Four iconic roles you didn't know Tom Kane played as Yoda and Powerpuff Girls actor dies

Tom Kane has died aged 64, with tributes flying in from fans and Cartoon Network releasing a statement to pay tribute to the actor.

Kane may not be a household name celebrity, but nearly everyone who was a kid in the late 90s and 00s will recognise his iconic voice. The voice actor was a TV show veteran, appearing in 276 projects across his storied 34 year career.

One fan on X posted a tribute, saying: “I never fully realized how much Tom Kane voiced and narrated our childhood. R.I.P.”

Across the years he acted in some iconic roles, appearing as Yoda in multiple Star Wars project as well as playing the dad Professor Utonium in The Powerpuff Girls. Here are four iconic and nostalgic roles you may not have known he was the voice behind.

He was in multiple Star Wars projects, and voiced a lot more than just Yoda

For anyone who loves Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the iconic seven season show always kicked off with a narrator setting the scene of the episode.

Kane was the iconic voice behind that narration, also appearing as Yoda in the show alongside numerous video game appearances.

This continued into live action when he took over the voice role of Admiral Ackbar in Star Wars: The Last Jedi after Erik Bauersfeld passed away.

One popular Star Wars fan account said in a post on X: “We lost one of the most iconic voices in the galaxy today. RIP Tom Kane.”

The creator of The Powerpuff Girls and the voice actors both paid emotional tributes to Kane

As well as playing the iconic Professor Utonium he also voiced HIM in the show, and Craig McCracken, who created the series, released an emotional tribute.

McCracken said that Kane’s ‘warmth, heart, and humour resonated’ through his voice, stating that he brought joy to ‘so many lives’. He continued: “grew up without a dad, so it was important to me that the girls had the best one I could give them and that was Tom.”

The voice actors behind the iconic Powerpuff Girls trio, Tara Strong, Cathy Cavidini, and E.G. Daily all released statements and revealed that they had united with their on-screen dad one last time before his death in March of this year at a convention.

Cathy Cavidini said in her statement: “Tom leaves behind an extraordinary legacy, countless unforgettable performances, and so many people who loved him dearly. But I think I will miss my dear Professor most of all.”

Kane was the voice behind multiple iconic video game characters

As well as appearing in a whopping 43 Star Wars video games, Kane was also in multiple games you probably played without connecting the dots.

His most well known is probably that he voiced Takeo Masaki in the Call of Duty: Zombies game mode which developed a cult fanbase.

He also voiced the English dub of Ondore in Final Fantasy XII, with one fan tweeting: “Tom Kane voiced Ondore?! I had no idea. Rest in peace Tom... Thanks for being the voice of many childhood characters. Really talented.”

The actor is an unforgettable part of the Disney parks

You may not realise it, but if you visited the Walt Disney parks you probably have heard Kane’s voice.

He is the announcer for the ‘Walt Disney World Monorail’ and was also the narrator for Happily Ever After between 2017 and 2023.

Add to that the fact that he was the voice of Disney’s ‘Fast Play’ bumper played before DVDs that many of us will grown up watching, he was undeniably a major voice of childhood.