Tom Kane, the prolific voice actor whose body of work included popular turns as Yoda on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and as Prof. Utonium on The Powerpuff Girls, died Monday. He was 64.
Kane’s death from stroke complications at a hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, was announced by his talent agency, Galactic Productions.
“From his unforgettable performances in Star Wars to countless animated series, documentaries and games, Tom brought wisdom, strength, humor and heart to every role he touched,” it said in a statement. “His voice became part of our lives, our memories and the stories we carry with us.”
Kane suffered a stroke in 2020 that left him unable to speak or write. He retired in 2021 but did manage to attend the Lexington Comic and Toy Convention in Kentucky in March, reuniting with the Powerpuff Girls cast in his first public appearance in years.
Kane provided the mellifluous voice for the long-suffering valet Woodhouse on the FX animated series Archer, taking the role over from the late George Coe in 2014; played the rabbit Mr. Herriman on Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Lord Monkey Fist on Kim Possible and the smart monkey Darwin on The Wild Thornberrys; and portrayed Magneto and Ultron for Marvel projects.
Born on April 15, 1962, in Overland Park, Kansas, Thomas Kane Roberts started voice acting when he was 15 and attending Shawnee Mission South High School. “I started calling local advertisers and offered my services. It didn’t occur to me anyone got actually paid for it,” he said in a 2010 interview.
Kane graduated from the University of Kansas in 1984 and began at Lucasfilm handling miscellaneous small voice parts for its video games starting in 1996. He took on Yoda for the first time in a game released in 1999.
He continued as Yoda on the TV series Star Wars: Clone Wars in 2003, in the 2008 Clone Wars film (where he also voiced Admiral Yularen) and for many other projects over the years. He also provided the wartime-like narration that kicked off each Clone Wars episode.
“I didn’t work on being Yoda,” he said. “I saw the movies 53 times, so the voice was very much in my head. Everybody tries to do Yoda, not just voice-overs but everybody. I was doing stuff for LucasArts and I was goofing around and reading Yoda lines and what I didn’t know was that Frank Oz [the original voice of Yoda] was directing a movie. They recorded it and played it for George [Lucas], and I’ve been Yoda ever since.”
Meanwhile, Kane voiced the dorky dad Prof. Utonium (and the villain HIM) on Cartoon Network’s The Powerpuff Girls from 2016-19. (He first handled the role for a 2008 short.)
Kane also served as the voice of the Walt Disney World Monorail System and the announcer for several Academy Award broadcasts.
Survivors include his wife, Cindy, whom he married in 1982, and their nine children, six through adoption and fostering.