In Pixar’s Cars, who provides the voice of Mater, Lightning McQueen’s rusty tow truck friend?

Larry the Cable Guy provides the voice of Mater in Pixar’s Cars. Mater is the rusty blue tow truck who becomes Lightning McQueen’s closest friend after McQueen is stranded in Radiator Springs.

Larry the Cable Guy is the stage name of American comedian Daniel Lawrence Whitney. His country-influenced comic persona helped shape Mater’s distinctive speech, humor, and enthusiastic personality. The character’s name is a pun on the word “tow mater,” a regional pronunciation of “tomato.”

Mater appears throughout the Cars franchise, including Cars 2, where he becomes involved in an international spy adventure, and Cars 3. Larry the Cable Guy also voiced Mater in the Cars short films and television projects. John Ratzenberger, another recurring Pixar voice actor, voices Mack, not Mater.