Tom Kane passed away this week at the age of 64, and if you’re a Star Wars fan, you’ve definitely heard his voice, whether you realized it or not.
He spent decades working in voice acting. Film, TV, video games, and even in the theme parks. The list goes on and on. You could scroll through his credits for a while and still not catch everything he was part of.
Most people probably know him best as Yoda in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. For a lot of fans, that version of Yoda is the one they grew up with. It stuck. It felt right. And over time, it became just as familiar as the version from the original films.
He also voiced Admiral Ackbar in The Last Jedi, stepping into another role that longtime fans immediately recognize.
But his work went way beyond Star Wars. He had roles across Marvel projects, Call of Duty, The Powerpuff Girls, and a bunch of other places you wouldn’t expect until you hear it and go, “Oh… that was him too?”
He was one of those actors who was everywhere, even if you didn’t know his name at the time.
In 2020, Kane suffered a stroke and stepped away from voice acting after that. It pretty much brought his career to a stop, which is tough considering how long he’d been working and how much he was still doing.
His voice is still out there, though. Every time you go back and watch The Clone Wars or hear one of those characters again, that part doesn’t go anywhere. You’ll also hear him narrating Happily Ever After – the fireworks spectacular at Magic Kingdom, and the monorail spiel.
What’s your favorite Tom Kane voice?
