Who Voices Buzz Lightyear? Every Actor Behind The Toy Story Character, Revealed

"To infinity... and beyond!" Those famous four words are the powerful catchphrase of one of Disney and Pixar's most recognizable characters, Buzz Lightyear. Making his big screen debut in 1995's "Toy Story," this action figure has delighted audiences for nearly 30 years. After all, who wouldn't want to be a Space Ranger? Even the Buzz Aldrin-inspired hero, in his original appearance, was convinced that he was the genuine article before discovering that he was actually a toy based on a fictional character. But despite that fictional status, we've all come to love Buzz, who remains a Disney legend to this day.

But who voices "Toy Story's" resident hero? Tom Hanks is the voice of Woody, and almost everyone knows that Tim Allen plays Buzz on the big screen. But did you know that he's not the only one to answer the Space Ranger call? Turns out, there have been quite a few actors who've tackled the Buzz Lightyear voice over the years, and some of them might surprise you.

Sure, there are other Buzz Lightyears out there, but none will ever have the place in our hearts that Tim Allen's original has firmly established. Not only are Allen's vocals instantly recognizable, but his sarcastic wit and heroic gravitas lend perfectly to this character, who, at first glance, thought he was an actual Space Ranger exploring a strange new world. By the time "Toy Story 2" rolled around, Allen and Hanks were cemented in their roles as Buzz and Woody, and they continued to voice the characters in 2010's "Toy Story 3" and 2019's "Toy Story 4." It's not a stretch to say that Buzz Lightyear is perhaps Tim Allen's most notable character outside of his status as a sitcom legend.

In addition to voicing Buzz in the four "Toy Story" films — he's returning for the upcoming "Toy Story 5" as well — Allen also played the character in a handful of video games, the "Toy Story Toons" shorts, and the TV specials "Toy Story of Terror" and "Toy Story That Time Forgot." He even had a cameo as a Buzz Lightyear car in the Disney/Pixar film "Cars," and as Buzz in Disney's "Ralph Breaks the Internet." But perhaps his most notable appearance as Buzz outside of the original film series is in the direct-to-video spin-off film, "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins," which launched a Saturday morning cartoon series based on the character.

Speaking of "Buzz Lightyear of Star-Command," Tim Allen was succeeded on the series by an actor you might not expect to take on the role: Patrick Warburton. Yes, Kronk from "The Emperor's New Groove" played Buzz Lightyear for 62 episodes of this Disney/Pixar co-produced animated series. The show follows the events of "The Adventure Begins" movie, centering on Buzz and his team of Space Rangers — the Princess Mira Nova (Nicole Sullivan), the by-the-books Booster (Stephen Furst), and the robotic XR (Larry Miller and Neil Flynn) — as they battle the Evil Emperor Zurg (Wayne Knight) and the other forces of evil.

Aside from the fact that the show itself was pretty awesome, Warburton does a great job at making Buzz his own. Sure, he still sounds pretty Warburton-y, but his earnest take on the character doesn't feel entirely removed from Allen's original, and he gives the character space to grow throughout the series. In addition to headlining "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command," Warburton voiced the character again in a few different video game projects, including one based on this very animated series.

In 2010's "Toy Story 3," audiences were introduced to a brand-new version of Buzz Lightyear. When our favorite Space Ranger toy is accidentally set to his "Spanish mode," Javier Fernández Peña takes over the vocal performance as the character from Tim Allen, as his "Spanish Buzz" falls madly in love with the cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack). Not only is this version of Buzz pretty smooth with the ladies, but he's also light on his feet. He can dance, is mighty athletic, and sacrifices himself for Jessie. Eventually, however, Buzz's settings are changed again, and Tim Allen returns to his role for the rest of the film.

But fans of "Spanish Buzz" should know that Peña returned to voice the character once more in the "Toy Story Toons" short, "Hawaiian Vacation." It's only a 6-minute story, and "Spanish Buzz" is in the short for even less time than that, but it's fun to revisit this distinct take on the character.

