Michael Donovan, Voice of Ranma ½ and ReBoot, Dies at 72
Canadian voice actor Michael Donovan, known for roles in Ranma ½ and ReBoot, died on March 4, 2026, at age 72.
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Aug 8, 2026
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2 min readCanadian voice actor Michael David Donovan, whose four-decade career spanned anime, animation, and video games, died on March 4, 2026, at the age of 72.
His passing was not publicly confirmed until months later, when his name appeared in SAG-AFTRA’s Summer 2026 digital magazine In Memoriam section.
Donovan, who would have turned 73 on June 12, 2026, was born in Vancouver, British Columbia.
He worked extensively as a voice director and casting director in addition to his on-mic work, building a resume that included some of the most recognizable titles in English-language anime and children’s animation.
Anime and Animation Legacy
Donovan’s most prominent roles included Ryoga Hibiki in the original English dub of Ranma ½, Cye Mouri in Ronin Warriors, and Zouken Matou in Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel.
He voiced Master Roshi in the Ocean/Blue Water Dragon Ball dub for the first 13 episodes, covering the Pilaf Saga, before Funimation shifted its dubbing focus exclusively to Dragon Ball Z and replaced him with Ian James Corlett.
In the world of Canadian CGI animation, Donovan was a fixture of the groundbreaking series ReBoot, where he voiced both Mike the TV and the lovable robot Phong.
His video game credits included Guile in Street Fighter, and he appeared in Transformers: Cybertron as Primus.
Additional credits spanned Skysurfer Strike Force (Jack Hollister), The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (Wes Weasley), Captain N: The Game Master (Eggplant Wizard), and X-Men: Evolution (Sabretooth).
He also voiced Suikotsu in Inuyasha, Grey Hulk in The Incredible Hulk, and had roles in Ninjago and OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes.
Tribute From a Colleague
Fellow voice actor Ian James Corlett, who succeeded Donovan as Master Roshi, publicly mourned his former colleague after learning of his death from the SAG-AFTRA listing.
Corlett noted their shared history working together on ReBoot in a post on Instagram.
At the time of writing, no cause of death has been publicly disclosed.
No family member, representative, or official obituary has shared details about the circumstances of his passing.
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