Tom Kenny is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for providing the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants in the Nickelodeon animated television series of the same name. He is also the voice of Patchy the Pirate, SpongeBob's human sidekick. Kenny has been providing the voice of SpongeBob since the pilot episode in 1997, and continues to do so through the present day.