Power Rangersis one of the most popular franchises in the world, and it’s landed some of the biggest talent to play various roles in the show’s long history. ThePower Rangersfirst appeared on American TV with English-speaking storylines in 2003. However, the history of these shows actually stretches back as far as 1975. The original series,Super Sentai, is a Japanese franchise which became the foundation for thePower Rangers.
When the show was first brought Stateside, entire episodes of theSuper Sentaishow were chopped, edited, and adjusted to create what would become known as thePower Rangers. Today, many of the newest entries in the Power Rangers saga are original creations, or inspired by the Super Sentai counterparts, but early in the run, it was not uncommon to take the Mech battles, and any scenes where the Rangers were fully suited up from the original show, and then simply add some footage with new actors. And, on occasion, thePower Rangershave managed to land some big names.
10Bryan Cranston
Starting off strong with one of the most familiar faces from TV shows likeBreaking BadandMalcolm in the Middle, Bryan Cranston has a history with the Power Rangers. In 1993, when the show first debuted in the USA, Cranston lent his voice to the villain, Twin Man. As mentioned above, this role did not require the actor to don a suit, because it reused footage from Super Sentai, and simply added Cranston’s voice.
Why Tommy Oliver Had So Many Different Power Rangers Colors
Tommy Oliver wore four different colors and had five main forms in Power Rangers, a remarkable feat no other character in the series achieved.
Then, in 2017, when thePower Rangersfeature film was released, Cranston returned to the franchise for the first time in 25 years. This time, Cranston tackled the role of Zordon, a powerful mentor and ally to the Rangers. And this time, Cranston was able to provide his voice and face, as well as appearing in some flashback scenes when the character was alive on Earth as the Red Ranger before becoming an imprint in a ship’s computer.
9Vernon Wells
Vernon Wells experienced a peak in his popularity in the 1980s and 1990s when he was frequently cast in major action films likeMad Max 2, andCommando. His career has led to him playing both a hero and a villain depending on the circumstances, and in the early 2000s, he had a prominent part to play in multiplePower Rangersprojects.
Wells made his debut in 2001sPower Rangers Time Force, where he played a time-traveling villain named Ransik. He then went on to play the same part in a movie, video game, andsubsequentPower Rangersshows. With a brief appearance inPower Rangers Wild Forcein 2002, before playing a much larger role inPower Rangers Allbetween 2001 and 2002, Wells put in a lot of time into playing Ransik for the popular franchise.
8Mark Williams
Mark Williams is immediately recognizable for his role playing Arthur Weasley, the father of Ron Weasley, in theHarry Potterfilms. The British actor’s career also stretches much further back, with him starring in the101 Dalmationsmovie starring Glenn Close as Cruella in 1996, and many other small productions stretching back to 1982. However, despite multiple roles in Power Rangers, it’s likely that fans of the actor may not have noticed his roles in the show.
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In 2007, Williams appeared inPower Rangers Operation Overdrive, when he voiced the Big Mouth Monster. As a villain, this role did not necessarily have too much screentime in his solo outing, but Williams nonetheless brought the character to life. Then, in 2012, Williams returned to the franchise again to voice a villain inPower Rangers Samuraiby the name of Eyescar. Here, he played the primary antagonist to the Rangers in another solo adventure.
7Alex Borstein
Alex Borstein is a brilliant comedy actress who has voiced Lois Griffin for the hit adult animated show, Family Guy, since 1999. Borstein has also tackled various recurring roles in other TV shows, and appeared in major films likeBad Santa, andCatwoman. However, her first break into TV and film actually came thanks to theMighty Morphin Power Rangersback in 1993.
In 1993, Borstein was given a chance to voice multiple characters for the first two seasons ofMighty Morphin Power Rangers. However, she was not referenced in the credits for tackling these parts, but it did serve as a jumping off point for the young actress. Then, just three years later, Borstein was invited back to tackle a much more prominent voice role inPower Rangers Zeo, where she would voice, and be credited for playing, Queen Machina.
6Rose McIver
Rose McIver has been actingsince the age of 4, when she began appearing on TV and in film. Over time, McIver has developed into a talented and capable actress who played the notable role of Lindsey Salmon inThe Lovely Bones, and has starred in shows likeiZombieandGhosts. But one of her earliest leading roles actually came when she played one of the Power Rangers in 2009.
Power Rangers' 10 Best Cameos
From 1990s heroes showing up to help new Rangers save the day to returning villains, Power Rangers always knew how to pull off cameos and crossovers.
