Who voices the Geico Gecko 2022

Written By: Rachael BrennanReviewed By: Chris HarriganUPDATED: Jun 21, 2022Fact Checked

• As a result of the Screen Actors Strike in 1999, the GEICO Gecko was created
• Several actors have been the voice of GEICO, most notably David Kelley (Aussie) and Kelsey Grammar (British)
• Overall, GEICO is more than a cute gecko — it is one of the top five car insurers in the U.S.

GEICO auto insurance is widely known for its Gecko Commercials, but who is the voice of the GEICO Gecko?

The GEICO Gecko was created by the Martin Agency (today’s CGI version was generated by Framestone CFC) and was created from the effect of a Screen Actors Guild Strike in 2000.

The strike prevented actors from working in commercials, so the Martin Agency created what is now arguably the most famous lizard in the world (the name of the character takes after the agency).

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It was decided that the GEICO lizard voice actor would have an English (Cockney) accent. In the original set of commercials, the Gecko character pleaded with people to stop calling him in error as he is a gecko not to be confused with GEICO.

The similarity between the company name and the character was an instant hit, and similar to Absolut’s Vodka campaigns, marked just the beginning of an advertising campaign to write about in marketing books everywhere for decades to come.

The voice of GEICO Gecko has been played by several actors more notably David Kelly as the Gecko with the British Aussie accent and Kelsey Grammer (the stiff English accent).

GEICO is one of the masters of marketing, and with the iconic GEICO Gecko voice actors and Warren Buffet as the owner, it is hard not to imagine GEICO as one of the leading car insurers in the nation.

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As one of the top five car insurers in the nation, GEICO offers both affordable car policies and superb customer service.

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Although Jake initially tweeted about being replaced, according to Digital Spy, he deleted all of those soon after and then tweeted an apology about his outburst. "Hey Twitter, regarding a dispute I had with a lizard this week. I apologise," he said. "I was upset. Moving on, nothing more to see."

Although some outlets say Jake indeed stopped being the voice in 2015, other outlets report that as of 2021, Jake is still doing the voice of the gecko, so perhaps he'd been able to resolve things with the company back in 2015. (After all, he did delete those original tweets and issue the apology, so that could definitely mean they worked things out.)

GEICO, one of the most recognizable insurance agencies in the world, has been in business for nearly 90 years. For over 20 years, the company has been represented by its mascot, the GEICO Gecko.

Now a famous mascot, the GEICO Gecko has a storied past and a beloved accent. Here’s everything you need to know about the GEICO Gecko, including why one of the voice actors, Jake Wood, almost quit:

GEICO Gecko Background

GEICO introduced the Gecko in 1999. At the time, a strike at the Screen Actors Guild prevented live actors from being used in advertisements.

GEICO, looking for a new spokesperson, couldn’t use a person to speak, and instead had to animate a new mascot.

Since GEICO had often been mispronounced as the small green lizard, they chose a gecko, and the GEICO Gecko was born.

The Gecko’s Influence

The GEICO Gecko became so popular, other insurance agencies followed suit, quickly creating their own signature spokespeople or spokesanimals.

Now, Aflac is known for their duck, Progressive is represented by Flo, and State Farm has Jake.

Jake Wood’s Professional Background

The GEICO Gecko has been voiced by a few different actors but is currently voiced by Jake Wood. He is a British actor known for his role on the BBC soap opera EastEnders.

Wood trained at London’s Anna Scher Drama School and began his career in the mid-1980s. He’s been active in the entertainment industry ever since and has even branched out into the podcast world, starting one about boxing, a sport which he has participated in for charity.

Jake Wood’s Dispute With GEICO

In 2015, GEICO nearly had to find a new voice for the Gecko due to a dispute with Jake Wood. The actor took to Twitter to air his discontent, noting that the insurance company wanted to decrease his pay.

Wood was upset by the company’s wishes and found it disrespectful as he’d been voicing the mascot for 10 years at that point.

Eventually, Wood deleted the tweets and issued an apology, leading fans to believe he’d settled his issues with GEICO. There are mixed reports about his current status with the company, but it is widely believed Wood is still the voice behind the adorable Gecko.

Wood’s salary for his work with GEICO has not been publicly disclosed, but online sources have his net worth estimated at $3 million, so it’s reasonable to assume he earns a handsome amount lending his voice to the mascot.

His net worth is also comprised of his acting work, as well as any money he makes from his podcast and other ventures.

The Gecko’s Accent

Since the very first GEICO commercial featuring the Gecko, the origin of the mascot’s noticeable accent has been up for debate. Some Americans believe it’s a British accent, while others think it’s Australian.

Since Jake Wood took over as the mascot, it’s been generally accepted that the accent is British, particularly from the East End of London, as that’s where Wood is from.

The other men to voice the famous reptile are from all over the world, including Australia, making it clearer why listeners have had trouble discerning where exactly the Gecko is from.

7 GEICO Gecko Fun Facts

We know plenty about the character’s origin, as well as the actor who voices him, but there’s lots more to know about the Gecko himself:

1. His name is Martin – The cute Gecko does have a name – Martin. He was named after The Martin Agency, the advertising agency that created him.

2. He’s an author – Martin the Gecko wrote the book You’re Only Human, which was published in 2013. Available at Amazon, the book is a guide to daily life where Martin shares the secrets of the universe.

3. He was interviewed by a Clinton – Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former United States President Bill Clinton and former United States Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, interviewed the Gecko while she was working at NBC.

4. He’s acted – Martin had fans ask him questions via Twitter, and he revealed that he once starred in The Lizard of Oz.

5. He doesn’t wear pants – Many fans have noticed Martin doesn’t wear clothes, and he has a good reason. As he revealed on Twitter, pants don’t come in his size.

6. He’s been in lots of commercials – Since his inception in 1999, Martin the GEICO Gecko has starred in over 150 commercials for the company.

7. He has a favorite genre of music – When a fan asked Martin what music he prefers to listen to, he answered Crocodile Rock.

5 Other GEICO Gecko Actors

As mentioned, Martin the GEICO Gecko has been around since the late 1990s, so the mascot has had its share of actors lend their voice:

1. Kelsey Grammer

The most famous of all the men to voice Martin, Kelsey Grammer is the original Gecko. He lent his voice for the very first commercial, where Martin famously tells the public he’s just a gecko and begs them to stop confusing him with GEICO.

Grammer is an award-winning actor who’s best known for his role as Fraiser Crane in two iconic sitcoms: Cheers and Fraiser.

2. Richard Steven Horvitz

From 2003 to 2005, Martin was voiced by American actor and comedian Richard Steven Horvitz, who’s voiced many other characters, like Zim on Invader ZIM and Daggett Doofus Beaver on The Angry Beavers.

Horvitz lost the gig when GEICO made way for Jake Wood.

3. Thomas Bromhead

Actor and comedian Thomas Bromhead has also voiced the adorable little Gecko, and he’s been the voice behind commercials for other major companies, too.

Bromhead has voice acted for McDonald’s, FedEx, Toyota, Ford, and KFC, in addition to GEICO.

4. Dave Kelly

Another GEICO Gecko was Dave Kelly, who is a voice actor.

5. Andrew Randall

Andrew Randall is another accomplished voice actor to play Martin. He’s been in several commercials and has narrated ads for loads of companies like Google, GE, Walmart, and Cisco.

Martin the GEICO Gecko has been a staple in American culture for decades. Once voted America’s favorite advertising icon, he’s a familiar face who’s likely to remain part of advertising for years to come, no matter who’s voicing him.