Actors - Christopher Collins

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	Actors - Christopher Collins

Christopher Collins, aka Chris Latta (August 30, 1949 - June 12, 1994), was an American actor, voice artist and comedian, perhaps best known as the voice of the Cobra Commander on the G.I. Joe animated series, Starscream on the first Transformers series and finally the villain Kravex in the cult-favorite Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light. He is also well-known among Star Trek fans for his guest roles on The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, along with many other TV shows and a number of films. In addition, he had a successful stand-up comedy career.

Early life and career

Collins was born Christopher Lawrence Latta in Orange, New Jersey and grew up in the Morningside Heights section of Manhattan, New York City. His legal name became Christopher Charles Collins when his stepfather adopted him. Collins' biological father, Robert Latta, was a New York stage actor. His mother, Jane Morin, worked as an advertising executive. In his stand-up routine, he claimed to have grown up in Harlem and said his ultra-liberal parents had moved the family there "so he could meet some Negroes." (Morningside Heights is sometimes called "West Harlem.")

After a year at New York University, he studied acting, dance, voice and mime. In the mid-1970s, he acted on the New York and Boston stage and did voice-over work for Boston radio station WBCN. He made his animation voice acting debut as one of the English dubbers of the 1979 anime series Space Battleship Yamato, also called Star Blazers. He was most recognizable in that series as the voice of space marine Sgt. Knox during the Comet Empire installment.

Voice work

In 1983, Collins started voicing the Cobra Commander for a five-part "G. I. Joe" animated mini-series. In 1984, he reprised the role for a second five-part animated mini-series, which became a regular series in 1985. Also in 1984, Collins voiced a new character, Starscream, for a three-part "Transformers" animated mini-series. By 1985, he was voicing other G. I. Joe and Transformers characters in toy commercials, carrying on in those roles when the two television series made their debut. When he began doing regular voice work, he adopted the stage name Chris Latta because another Screen Actors Guild actor was performing as "Chris Collins."

Cobra Commander was the original leader of COBRA, usually portrayed (in the cartoon version), alongside the steel-faced Destro. Starscream was played as a megalomaniacal offsider to the chief antagonist (Megatron performed by Frank Welker), and was more concerned with usurping his superior than following orders. After the Serpentor character was created in 1986, drawing power away from Cobra Commander, that role became very similar to that of Starscream's. Most striking, however, was the high-pitched, rasping voice Collins employed for both roles, which made the characters always seem duplicitous and conniving regardless of what they were saying, as well as adding an element of comic relief when they inevitably threw a tantrum. He also provided the voice for the Wheeljack, a heroic Autobot who was something of a mad scientist, and Gung Ho, a burly, rough and tumble GI Joe Marine characterizaed by his mustache and bald head. Gung Ho was very much the anti-thesis of Cobra Commander - while CC was a cowardly egomaniac and physically a weakling, Gung Ho was a brave, steadfast hero who was not afraid to fight and was strong enough to be hit in the jaw and not feel the impact.

In 1987, when working for Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light, Latta provided a brilliant performance as both Darkstorm and Cravex, two of the Darkling Lords. As Darkstorm, Latta had the chance to bring life to another brilliant villain of the '80ies, making the character either a menacious mindmaster and a fragile human being. The show is today regarded as a big cult-classic.

In 1988 Collins did the voice of Rulon commander Rasp in the cartoon Dino-riders. He portrayed Rasp after Starscream. In this cartoon he again formed a team with Frank Welker, who voiced Krulos, the leader of the evil Rulons. They also both played in G.I.Joe, in which Collins plays the Cobra Commander. Other actors who featered in Transformers, Dino-riders and G.I.Joe are Jack Angel, Charlie Adler and Peter Cullen.

Collins' success led to work on many other animated programs, including The Simpsons, where he originated the voices of Moe the bartender and Mr. Burns in the first-season episodes "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Homer's Odyssey." Along with several other early Simpsons voice actors, he left during the first season. Hank Azaria played Moe and Harry Shearer assumed the Burns role.

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