The prolific voice actor who narrated every episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and voiced Yoda and Admiral Ackbar among countless others has died.
Everyone at Lucasfilm is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Tom Kane, a man whose voice ushered an entire generation of fans into the world of Star Wars animation. He was 64.
“Tom loved Star Wars. Fans may best remember him as the voice of the animated Yoda, but truly his voice was the spirit of the Clone Wars,” says Lucasfilm President and Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni. “His opening narration introduced an entire generation to the Star Wars galaxy getting viewers ready for another adventure far, far, away.
“When I was first starting out as a director I was fortunate to have someone as legendary as Tom there to help me learn and guide me towards what the actors needed. Very Yoda like indeed,” Filoni continues. “Tom was selfless, giving so much of his time and energy to the Star Wars fan community. He loved the fans, and showed up for them whenever he could.”
Tom began his work with Lucasfilm as a voice actor on the 1996 video game Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, lending his talents to Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE fighter the same year. He would go on to voice Captain Rottingham in The Curse of Monkey Island, and countless other LucasArts projects, most prominently in the Star Wars galaxy including Star Wars: Rebellion, Star Wars: Episode I - Racer, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Battlefront and Battlefront II, and Star Wars: Yoda’s Challenge - Activity Center where he first lent his exceptional range to Jedi Master Yoda.
He reprised the role for video games including Star Wars: Episode I - Jedi Power Battles, Star Wars: Republic Commando, and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, and later LEGO Star Wars games and series; Kane also lent his talents to voice another fan-favorite character, C-3PO, in several other games, including Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.“The Yoda thing just kind of happened,” Kane previously told Star Wars Insider, explaining that he was already in a recording studio playing another character for a LucasArts video game. “I look at it not just as a cool gig, which it is, but it is such an honor to be entrusted with something that iconic, with a voice that’s known to the world…I’m a Star Wars nerd, so I would sit there looking through the script, and I would try to do my best Grand Moff Tarkin or Boba Fett or whoever. I was goofing around one day, and saw some Yoda lines, so of course I was trying to do my very best Yoda, and the producer looked up and said, ‘Can you do that again?”
In 2003, Kane joined the cast of Genndy Tartakovsky’s Star Wars: Clone Wars 2D micro-series, to bring Yoda and C-3PO to a new audience through 11 animated episodes.
But his most prominent role for Lucasfilm came in 2008, when he introduced the new Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series as the narrator who had the important role of ushering a new audience into the midst of the story through a news report at the top of every episode. Like the opening crawl on the Skywalker Saga films, Kane’s authoritative style helped a younger audience to discover the galaxy far, far away. Kane continued on, notably as the voices of Yoda and Admiral Yularen, throughout the full run of the acclaimed animated series, including the final season that aired in 2020. In total, he narrated 132 episodes, leaving his indelible mark on the series and the fandom.
From his first voiceover at the age of 15, Kane enjoyed a busy career far beyond the walls of Lucasfilm. But whether heralding the week’s adventure for fans of The Clone Wars, or lending his considerable skill to video games and live action — listen closely and you can hear him on Hosnian Prime in Star Wars: The Force Awakens — Tom Kane will always be remembered as an important member of the Star Wars family.
“I am so grateful for all that he did for me and for Lucasfilm,” Filoni says. “I’m also glad that his characters and voice will live on in many ways. Wherever you go there’s always a chance that Tom is the voice you hear guiding you through Disneyland or a galaxy far, far away.
“Farewell Tom, may the Force be with you… always.”