Famous Voice actor Tom Kane,who lent his voice to Yoda in various Star Wars spin-offs, Professor Utonium in The Powerpuff Girls, and numerous other characters—passed away on Monday. He was 64 years old. Confirming Kane’s death on social media, his talent agency, Galactic Productions, described him as “a great voice actor.”
“His voice shaped the childhoods and imaginations of millions of people around the world. From his memorable performances in Star Wars to countless animated series, documentaries, and games, Tom infused every character he portrayed with wisdom, strength, humor, and heart.”
Born April 15, 1962, in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, Kane began doing professional voice-over work at age 15, racking up voice-overs in hundreds of commercials by the time he graduated college, according to his IMDb biography.
In Hollywood he voiced movie trailers, network promos, games and cartoon. Kane was the voice of Yoda throughout “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” movie and subsequent television series, in addition to numerous other characters in the franchise. His is also the voice of the Disney Theme Parks’ monorail system.
Besides voicing Professor Utonium in “Powerpuff Girls,” Kane also lent his voice to HIM, the animated series’ villain. His last Instagram post, in March, was a photo of him surrounded by the original, real-life Powerpuffs Cathy Cavadini (Blossom), Tara Strong (Bubbles) and Elizabeth Daily (Buttercup) and joyfully captioned, “Reunited with my girls!!”
Kane was known for his ability to mimic others’ voices, enabling him to step in on projects whose original voice-over actors were no longer available. His own career was brought to a halt after a 2020 stroke that left him unable to speak.
Kane’s last vocal appearance will be as the narrator in the upcoming series “JFK Assassination: Declassified Theories,” according to IMDb. He leaves behind wife Cindy Roberts, whom he married in 1982, and their nine children, Galactic Productions noted.
