James Carter Cathcart is a popular person and is known as an American voice actor, script adaptor, pianist, and vocalist. He is very famous for his voice acting in the Pokemon series dub, where he has voiced several notable characters like James, Meowth, and Professor Oak. He is credited for his work under the pseudonyms Billy Beach and Jimmy Zoppi.
Other than voice acting, he seems to have a passion for music and plays bass, electric guitar, keyboards, and drums. Throughout his career, he has voiced several minor and major characters in the English dub of the Pokemon series and has made a name for himself in the industry.
James Carter Cathcart’s Biography
James Carter Cathcart was born on March 8, 1954, in West Long Branch, New Jersey. He is often regarded as one of the original voice actors of anime, and his fame comes from voicing characters like Gary Oak, James, and Meowth of Team Rocket (yes, they had the same voice actor!) under the pseudonym Billy Beach. His previous pseudonym Jimmy Zoppi was probably the most popular one that he had.
Carter was also involved in the script adaptation of episodes from Season 5 of the show, and he continued this role till he retired. He is given the title of the longest-serving voice actor in the English dub after Kayzie Rogers retired.
James Carter Cathcart’s Career
James Carter Cathcart has a very distinct talent for modulating his voice. Most people would not have been able to tell that James and Meowth from Team Rocket had the same voice actor. Carter is a talented individual, and he had a very fruitful career in the field of voice acting.
Apart from voice acting, he has an interest in music. From a very young age, he has been playing in bands like The Laughing Dogs, who released two albums on Columbia in 1979-80. He has also acted as the main vocalist of the Carter Cathcart Band since 1981. He even co-wrote a song named “Remember Me” with guitarist Ace Frehley and also ended up in Frehley’s 1989 solo album Trouble Walkin’.
Carter’s first voice-over role was as O.G. Readmore on the ABC Weekend Special. Following this, he has lent his voice to advertisements of Kit Kat candy bars, Good Humor, Coors Light, and much more. He ventured into the domain of voice acting for anime and was associated with many companies like Central Park Media, Media Blasters, TAJ Productions, DuArt Film and Video, NYAV Post, and 4Kids Entertainment.
Apart from the Pokemon series, he has also acted in other famous anime series like Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Tokyo Mew Mew, as well as video games Pokémon Snap, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
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James Carter Cathcart’s Retirement
James Carter’s wife, Martha Jacobi, made an announcement on Monday on the health magazine CaringBridge that broke the hearts of many fans. Carter has decided to retire from the Pokemon franchise as he is dealing with an advanced form of throat cancer. He has been part of the franchise since the first episode, and his retirement truly seems like an end of an era to many anime fans.
The news of his diagnosis was shared in January when his wife revealed his cancer had been detected at the base of his tongue and spread on both sides. The treatment for this was a six-week course of chemotherapy aimed at shrinking the tumor to follow up with radiation therapy. Unfortunately, this treatment did not go as planned, and the situation did not improve.
Martha revealed that Carter will follow a more aggressive treatment plan from May 1st, where he will be given seven weeks of radiation therapy and simultaneous chemotherapy. Carter is retiring after the Pokémon anime’s 25th season, titled Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series in the U.S.
This is a tough time for the family, and fans are sharing their good wishes and positive thoughts with them. Carter’s voice is iconic in the industry, and fans have adored his voice for a long period of time. With this tearful goodbye, we sincerely hope that he has a speedy recovery. Our hearts and prayers are with the family in these challenging times.
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