Tom Kane, the voice actor behind Professor Utonium and villain HIM in “The Powerpuff Girls” and Jedi Master Yoda in multiple “Star Wars” projects, died Monday at age 64.
Cartoon Network
said, "Rest in peace, Professor. Thank you, Tom Kane, for lending your voice to the father of three perfect little girls and bringing The Force to millions of fans. You’ll live on in our childhood memories forever."
Kane’s
career spanned animation, film, television, and video games for more than four decades. His most recognized roles included Professor Utonium and HIM in “The Powerpuff Girls,” Yoda across multiple “Star Wars” series and films, including “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars: The Bad Batch,” and Lord Monkey Fist in “Kim Possible.”
He also voiced Mr. Herriman in “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends,” Darwin in “The Wild Thornberrys,” and Simon in “Codename: Kids Next Door.”
In video games, Kane voiced Takeo Masaki in “Call of Duty,” Leviathan, and Lok in “Fortnite,” and appeared across numerous “Star Wars” titles.
Video game developer Treyarch
said, "We're devastated to learn about the sudden passing of our friend, the legendary Tom Kane. As the original voice of Takeo Masaki and countless other beloved roles over the years, Tom's iconic talent and unwavering kindness will last with us all our lives. Our thoughts go out to his loved ones, and he will always be in our hearts."
His work also included roles in “Batman” games as Commissioner Gordon, Quincy Sharp, and Amadeus Arkham, as well as voice roles in franchises such as “X-Men,” “Final Fantasy,” and “The Lord of the Rings.”
In addition to character work, Kane was a frequent announcer voice for commercials, trailers, and network promos for brands including Disney, Pixar, CBS, FOX, Showtime, Netflix, Universal, Walmart, McDonald’s, Sony, and Nintendo, as well as Hallmark greeting cards and talking holiday products,
according to his IMDb biography.
Kane’s work also included voice doubling for actors and filling in for performers such as Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Liam Neeson, according to his IMDb biography.
Voice actor Tara Strong, who voiced Bubbles in "The Powerpuff Girls," paid tribute on social media,
writing, “they say there’s no such thing as a perfect man… those people never met #TomKane. I’ve never in my life met a sweeter soul or a better human being.”
“He and his wife raised three beautiful children, then opened their hearts and adopted six more. Six more. Imagine that. Visiting their home brought everyone joy. It was pure magic… authenticity, warmth, acceptance, and a lot of #StarWars,” she said.
Kane’s final Facebook
post came on May 4, when he shared a past video of himself performing a ceremonial first pitch at a St. Louis Cardinals game.
Speaking in his signature Yoda voice, he said, “The force will be with you, always, yes.”
Kane was born April 15, 1962, in Overland Park, Kansas. He began working in voiceover at age 15.
According to IMDb, he completed hundreds of commercials before moving into Hollywood roles across animation, games, and film.
In 2020, Kane’s family
announced he had suffered a stroke that impaired his speech and ability to communicate.
“As many of you might know about strokes, it is possible for him to gain these functions back and we have found him excellent care in Kansas City for speech, occupational, and physical therapy, but for now, we have been warned by his neurologist that he may not do voiceovers again,” his daughter wrote at the time.
Kane’s final credit listed on IMDb is for the 2023 video game “Harry Potter: Magic Awakened.”
His representative, Zach McGinnis,
told TMZ that Kane died Monday at a hospital in Kansas City, surrounded by family.
