Growing up, Lori Alan’s performer parents cultivated her love for the arts and culture, which was a catalyst for her successful career on the stage and screen, especially as a prominent voice actor.
The 59-year-old Alan grew up in the town of Potomac and has gained acclaim for her voice role of Pearl Krabs on Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants (for 318 episodes over 15 seasons), as well as several animated Pixar movies, video games, TV, streaming series, and more.
She eagerly reminisces about her theater-oriented childhood. “My parents met in college at American University and both performed early on at Arena Stage,” recalls Alan. “I grew up watching my mom, Martha, perform in plays at the Montgomery Playhouse, and if she wasn’t in a production, she was producing it.”
Her father, Elliot, also ran an advertising agency, and Lori made her acting debut in a pizza commercial at age five, alongside her older sister, Lisa.
“I was backstage at the playhouse at nine years old, putting blush on for one of my first shows, Annie Get Your Gun, and I just remember thinking, ‘I have found my people.’ There wasn’t an option for me to do anything else.”
She adds, “I think if I had come home and told my parents that I wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer, they would have been like, “What? No, absolutely not. That’s totally irresponsible. You need a minor in juggling and tap dance.’ ”
Alan has fond childhood memories of going to her maternal grandparents’ house in “beautiful” Arlington, Virginia. “I can picture them in the yard; my grandmother looked like Judy Garland, and my grandfather, who was in the U.S. Navy, looked like Clark Gable.”
The actor calls herself “an East Coast girl in my soul and my bones,” and credits the “grit and toughness” that she learned from her parents, and her high-quality local education for setting her on the right path.
She graduated from Winston Churchill High School in Potomac and says she is grateful for her upbringing in the DMV. “My high school was extremely challenging, so when I went off to college, I felt like it was easy compared to our Montgomery County schools.”
She also has many relatives in Gaithersburg and Rockville, and remembers her first job in high school at The Slimmery, a shop that sold diet yogurt. “Everyone else came in to lose weight, so of course, I gained 10 pounds that summer. I was a good little saleswoman.”
From The Groundlings to a Rich Voice Acting Career
After attending Emerson College, Alan worked off-Broadway and was a member of the Groundlings improv troupe. She moved to Los Angeles in 1993 and auditioned for Mad TV and In Living Color, striking out for both. Tired of getting so close and not getting the gigs, she took a bunch of animation classes and booked an animated show, SWAT Kats, that was followed by the Fantastic Four.
“I was learning on the spot with brilliant people,” Alan recalls. “I studied extremely hard, and I knew what to do. I was proud and I was good.”
Then in 1999, she auditioned for two popular animated series, Family Guy and SpongeBob SquarePants, and with the help of her improv background, she garnered both roles. To date, Sponge Bob (both the TV series and movies) has won a staggering 75 awards including six Emmys.
When she auditioned for SpongeBob, Alan recalls the description of the character, Pearl, that she was given. “Pearl was kind of bratty, but really lovable and brash, and definitely a daddy’s girl. But I knew she had to be huge. I knew she had to be ginormous. I just had my kind of Potomac or Valley Girl kind of vibe about her, but with a low voice.”
A Plum Role as SpongeBob’s Pearl Krabs
“Playing Pearl on SpongeBob is about drawing from my imagination and real people from my life, and just having fun. I could not be more grateful for my SpongeBob family. We love recording together, and Tom Kenny (who voices the role of SpongeBob) is a great director and a dear friend.”
My work on SpongeBob "is a major source of pride,” she says. “I love that the show brings so much joy to people, as opposed to violence and crass humor. It’s about love and friendship, which is so precious. I love that girls who are inspired by Pearl tell me they are more confident. They tell me, ‘I’m not afraid to be myself; to be loud, creative, and feminine all at the same time.”
In addition to SpongeBob, Alan is known for voicing Diane Simmons on Family Guy, the Invisible Woman on Fantastic Four, and The Boss in the Metal Gear video games.
For her animation work, Alan was the recipient of an award from the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences, one of many accolades she has received. “I am insanely grateful to be surrounded by amazing people from all sides of my life.
Disney-Pixar Roles that Touch Our Hearts
In addition to animated series, Alan has recently shone in on-screen acting roles in Curb Your Enthusiasm and Nobody Wants This, as well as several Disney-Pixar movies including Monsters University and Inside Out 1 and 2; all projects that she loved as much as the fans. Monsters University, Inside Out 1, and Toy Story 3 are all Oscar-winning animated movies that continue to resonate with new generations.
In Toy Story 3, Alan plays the voice of Bonnie’s mom. She is looking forward to Toy Story 5, slated to be released in June 2026. “It’s been a dream come true to be a part of the Toy Story franchise,” she said. “Just going to the premiere never gets old to me. This business never loses its magic.”
Throughout her rich and busy career, she says she is proud to be a strong animal rights activist and ardent fundraiser, which leads to a happy life both personally and professionally. “I feel that if we understand the importance of giving back, it leads to a full, rich, and purposeful life.”
“I love that girls who are inspired by Pearl tell me, ‘I’m not afraid to be myself; to be loud, creative, and feminine all at the same time.” Lori Alan.
“Pearl was kind of bratty, but really lovable and brash and definitely a daddy’s girl,” Lori Alan