Terribly sad news arrived last night as we learned of the passing of one of the great voices of Star Wars, Tom Kane. He was 64, and a man whose talent graced numerous Star Wars projects, from the Shadows of the Empire video game back in 1996 through to 132 episodes of The Clone Wars, and across a huge variety of roles:
Shadows of the Empire: • Leebo | X-Wing vs TIE Fighter: • Imperial Officer • Rebel Pilot | Rebellion: • Alliance Officer • Imperial Officer • Pilot | DroidWorks: • FTO • C-3PO • British Droid • Pedestrian • Farmer • Narrator | Episode I Insider Guide: • C-3PO • Announcer | Episode I Racer: • Elan Mak • Slide Paramita | The Phantom Menace game: • Barbo • C-3PO • Jym Lang • Prisoner • Thug | X-Wing Alliance: • Beckman • Golov Nakhym • Imperial Officer • Nien Nunb | Demolition: • Bib Fortuna • Boba Fett • Otto • Lobot | Jedi Power Battles: • Yoda • Droid • Gungan • Thug | Force Commander: • AT-AT Driver • ATC-Airfield • C-3PO | Rogue Squadron 2 Rogue Leader: • Crix Madine • Imperial Pilot • Transport Captain | Super Bombad Racing: • Battle Droid • Valorum • Yoda | Starfighter: • Mercenary Pilot • Wingman | Galactic Battlegrounds: • Boba Fett • C-3PO • Imperial Captain • Naboo Captain • Vilmarh Grahrk • Yoda | Clone Wars game: • Yoda | Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast: • Reborn Jedi • Rodian • Shadowtrooper • Stormtrooper | Jedi Starfighter: • Juno • Yoda | Bounty Hunter: • MC Droid • Civilian • Longo 2-Guns | Racer Revenge: • Dax Gazaway • Shrivel Braittrand | Galactic Battlegrounds: • Pilot | Clone Wars (2003): • Yoda | Rogue Squadron 3: Rebel Strike: • C-3PO • Crix Madine • Imperial Pilot • Recruiter • Yoda | Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy: • Boba Fett • Cultist • Stormtrooper • Rodian | KOTOR: • Vandar Tokare • Uthar Wynn • Rolan Wann • Ajunta Pall • Niklos • Marl • Gorton Colu • Koribaan Czerka Representative • Matale War Droid • Manaan Security Droid • Manaan Sith War Droids | KOTOR 2: • Major • Vandar Tokare • Kavar • Protocol Droid • Ratrin Vhek • Protocol Droid | Battlefront: • Ackbar • Yoda | Battlefront 2: • Imperial • Yoda | ROTS game: • Cin Drallig • Jedi Leader • Neimoidian Brute • Neimoidian Guard • Yoda | Republic Commando: • Talbot • Trandoshan Slaver • Yoda • Sun Fac | LEGO Star Wars 2: • Voiceover | Empire at War: • C-3PO: Robot Chicken: • C-3PO: Clone Wars film: • Yoda • Yularen • Narrator | The Force Unleashed: • Imperial Officer • Kento Marek • Lobot • Ozzik Sturn | The Clone Wars: • Yoda • Yularen • Narrator • Jayfon • Tactical Droid TX-21 • Patrok Ru-Saxon • Orderly • Police Droid • Twi’lek Punk • Mon Cala • Rigosso • Oked • Borkus • Cult Aide • Cult Gunner • Kraken • Med Droid • Guard • Muun • Creature • Mandalorian Secret Service Officer | Clone Wars Lightsaber Duels: • Yoda • Narrator | Clone Wars Republic Heroes: • Yoda • Narrator • C-3PO | Clone Wars Adventures: • Yoda • Yularen • Narrator | The Force Unleashed 2: • Yoda • Pilot | The Old Republic: • Narlock • Vandar Tokare • M1-4X | LEGO Star Wars 3 Clone Wars: • Yoda | LEGO SW Padawan Menace: • Yoda • Narrator • Yaun • Pitchman • Ackbar | Smuggler’s Gambit: • Lt Kane • Narrator | Kinect SW: • Yoda • C-3PO • Naturalist • Imperial Commander | Droids Jawa Adventure: • C-3PO | LEGO SW Empire Strikes Out: • Narrator • Yoda | LEGO SW The Yoda Chronicles: • Narrator • Yoda • Qui-Gon • Pilot | Pinball: • Yoda • Narrator | Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel: • M1-4X • Lurker • Prosk | Battlefront 2015: • Ackbar | The Force Awakens: • Control Room Technician • Hosnian | Old Republic: Knights of Fallen Empire: • M1-4X • Herald | LEGO SW Droid Tales: • Narrator • Yoda • Qui-Gon • Pit Droid • Officer • Droid | Rogue One: • Additional Voices | LEGO Star Wars TFA: • Ackbar • Yoda • Mon Calamari Officer | Star Wars Rebels: • Yularen • Stormtrooper | Forces of Destiny: • Yoda | Battlefront 2 2017: • Yoda • Ackbar | The Last Jedi: • Ackbar | The Old Republic: Onslaught: • Narlock | Squadrons: • Additional Voices | LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special: • Qui-Gon • Yoda | The Bad Batch: • Narrator | LEGO SW Skywalker Saga: • Ackbar • Qui-Gon • Yoda
StarWars.com paid tribute to Tom.
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 the entire global Fantha Tracks team, our deepest condolences to Toms family, colleagues and many friends across the galaxy.
