legal drama series Boston Legal (2007–2008), Marcy Runkle in the Showtime comedy-drama series Californication (2007–2014), and as Pamela in the FX comedy series Louie (2010–2015). She was also a writer and consulting producer for the lattermost series.
Adlon's professional relationship with Louis C.K. began in 2006, when she played his wife in the short-lived HBO sitcom Lucky Louie. She appeared as the friend of Louie (a fictional character based on C.K.) in his FX single-camera series Louie. She appeared in every season but the third. Adlon co-wrote seven episodes of the series and became a consulting producer. She earned a total of four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her work on Louie. She earned two nominations as a producer for Best Comedy Series, one nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for co-writing the episode "Daddy's Girlfriend Part 1", and one nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
In 2015, FX gave a pilot order to Better Things, a comedy created by and starring Adlon. She plays an actress raising three daughters. The pilot was written by Adlon and Louis C.K., who also directed it. It was picked up for a 10-episode series on August 7, 2015. The show, which premiered on September 8, 2016, is semi-autobiographical. C.K. served as a co-writer and occasional director for the first two seasons, while Adlon has served as director and writer throughout the series' run.
The series received widespread critical acclaim and was honored with a Peabody Award. Adlon received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the first two seasons of Better Things. She also received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy, and four nominations for the TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy. Adlon was represented by manager Dave Becky until November 2017, when she fired him following his involvement in the Louis C.K. sexual harassment scandal.
Adlon had recent live-action roles in the romantic drama film First Girl I Loved (2016), the science fiction action film Bumblebee (2018), and the comedy-drama film The King of Staten Island (2020). She had a guest role as Mrs. Wolowitz in the CBS sitcom Young Sheldon (2017) and a recurring role as Dr. Leigh in the acclaimed NBC drama series This Is Us (2020).
Filmography[]
Anime Dubbing[]
Anime Films[]
- Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) - Ket (Buena Vista Dub)
- Princess Mononoke (1997) - Additional Voices
- Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000) - Leila
- The Animatrix (2003) - Jue, Manabu
Video Game Dubbing[]
- Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (2013) - Madam
External Links[]
- Pamela Adlon at the Internet Movie Database
- Pamela Adlon at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Pamela Adlon on Behind The Voice Actors