{{short description|American voice actor, host and DJ}} {{Infobox person | name = Dean Wendt | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1968|2|17}} | birth_place = Elgin, Illinois, U.S. | image = | birth_name = Dean Alan Wendt | occupation = {{hlist|Voice actor|host|DJ}} | years_active = 1990-present | alma_mater = University of Illinois<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbvoices.com/voice/dean-wendt/|title=Dean Wendt|website=PB Talent| access-date=September 9, 2025}}</ref> | spouse = {{marriage|Lori Plummer|2010}} | children = 2<ref name="Voice Over Herald">{{Cite web|url=https://www.voiceoverherald.com/a-big-gig-comes-from-a-demo-on-cd-recorded-in-a-closet/|title=A Big Gig Comes from a Demo on CD, Recorded in a Closet|date=January 11, 2014|website=Voice Over Herald|access-date=September 9, 2025|first=Kurt|last=Myers}}</ref> | website = {{URL|http://www.vothatsreal.com}} }} '''Dean Alan Wendt''' (born February 17, 1968) is an American voice actor, host and music DJ, best known as the second voice of Barney the Dinosaur on the hit children's show ''Barney & Friends'' following the departure of the character's original voice actor, Bob West.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vothatsreal.com/demos/character-voices-how-to-make-them-work |title=Character Voices: How to make them work — VO That's Real {{!}} Dean Wendt, Voice Actor |website=www.vothatsreal.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128235723/https://www.vothatsreal.com/demos/character-voices-how-to-make-them-work |archive-date=2020-01-28 |date=December 6, 2013 |first=Dean |last=Wendt}}</ref>
==Career== From 1996 to 2001, Wendt was a DJ and producer on Radio Disney.
===''Barney & Friends''=== While working at Radio Disney, Wendt heard about a casting call to find a new voice actor for Barney. Wendt auditioned for Barney through his agent. Due to Wendt traveling extensively to Los Angeles, California for Radio Disney, he could never audition in person. Wendt sent in a CD of his initial audition and got a callback. After not hearing anything for a while, he was called to record another demo. Wendt did the audition in the closet at the apartment of Joseph Phillips, the music director of ''Barney & Friends'', in Plano, Texas.<ref>{{Cite podcast|url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=9OzUjjJBLqk?t=1973|title=Listening In with Barney Musical Director Joe Phillips - Purple Tales Podcast Episode 2|date=March 12, 2019|website=Purple Tales Podcast|first1=Nancy|last1=Jay|first2=Carey|last2=Stinson|access-date=September 10, 2025|via=YouTube}}</ref> He also sang a couple songs and was interviewed as Barney during the auditions.<ref name="Voice Over Herald" /> Prior to voicing Barney, Wendt would do the voice for his daughters, who were then two and three years old, respectively.<ref name="Voice Over Herald" />
Wendt started voicing Barney in September 2001<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.voices.com/profile/deanwendt|title=Dean Wendt in Los Angeles, California, U.S.|website=Voices|access-date=September 10, 2025}}</ref> with his first project being the music video for "We Are Family", a music video featuring various children's character made in response to 9/11. His Barney voice was first heard publicly in the 2001 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Wendt continued to portray as the purple dinosaur until the show's hiatus and did a few projects as Barney afterwards until 2013. Wendt reprised his role as Barney in 2019 for Jerry Franklin's retirement gala.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.courant.com/photos/jerry-franklin-gala-2019-05-1-20190502-lagltomehzhmfaujk3h443uh5u-photogallery.html|title=The Jerry Franklin CPTV Gala|date=May 2, 2019|website=Hartford Courant|access-date=September 10, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite podcast|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK2ZdV4QyOk&t=273s/|title=Carey 'Barney' Stinson takes his turn in the guest chair - Purple Tales Episode 11|website=Purple Tales Podcast|date=May 14, 2019|first1=Nancy|last1=Jay|first2=Carey|last2=Stinson|access-date=September 15, 2025|via=YouTube}}</ref>
==Personal life== On the set of ''Barney & Friends'', Wendt met Lori Plummer who was an educational researcher and content developer of the show. They both got married during the last year the show was being produced in 2010.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.sfasu.edu/archived-sawdust/issue-20-spring/jacks-of-all-trades.html|title='Jacks of All Trades: Lori Wendt '89|date=Spring 2020|first=Shirley|last=Luna|magazine=Sawdust|access-date=September 10, 2025|via=Stephen F. Austin State University}}</ref>
==Filmography== {{BLP unreferenced section|date=August 2022}} Barney & Friends: * 2001: Season 6 **Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (November 22) * 2002: **Season 7 *** ''We Are Family'' *** ''Barney's Christmas Star'' (promotional material only) * 2003: **Season 8 * 2004: **Season 9 * 2006: ** *** ''Barney's Beach Party'' (February 7) (uncredited) **Season 10 * 2007: ** Season 11 * 2008: ** Season 12 * 2009: ** Season 13
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|1417882|Dean Wendt}} * [http://www.vothatsreal.com Official website]
{{s-start}} {{succession box | before = Bob West | after = Jonathan Langdon | title = Voice of Barney | years = 2002–2010 }} {{s-end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wendt, Dean}} Category:1968 births Category:American male voice actors Category:Living people Category:Radio Disney DJs Category:21st-century American male actors Category:American radio DJs Category:People from Elgin, Illinois Category:Actors from Illinois Category:University of Illinois System alumni
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