X-Men: The Animated Series' Beast Actor Had A Cameo In The First Live-Action Movie

One can admire the makers of 1992's "X-Men: The Animated Series" for their gall. The world of X-Men, as it appears in Marvel Comics, is vast and complicated, involving hundreds of characters and decades of soap opera-like drama that even deep-cut fans have trouble following. The makers of "The Animated Series" elected to throw viewers into the deep end, trusting that kids would be able to keep track of the show's dozen main characters. Also, they didn't dramatically change the designs of the X-Men, allowing them to look just as silly in the cartoon as they do on the page. Specifically, they looked like the way Jim Lee designed them a few years earlier. The colorful spandex superhero costumes remained colorful. 

Case in point: Wolverine still wore those silly "head wings" on his helmet. Cyclops still wore the unnecessary yellow harness. Jubilee was rarely seen without her bright yellow trench coat. Most strikingly, Beast (voiced by George Buza), was still blue, furry, and sported hair spikes like the guy in A Flock of Seagulls. Buza voiced Beast like a quiet intellectual (which the character is), not like a snarling blue wolf-person. 

Buza has an acting career that stretches back to the 1970s, and attentive movie fans will likely recognize his outsize frame and character-filled face. His first screen gig was an uncredited role in an episode of "Kung Fu," followed by a bit part in the 1978 comedy "High-Ballin'." He was in "Fairy Tale Theaters," and the sitcom "Maniac Mansion." He played voice roles in some "Star Wars" cartoons, and turned up in films like "Meatballs III" and "The Brain." But fans of "X-Men" will also be happy to learn that Buza scored a bit part in Bryan Singer's 2000 live-action "X-Men" feature film.

Unlike "The Animated Series," Singer's "X-Men" redesigned the characters, tamping down the cartoonishness for live-action. The sci-fi machines were all shiny and chrome, and the costumes were transformed into thick, black, matching leather-like uniforms. The characters were also updated. The flying bruiser Rogue was now played by Anna Paquin, and she was turned into a teenager, terrified that she can literally suck the life out of people just by touching them. Early in "X-Men," Rogue runs away from home, getting on a truck and fleeing from the United States into Canada. 

When Rogue exits the truck, she gets a good look at the driver, and attentive viewers will see that it's George Buza. He doesn't have much to say, but it's definitely him. "I played the truck driver and it was really great to be a part of the feature," he once told The Hollywood Reporter. "They were all excited about the cartoon, they took a lot of inspiration from it."

Buza was primarily known for playing Beast, and reprised his role in 1995 for an episode of "Spider-Man." He also played Colossus, Juggernaut, Omega Red, and Magneto in the 1994 video game "X-Men: Children of the Atom." He was no stranger to the Marvel universe, and returned in 2024 for the revival series "X-Men '97." 

Buza is still working. He most recently appeared in three episodes of the Netflix series "Ginny & Georgia," and in the 2022 movie "A Merry Christmas Wish." He's one of those reliable character actors that Hollywood always needs. Sadly, Buza was not asked to play Beast in the live-action "X-Men" film series. The role was eventually taken over by, alternately, Kelsey Grammar and Nicholas Hoult.