Colorado College is pleased to announce that one of Hollywood’s most celebrated voice actors, Dee Bradley Baker ’86, has been selected to give the Commencement Ceremony address to the Class of 2026 on Sunday, May 17, from 8:30-11 a.m., inside Ed Robson Arena.
Baker earned his BA in Philosophy at CC in 1986 with extensive study in German, plus a wide-ranging mix of biology and art courses. He lists some of his favorite classes as invertebrate zoology, painting, and Buddhism. He also spent much of his time at CC in choir and on stage, an early foundation for his performance career.
“I am flattered and honored to be asked to speak at this year’s Commencement—40 years after I graduated, no less!” Baker said. “An actor always loves a captive audience!”
Baker’s voice acting career spans over 30 years in film, television, video games, and live-action productions. He is known for voicing Captain Rex and the clone troopers in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, all five squad members of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Perry the Platypus in Phineas and Ferb, Klaus in American Dad! —part of his recognition as a twice Emmy-nominated performer—and Squilliam Fancyson in SpongeBob SquarePants.
He is renowned for creature and animal vocal performance, including Appa and Momo in Avatar: The Last Airbender. His game credits include Gravemind (Halo), Variks (Destiny), and Hammond/Wrecking Ball (Overwatch).
“Voice acting was never something that I targeted,” Baker says. “Though I performed a lot, I didn’t really think I was acting material and I certainly didn’t think I had it in me to earn a living as an actor of any stripe.”
“Voice acting found me as much as I found voice acting. After graduating, I just kept doing all kinds of performing that I liked to do—plays, stand-up, musicals, improv, and children’s theater,” he continues. “I learned from it all but slowly pared it down to the most amount of fun that fit me and my talents. My ascending pathway was about the fun of trial and error, not training. As one of my characters said, ‘Experience outranks everything.’”
Baker is a passionate advocate for the practical power of a liberal arts education in a changing world, saying, “the readiness of a curious mind is a kind of inoculation against anxiety in the face of accelerating change.” He says his speech will focus on how he sees a liberal arts education as an advantage—both professionally and in life.
“I have a lot of advice, much of which I put on my website, a free learning resource about becoming a creative person as well as a professional voice actor,” Baker says. “Generally, I would advise students to not rush towards money, and to actively explore what calls to you—now is the window of time for that. Don’t follow your dreams—have your dreams follow you. Train your life’s crosshairs on the intersection of what you love and what you’re good at through intentional experimentation. Follow the fun and surround yourself with people who ask more of you than you do of yourself.”
“We are proud to welcome Dee Bradley Baker back to Colorado College as our Commencement speaker,” says CC President Manya Whitaker. “Dee’s extraordinary career, giving voice to some of the most recognizable characters in film, television, and animation, reflects the creativity, curiosity, and adaptability that define a CC education. His journey from CC graduate to one of Hollywood’s most versatile voice actors will inspire our graduates to embrace imagination, pursue meaningful work, and recognize the many ways their voices can shape the world.”
If you’re looking to be entertained during Baker’s speech, you may be in for a surprise. “I may let slip out some of the characters that I have performed,” adds Baker. “Many of them aren’t human—so watch out!”
