Mike McFarland, a prolific voice actor, ADR director, and line producer whose work shaped the English dubbing of countless beloved anime series, has passed away at the age of 56 following a battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
His Illness
According to voice actress Colleen Clinkenbeard, McFarland first discovered his condition almost by chance — he had visited a doctor believing he had an inner ear infection, only to learn he had a brain tumor. He underwent his first brain surgery in January 2025 to remove the tumor, and was subsequently diagnosed with glioblastoma in August of that year. Glioblastoma is a cancer that originates from abnormal cell growth in the brain or spinal cord. A second brain surgery followed in April 2025 in an attempt to identify an unknown infection. After a period in assisted living, McFarland was hospitalized again and transferred to a skilled nursing facility for continued treatment.
Community Support
Fellow voice actors J. Michael Tatum and Brandon McInnis launched a GoFundMe campaign in January 2025 to help McFarland hire a live-in medical assistant following his first surgery. The campaign quickly surpassed its initial goal of US$65,000, and its target was raised multiple times. By August 2025, a new goal of US$350,000 had been set to cover ongoing treatment costs. At the time of writing, the campaign had raised US$301,786 and donations have since been paused.
Career and Legacy
McFarland was one of the most influential figures in English-language anime dubbing, serving as line producer, ADR director, and ADR script adapter for numerous series at ADV Films and later Funimation. His production credits include Case Closed, Dragon Ball Z, Eden of the East, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, One Piece, and the Evangelion film series.
As a voice actor, he was known for a wide range of memorable roles, including:
- Master Roshi and Yajirobe in Dragon Ball and its sequels
- Makoto Hyuga in the Evangelion film series
- Sky Master in Heaven’s Lost Property
- Goemon Ishikawa in Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine and multiple Lupin III films
- Jean in Attack on Titan
- George in Case Closed
- Buggy in One Piece
Among his more recent roles were protagonist Hiroshi Odokawa in Odd Taxi, Big Bad Wolf in Date A Live IV, and E.G. Mine in Trigun Stampede.
Statement from Crunchyroll
“Mike brought so much to all of us who knew him, and to all of the anime fans who knew his work. He was an incredible talent, a good friend to so many of us, and will be sorely, sorely missed.”
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