That voice of Patrick Warburton: High-five!

That booming, commanding voice, instantly identifiable, resounds through the hallway of the Regency hotel in midtown Manhattan.

Actor and voice-over artist Patrick Warburton, best known for his work as likable lunkhead David Puddy in

Seinfeld

and for adding a deep note of masculinity to such animated films as

The Emperor's New Groove

and

Open Season

, is flummoxed.

Warburton's card key won't work and the big, burly former Bugle Boy model is getting a little peeved out in the corridor. "Why can't I get in my room," Warburton asks via cell phone - a device that seems too puny to transmit that brawny voice-of-authority.

Eventually Warburton, 42, realizes he's using a key from a Canadian hotel. Forgive the weary master of the deadpan for the confusion. The star of the CBS sitcom

Rules of Engagement

(which airs at 9:30 p.m. on Mondays on CBS3) has been on a whirlwind tour plugging his show while also spreading the word about

Bee Movie

, Jerry Seinfeld's animated film debut, which opens tomorrow and features Warburton's voice.

"My schedule is demanding," Warburton says in between appearances on CBS's

Early Show

and

Late Show With David Letterman

. "But I'm a working actor and it's part of the deal. I'm everywhere."

Indeed. Warburton's voice has even crept into theme parks. The married father of four, who was born in Paterson, N.J., but raised in Huntington Beach, Calif., does the voice-over for the preboarding film for the mega-popular Soarin' attractions at Disneyland and Disney World.

"I'm following everyone," Warburton says. "No one can escape me. It seems that way but the reality is different. Friends say, 'I see you everywhere. You're a TV star,' but I'm not. I'm just one of the little guys."

That may change if

Rules of Engagement

, which started as a midseason replacement and is set for a full run this year, takes off. Two couples and their friend, played by David Spade, cope with relationships spanning dating, engagement and marriage. Warburton portrays the married man, and the scene-stealing Spade a swinging single.

"I don't mind that David grabs the viewer's attention," Warburton says. "I love it. That's what happens when you have a great ensemble cast. That's what made

Seinfeld

so great. Jerry Seinfeld was smart enough to have Michael Richards, Jason Alexander and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. All three of them stole scenes, especially Richards, who always cracked me up, just like David does. David can take anything and make it funny."

Warburton and Spade were both featured in the ABC sitcom

8 Simple Rules

and both lent their voices to

The Emperor's New Groove

and

Kronk's New Groove

.

"I'm very comfortable working with David," Warburton says. "He's a professional and so are the rest of the cast. I'm just glad we're past [the introductory episodes] and the audience knows the characters and we know each other well.

Seinfeld

didn't hit its stride until it had a few episodes under its belt."

Seinfeld's name is dropped often in conversation with Warburton. Aside from his recurring role in the show about nothing, Warburton was tapped by the iconic comic to voice Superman, Seinfeld's favorite superhero, in a series of inventive American Express commercials directed by Barry Levinson.

"I only did two episodes of

Seinfeld

at that point," Warburton says. "But Jerry wanted to work off of me since he said he was comfortable with me, which was such an honor."

Seinfeld is comfortable enough to have the square-jawed Warburton take part in his biggest post-sitcom production.

Bee Movie

is a cute concept about a bee, played by Seinfeld, who discovers that humans have been robbing bees of their honey for centuries. What does a contemporary bee do in a litigious society? Sue the human race.

"I can't wait to see it," says Warburton, who portrays a human in the film. "What makes this movie special is that Jerry's signature is everywhere, from the performance to the writing and producing. Be prepared for something special. There's so much talent in

Bee Movie

."

A who's who of Hollywood - Renee Zellweger, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, Matthew Broderick and John Goodman, among others - participated in the project.

"Jerry brought along a lot of his big friends and he was nice enough to ask some of us little people to join in," Warburton says.

The comment is sincere (if modest). But it still sounds ironic coming from a 6-3, 200-plus-pound guy with a voice that sounds like John Wayne shouting down a well.