McIver plays the role of Summer Landsown, a spoiled and bratty rich kid who loses everything, and then learns to be kind, selfless, and protect others. In fact, she becomes the Yellow Ranger inPower Rangers RPM, and returns again to play the role inPower Rangers Allin that same year. While the role was clearly a stepping stone towards bigger things, it was likely a big part of helping her transition from a supporting or background character to taking on much more prominent roles.
5Johnny Yong Bosch
Johnny Yong Bosch is a prolific voice actor who has landed major roles in some of the most popular and prominent anime shows. Bosch plays Ichigo Kurosaki in theBleachanime, Broly in theDragon Ballfranchise, Nate inYo-kai Watch, and many more characters that take his total credited roles to over 450 different projects. However, among his earliest roles as an actor, Bosch actually starred in the live-action show as Adam Park, aka the Black Ranger.
Bosch first tackled the role of Adam Park in 1994, before being brought back in various later series of the show. He was the second person to become the Black Ranger inMighty Morphin Power Rangers, and eventually became the Green Ranger in several subsequent iterations of the show. While his career as a Power Ranger began back in 1994, he has returned to tackle the role of Adam Park in various projects, which have seen him play the character as recently as 2023, when he appeared in the movieMightyMorphin Power Rangers: Once & Always.
4Paul Freeman
Paul Freeman is a prolific British actor who has racked up well over a hundred credits in his lengthy career, with some of his most notable highlights being as a villain in films like Stephen Spielberg’sRaiders of the Lost Arkopposite Harrison Ford. Freeman continues to have a healthy, thriving career, though he is often cast as villains and antagonists, which seems to have left him as a severely underrated talent.
10 Weirdest Episodes Of Power Rangers
The many series of Power Rangers have produced some incredibly weird episodes over the years, from abrupt genre shifts to poorly-conceived clip shows.
Back in 1995, when Freeman had already established himself as an extremely capable villain with range as a performer, he was cast to play the part of Ivan Ooze in the 1995Mighty Morphin Power Rangersmovie. Interestingly, this saw the actor go toe to toe with Johnny Yong Bosch’s Adam Park, as the alien tyrant attempted to take over the world, and eradicate thePower Rangers who stood in his way. While this may have been a bit of a departure for the classically trained actor, it certainly elevated the film.
3Aloma Wright
Aloma Wright is perhaps best known for her portrayal as Nurse Shirley Roberts in the hit comedy show,Scrubs. However, Wright has also had a long and healthy career, appearing in other large films and shows for decades, including alongside Adam Sandler in the 2002 movie,Mr. Deeds, and playing the secretary, Gretchen inSuits.
In 1998, Wright appeared inPower Rangers in Space,playing a major role as Adelle Ferguson. Adelle runs the Surf Shop where the Rangers gather together, and she becomes a close and caring friend to the young heroes. She appears many times throughout the series, and returns again inPower Rangers Allfor several more episodes, also in 1998.
2Richard Steven Horvitz
Richard Steven Horvitz may not be an actor whose face is immediately recognizable, but for anyone who grew up watching Cartoon Network, or Nickelodeon, his voice will absolutely resonate. Horvitz has voiced popular characters like Billy fromThe Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Zim fromInvader Zim, and more recently, he has lent his voice to the character Moxxie in the popular internet seriesHelluva Boss, which was created by the same person who madeHazbin Hotel, Vivienne Medrano.
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The Power Rangers have always represented agents of order in the classic television series, but now, they’re rejecting that to become agents of chaos.
Horvitz is actually one of the actors who has appeared more than almost anyone else inPower Rangers, with his first appearance being in theMighty Morphinera, and returning as recently as 2023, with hundreds of appearances in between. And the reason he has popped up so often, yet may be unrecognizable, is because he is the voice of the robot, Alpha 5. Alpha 5 has returned to the show numerous times down through the years, occasionally being upgraded to a newer model, such as Alpha 7 and Alpha 9, but between all of these models, it remains Horvitz' voice bringing the character to life.
1Eka Darville
Eka Darville has been steadily increasing his profile in Hollywood with increasingly notable performances. In the last 10 years, he has had significant roles inThe Originals,The Defenders,Jessica Jones, andKingdom of the Planet of the Apes. But every actor has to start somewhere, and one of Darville’s earliest outings was as Scott Truman inPower Rangers RPM.
It is worth noting that this was the same series that helped launch Rose McIver towards bigger roles, and likewise, for Darville, his time as a Power Ranger appears to have set him off on a path towards success. However, unlike his costar, Darville has returned to morePower Rangersoutings since the end ofRPM, with the actor also appearing inPower Rangers Samurai, andPower Rangers All. Evidently, thePower Rangersfranchise has highlighted a lot of talentin the show’s history.