If you ever wondered who voices Buzz Lightyear for Disney whenever Tim Allen is unavailable, it's probably Pat Fraley. After he first played the character in the official "Toy Story" video game, Fraley returned for a few more video game productions before Pixar hired him for the 1996 VHS release of the "Tiny Toy Stories" collection of short films. Voicing Buzz opposite Jim Hanks' (he's Tom's brother) Woody, the pair soon found themselves brought back again for a series of one-minute "Toy Story" short films, often referred to as "Toy Story Treats." These shorts were produced and released from 1996 until 2000 and bridged the gap between the first and second films.

During that time, Fraley returned to play the character for the iconic "Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin" theme park attraction (which happens to be one of the best rides at Disney World) and eventually found himself cast in "Toy Story 2." Though Tim Allen was still the primary Buzz, Fraley gave voice to the Buzz Lightyears who were trapped in their boxes at Al's Toy Barn. The actor returned for a few more "Toy Story"-themed video games before voicing Buzz one last time in "Extreme Skate Adventure," a 2003 video game that featured Disney characters on, well, skateboards.

If you've played any Disney-based video games in the last decade, then you might've noticed that Buzz Lightyear still appears in quite a few. Though Pat Fraley is no longer the primary video game voice of the character, that doesn't mean Tim Allen has taken over these duties either. Beginning with the "Toy Story 3" video game in 2010, Mike MacRae began voicing Buzz in most of the video games the character appears in, most notably the "Disney Infinity" games.

In 2019, MacRae jumped from this Disney-based adventure game to another, joining the cast of "Kingdom Hearts III" as Buzz, now an official party member. Though this is MacRae's last appearance as the plastic Space Ranger to date, his contributions to the character's legacy throughout the 2010s are undeniable.

When Disney and Pixar launched their "Toy Story Toons," which are set after the events of "Toy Story 3," Tim Allen remained on as the primary voice of Buzz Lightyear. But, as with Javier Fernández Peña's return as "Spanish Buzz," there was one instance where another actor showed up to voice our favorite Space Ranger. In the short "Small Fry," we meet a Fun Meal Buzz Lightyear, no doubt based on McDonald's Happy Meal toys, voiced by Teddy Newton. After being stuck in a toy display all day long, this mini-Buzz just wants someone to play with him.

This take is obviously different from the real Buzz Lightyear, but his short arc throughout the seven-minute adventure is well worth watching. Newton, who is also a character designer and artist for Pixar, would go on to contribute his vocal talents to other "Toy Story" productions (he was also the Chatter Telephone in "Toy Story 3"), though this marked his only time as at least a version of Buzz Lightyear.

Probably the most controversial Buzz Lightyear on this list is Chris Evans, who voiced the character in the 2022 Disney/Pixar prequel film, "Lightyear." Ignoring the events depicted in "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command," "Lightyear" tells a new origin story for the Space Ranger in the form of a somewhat '90s-inspired science-fiction adventure. Contrary to popular opinion, Evans isn't bad as Buzz, and he plays the character with pure conviction. Despite that, Evans described reciting Buzz's iconic catchphrase as feeling like he was "wearing someone else's clothes" and believes that the character will always belong to Tim Allen first.

Though "Lightyear" wasn't the most well-received of the "Toy Story" franchise, its distinctly human take on the character — highlighted best in Evans' performance — is part of what makes it interesting. Even so, Tim Allen still has some problems with "Lightyear." "It's Hanks and I," Allen put it when talking with ExtraTV. "There's really no "Toy Story's" Buzz without Woody." Those remarks aside, the original Buzz Lightyear still described the 2022 film as "a wonderful story," even if it bears no real connection to the "Toy Story" movies.

Perhaps the biggest twist in "Lightyear" is that, unlike what we thought we knew about Emperor Zurg from "Toy Story 2" or "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command," the robotic villain is actually an older version of Buzz himself. Hailing from an alternate timeline, this old Buzz is voiced by James Brolin, who has no other connection to either the character or the franchise apart from this role. Still, Brolin's more nihilistic take on Buzz, believing his younger self to be an idealistic and irresponsible fool, is particularly interesting.

As Zurg, Brolin gives us the scariest take on Buzz Lightyear yet, one filled with plenty of existential dread and disappointment. The film's post-credits scene revealed Zurg to still be alive and propped the door open for a sequel. And even though we're unlikely to get a "Lightyear" follow-up any time soon, if ever, Buzz Lightyear fans will be happy to know that he, Woody, and the rest of the gang will be returning in 2026 for more hijinks and adventures in "Toy Story 5."