Prior to the debut of "Futurama" in 1999, preeminent voice actor Billy West was already a towering presence in his field. He had previously played Doug Funnie in the hit Nickelodeon series "Doug," in addition to voicing the Larry Fine-like Stimpson J. Cat on "The Ren & Stimpy Show" opposite show creator John Kricfalusi. When Kricfalusi was fired for missing deadlines, West took over the role, playing both leads for the bulk of the series. West also played Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in the 1996 oddity "Space Jam" and has voiced the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee and the Red M&m in myriad TV commercials.

In the normal course of seeking more work, sometime in the late '90s, West found himself in front of the casting directors for Matt Groening's and David X. Cohen's new sci-fi sitcom. West, of course, would be cast in multiple roles for "Futurama,...