James Carter Cathcart, an American voice actor who portrayed some of the most indelible characters in the Pokemon franchise and became a familiar presence in several other popular animated series, died on July 8. He was 71.

His wife Martha Jacobi confirmed in a social media post that he died at Calvary Hospital in New York City. His former wife Jeanne Gari said in an interview that the cause of his death was throat cancer.

For more than two decades, Cathcart was the voice of several popular characters in the Pokemon series and movies, including the genial Professor Oak, his grandson Gary, the antagonising James and the wisecracking feline creature Meowth, one of the few Pokemon who could speak.

Cathcart joined the cast of Pokemon in 1998, just as the franchise exploded into a global craze. While many of the characters cycled in and out through the series’ more than 1,000 episodes, his voice remained a steady presence.

He also had roles in an array of other anime series, video games and animated shows, including Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece and Shadow The Hedgehog.

He retired from voice acting in 2023 after he was diagnosed with cancer. He appeared in more than 100 roles, according to the entertainment database IMDb, but his work in Pokemon is his best known.

The voice actors who also had roles in the Pokemon universe acknowledged his death on social media. Erica Schroeder, who played Nurse Joy and the creature Wobbuffet, said: “The community will miss you. The world will miss you.”

Cathcart was born on Jan 4, 1954, in West Long Branch, New Jersey, and graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan.

He is survived by Jacobi; his daughters Nicole Zoppi, 41, and Mackenzie, 30; and his son Carter, 31.

Cathcart said in an interview in 2017 that he was grateful the Pokemon franchise had continued to thrive and that he wanted to keep voicing the characters for as long as he could. “Who could imagine 20 years ago that we would still be doing the show and it would be doing so well, but there’s a new generation of kids that loves the Pokemon?” he was quoted as saying. – ©2025 The New York Times Company