"Thomas 'Tom' Kane, a voice actor whose career included roles for Disney, Lucasfilm, and various animated television series, died on Monday from complications related to a stroke. He was 64 years old."
His death was confirmed by his talent agency, Galactic Productions.
Health and Family
Kane suffered a stroke in 2020 that left him largely unable to speak or write. He subsequently retired from voice acting in 2021. His final public appearance was at the Lexington Comic and Toy Convention in Kentucky in March.
Kane is survived by his wife, Cindy, whom he married in 1982, and their nine children. Three of the children are biological, and six were adopted or fostered.
Career Overview
Born Thomas Kane Roberts on April 15, 1962, in Overland Park, Kansas, Kane began voice acting at age 15. He later graduated from the University of Kansas in 1984.
Star Wars Roles
- Video Games: His first Star Wars role was Leebo in the 1996 game Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. He first voiced Yoda in a 1999 video game and later voiced the character in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (2022), which was his final role.
- Television and Film: He voiced the narrator, Yoda, and other characters in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2003 and 2008 film), Star Wars: The Bad Batch, and various LEGO and Robot Chicken specials. He voiced Admiral Ackbar in animated projects, the film Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and the Disney Parks attraction Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. He also provided additional voices for films including Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rogue One, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Other Notable Voice Roles
- Animation: Professor Utonium on The Powerpuff Girls (2016-2019), Woodhouse on Archer (FX, from 2014), Monkey Fist on Kim Possible, Darwin on The Wild Thornberrys, Mr. Herriman on Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and Ultron and Magneto in various Marvel projects.
- Video Games: Contributed to titles including Call of Duty and Harry Potter: Magic Awakened.
- Other Work: He provided the voice for the Walt Disney World Monorail System, narrated the "Happily Ever After" nighttime spectacular at Magic Kingdom, and served as an announcer for multiple Academy Awards broadcasts.