Tom Kane (April 15, 1962 โ May 18, 2026) was an American voice actor. He was known for his work in animation and video games, most notably the Star Wars franchise.
๐ฌ Star Wars Roles
Kane voiced established characters Yoda, Admiral Ackbar, Boba Fett, Qui-Gon Jinn, and C-3PO. He made his debut in the Star Wars film saga as the voice of Admiral Ackbar in 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
๐บ Animation Career
Other notable roles include Professor Utonium in The Powerpuff Girls, Darwin in The Wild Thornberrys, and Mr. Herriman in Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. He also voiced Woodhouse in Archer, taking the role over from George Coe following his death in 2015.
๐ฎ Video Game Work
He was a prominent video game voice actor, appearing in numerous titles. In Call of Duty: World at War, Black Ops, Black Ops II, Black Ops III and Black Ops IV, he provided the voice of Takeo Masaki.
๐ข Other Voice Work
Kane recorded commercials, film trailers and television promos. He had been the announcer for the AFI Life Achievement Award show twice, as well as the 78th, 80th, 83rd, 84th, and 90th Academy Awards.
๐ฐ Disney Work
On April 13, 2012, Kane replaced Joe Hursh as the voice of the Walt Disney World Monorail System. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kane was one of several voices for health and safety announcements at Walt Disney World.
๐ฉบ Health and Retirement
In November 2020, Kane suffered a stroke which left him with significant weakness on the right side of his body and damage to his speaking, writing, and reading abilities. In September 2021, Kane’s daughter Sam confirmed that, due to his stroke, he had decided to retire from voice acting.
๐ค Personal Life
Thomas Kane Roberts was born in Overland Park, Kansas on April 15, 1962. He was married to Cindy Roberts from 1982 until his death, and the pair had three biological children, and adopted six others.
โฐ๏ธ Death
Kane died from complications of a stroke at a hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, on May 18, 2026, at the age of 64. His talent agency, Galactic Productions, announced the news on Facebook.
| Category | Notable Role | Year Started | Medium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Wars | Yoda, Admiral Ackbar | 1977 | Film, TV, Games |
| Animation | Professor Utonium | 1998 | TV Series |
| Video Games | Takeo Masaki | 2008 | Call of Duty series |
| Disney | Monorail Announcer | 2012 | Theme Park |