11-07-2025
Prolific Pokémon Voice Actor, James Carter Cathcart Died at 71
A prolific Pokémon animated series voice actor responsible for many iconic characters, James Carter Cathcart, died at 71 this week.
The news was announced by the late voice actor's wife, Martha Jacobi. She took to Facebook this week to announce James Carter Cathcart's passing at 71, and she writes 'For those of you who don't know me, I am James Carter Cathcart's wife. JCC died, peacefully, very early in the morning, on Tuesday, 7/8/25, at Calvary Hospital, in the Bronx,' adding 'Thanks to all of Jimmy's fans over the years! Giving you joy was why he worked so hard on his craft. Please know how much he appreciated you!' in the heartfelt post.
For over 25 years, James Carter Cathcart was the voice of many childhoods, lending his talents to a slew of animated projects, including voicing many of the instantly recognizable characters in Pokémon. He was the voice behind Ash's rival, Gary Oak, Professor Oak, Team Rocket's James and Meowth, and he even filled in to voice smaller roles like Snubbull in the earlier film, Pokémon: Pikachu's Vacation.
Aside from Pokémon, Cathcart was responsible for lending his talents to more dastardly roles, even voicing Weevil Underwood in Yu-Gi-Oh during that iconic scene where the character discards the five pieces of Exodia over a boat railing. James Carter Cathcart also donned the voice role of Sonic the Hedgehog character, Vector the Crocodile, on the weekend morning cartoon Sonic X in the early 2000's.
James Carter Cathcart is survived by Ms. Jacobi; his daughters Nicole Zoppi, 41, and Mackenzie, 30; and his son, Carter, 31. In her announcement post, Martha Jacobi also details funeral arrangements for the late voice actor saying 'The funeral will be in early August, In New York. Memorial designations are still in process, pending conversations with one of the charities that was close to Jimmy's heart. I will post those here when they are in place.'
The full Facebook post can be read here.
