Iconic animation voice actor Tom Kane, known mainly for his role as Master Yoda in the animated series The Clone Wars, and as Professor Utonium in The Powerpuff Girls, has sadly passed away at age 64. We learned the news via Collider. His death was apparently due to complications resulting from a stroke he suffered back in 2020. An incident that forced his early retirement. Kane was an extremely prolific voice actor, with a resume that included The Wild Thornberrys, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Archer, and dozens more. He also provided voices for several video games, including Arkham Asylum, and the 2002 Lord of the Rings game. Yes, he was Gandalf and Yoda, which is pretty darn cool.
Tom Kane began doing voice acting in the early ’90s, including several Marvel cartoons from that era. You could hear his voice on Iron Man and Spider-Man: The Animated Series, where he voiced Doctor Doom. He then became a fixture in the early Cartoon Network original series, such as Johnny Bravo and Cow and Chicken. It was during this period that he landed his first iconic role, as Professor Utonium on The Powerpuff Girls. He also played HIM on that series. Not long after, he portrayed Mr. Harriman on Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. Kane was a master at doing the “Old Timey Radio Voice,” something that came in very handy during his career.
In 2008, Kane took over for Frank Oz as Yoda in the animated The Clone Wars movie. This led to his voicing Yoda on the entire series, which ran for seven seasons. But that was just part of a long association with Lucasfilm and Star Wars. He also played Admiral Yularen in that series, as well as the narrator, and reprised the Yoda role in several LEGO Star Wars specials and Robot Chicken episodes. But his Star Wars career actually began long before that. Kane provided voices for over thirty Star Wars games, including The Force Unleashed. He then provided additional voices for every modern Star Wars film. He also played Admiral Ackbar in The Last Jedi, as well as in Star Tours in the Disney theme parks.
In the 2000s, Kane also returned to Marvel, where he voiced Magneto on Wolverine and the X-Men. He also played Tony Stark and Ultron in the animated Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow movie. He reprised the Ultron role in several episodes of Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Kane’s work extended beyond just animated shows and video games, however. He was an excellent voice mimic, which landed him the Dr. Loomis voice-over in 1998’s Halloween: H20. All because he perfectly replicated the voice of the late actor Donald Pleasence. He also managed to be the announcer for four different Academy Awards broadcasts.
And all of that doesn’t even begin to cover Tom Kane’s incredibly long resume. As much as someone like Mark Hamill, Kane left his stamp on a very specific generation of animated content. Nerdist extends our condolences to Tom Kane’s family and friends. We know we’ll be enjoying his body of work for years to come.