Sad news today as Tom Kane (Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Marvel Future Revolution), a voice actor known for his roles as Professor Utonium in Powerpuff Girls and Yoda and Admiral Wullf Yularen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, passed away, via The Hollywood Reporter. Kane was 64 years old.
For those who don’t know, Kane was born on April 15, 1962, in Overland Park, Kansas. Kane started his acting journey at the age of 15 while attending Shawnee Mission South High School. In 1984, he graduated from the University of Kansas. Overtime he went to work with Lucasfilm and was given the role of Yoda and Admiral Wullf Yularen in The Clone Wars.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, from the words of Kane, this is how he landed the role of Yoda: “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.”
In 2020, Kane suffered a stroke leaving him unable to speak or write. He retired from voice acting in 2021, but he was still able to attend Lexington Comic and Toy Convention in Kentucky, in March. At the Con, he was reunited with The Powerpuff Girls cast in his first public appearance. He was with Tara Strong (Devil May Cry, Teen Titans Go!), Cathy Cavadini (Good Boy, Jellystone), and Elizabeth Daily (Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny, Grimsburg). Kane also voice the rabbit Mr. Herriman on Cartoon Network’s Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Lord Monkey Fist on Disney’s Kim Possible, and portrayed Magneto in Wolverine and The X-Men.
Kane will be missed, but his voice acting prowess will not go unnoticed. Kane is survived by his wife Cindy, along with his nine children, six of them being through adoption and fostering.