Arthur Timothy Read is a fictional anthropomorphic aardvark created by the author Marc Brown. The main character of the book and television series Arthur, he is in the third grade and lives in the fictional city of Elwood City.

Physical appearance

Arthur is an anthropomorphic aardvark, who is 8 years old. In Brown's first Arthur book, Arthur's Nose (1976), Arthur is shown with a long nose and resembles an actual aardvark, though as the books progressed (as seen in the first season of PBS's Reading Rainbow in its 13th episode, titled "Arthur's Eyes") and eventually became an animated TV series, Arthur’s appearance changed. The character's most recognizable form is a light brown, slanted face with small ears and nostrils with signature round brown-rimmed eyeglasses. Normally, Arthur wears a yellow V-neck sweater over a white dress shirt, blue jeans along with red and white sneakers. He also occasionally wears a red rugby-style sweater. In the series finale ("All Grown Up"), Arthur's 28-year-old appearance features him with straight dark brown hair, slight facial hair, a green vest with a hood, and a red and yellow shirt with a Dark Bunny insignia.

Arthur's relationships

Family

The tensions between Arthur and his 4-year-old (later 5-year-old) sister, Dora Winifred "D.W." Read, are a common theme in the Arthur series. Arthur is constantly pestered by D.W., who goes out of her way to get Arthur into trouble, which often causes Arthur to retaliate, by getting into quarrels with his friends. Arthur's parents are his mother, Jane Read, who is a work-at-home accountant, and his father, David L. Read, who runs a catering business. Arthur's toddler sister is Baby Kate. Appearances from Arthur's extended family include his grandparents: Thora (David's mother) and Dave (Jane's father). His uncles: Fred (Jane's brother), Richard, Bud, and Sean. His aunts: Jessica, Loretta, and Lucy. His cousins: Cora, Monique, Ricky, George, and other unnamed relatives. However, the only two members of Arthur's extended family who have appeared more than once are his grandparents. Grandma Thora lives in a house not too far from Arthur's in Elwood City and is known to be a bad cook, but a loving grandmother and a world-class marbles player. She loves to play bingo every Friday night, and in some episodes has to watch over Arthur and D.W. She is good friends with Mrs. McGrady, the school cafeteria monitor. Grandpa Dave lives in a convalescent home and has a roommate who was a ship captain.

Voice actors

Canadian child stars who have voiced the character of Arthur in the TV series: Throughout its long run, the beloved animated series "Arthur" has seen several talented voice actors taking on the role of the iconic character, Arthur Read. Initially voiced by Michael Yarmush for the first five seasons, the transition to new actors began with the onset of puberty, leading to Justin Bradley stepping in for Season 6. Mark Rendall took over from Season 7, followed by Cameron Ansell from Seasons 9 to 11. Dallas Jokic then voiced Arthur until Season 15, after which Drew Adkins continued the legacy in Seasons 16 and 17. As the character aged, William Healy voiced Arthur for Seasons 18 and 19, and then Jacob Ursomarzo took over for the 20th season. The end of the 21st season marked the arrival of Roman Lutterotti for the final four seasons. In a heartwarming conclusion, the original actor, Michael Yarmush, returned to voice the adult Arthur in the series finale "All Grown Up," bringing the character's journey full circle.

International voice actors

Since Arthur is shown in more than 80 countries, Arthur is dubbed by these young voice actors (in several languages) shown here:

Reception

Arthur Read was listed as number 26 in the TV Guide article, 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time.