The voice actor behind Bonnie Swanson in the Family guy should be familiar to fans of classic horror films. Bonnie is the wife of Joe, one of Peter’s closest friends, and the mother of Kevin and Susie. The Swansons live next door to the Griffins and often invite them to social functions. Bonnie is characterized as calm, collected and the exact opposite of Joe’s signature intensity. Over the years, Bonnie has become a crucial part of Family guy ensemble, not only as Joe’s supportive spouse, but also as Lois’ best friend.
When Bonnie was introduced in Season 1, Episode 5, “A Hero Sits Next Door”, she was pregnant with her second child. After Family guys unrecognizable first season, Bonnie’s long pregnancy became a running joke in the series before she finally gave birth to Susie in Season 7, Episode 7, “Ocean’s Three and a Half”. Ever since Susie was born, Bonnie has been involved in a number of storylines ranging from extramarital affairs to drug dealing. One of the most memorable features of Bonnie’s character is her soft, unmistakable voice.
Jennifer Tilly is the voice of Bonnie on Family Guy
Bonnie’s voice is provided by Jennifer Tilly. Tilly has been a regular recurring cast member on Family guy since its first season way back in 1999. According to her IMDb credits, Tilly has since voiced the character of Bonnie in more than 80 episodes of Family guy. Bonnie has been front and center for some Family guy episodes, such as season 14, episode 16, “The Heartbreak Dog”, where she has an affair with Brian. To celebrate the show’s 300th episode, Tilly sent a congratulatory message to Family guy creator Seth MacFarlane on Twitter there she said she was”proud to be a small cog in your vast empire.“
Tilly has expressed the Bonnie in her Family guy appearances except for one scene in season 15, episode 20, “A House Full of Peters.” In this episode, during a girls’ night out, Lois, Donna, and Bonnie all decide to prank call their husbands. When Lois and Donna called Peter and Cleveland respectively, they barely changed their tones. But when Bonnie called Joe, she changed her voice so much that a whole new voice actor took over: Arrested development‘s Portia de Rossi. In every other Bonnie scene from Family guys story, the character is voiced by Tilly.
Tilly is known for playing Tiffany Valentine in The Child’s Play Franchise
Tilly has had several other voice roles outside of her work Family guylike Mike Wazowski’s girlfriend Celia i Monsters Inc. and the title character’s fake mother i Stuart Littlebut probably her most iconic role is Tiffany Valentine in Child’s play franchise. Tiffany is a killer doll, just like her love interest Chucky. Unlike Chucky, Tiffany has a good heart and the capacity for remorse (despite her murderous rage). The role of Tiffany quickly made Tilly a staple of pop culture and a famous “scream queen” in the horror film canon.
Tilly played a fictional version of herself in the meta-sequel Seed of Chucky, where Tiffany transferred her soul into the actor’s body. That Family guy and Child’s play star has appeared in a wide range of other films, from the neo-noir thriller Bound (for which she received Saturn Award and MTV Movie Award nominations) for the wacky comedy Liars liars. Tilly was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Woody Allen’s crime comedy Bullets over Broadwaybut lost to Dianne Wiest for her role in the same film.