The Last Session at RCA Studio B
Behind-the-scenes footage of the final ThunderCats recording session, posted by engineer Larry Franke.
★ THE VOICES OF THIRD EARTH
The Voice Cast of ThunderCats
One actor voiced both Lion-O's mentor and his archenemy. Another voiced four characters, hero and villain alike. And when Rankin/Bass built two more cartoons on the same New York stage, three of this cast followed their characters into the sky, twice. Eight profiles, cross-checked against Wikipedia, IMDb and the site's own long-running voice actors feature.
130Episodes, 1985-89
8Actors Profiled
4Characters, One Actor
3Actors, Three Shows
★ THE MULTI-CHARACTER CAST
Eight actors, seventeen characters.
A tight New York ensemble covered the entire regular cast. Most of them did double duty, hero and villain both.
4 characters, one actor
Peter Newman
Tygra, WilyKat, Bengali and Monkian - ThunderCats hero and Mutant villain from the same actor.
7 of 8 actors voiced two or more characters
The New York ensemble
Only Earle Hyman played a single role, Panthro. Every other actor doubled up: Larry Kenney is both Lion-O and the cowardly Jackalman; Earl Hammond is both the wise Jaga and the evil Mumm-Ra.
17 named characters, 8 actors
The complete company
A tight ensemble recorded in New York under producer Lee Dannacher, covering the entire regular ThunderCats, Mutant and Lunatak cast across two seasons.
★ INTERACTIVE CAST EXPLORER
Eight actors, every character they voiced.
Tap any actor for the full character list, a bio, their other famous roles, and, where they crossed over, exactly which SilverHawks or TigerSharks characters they played.
Other notable roles
★ ONE STABLE, THREE SKIES
Three shows, the same New York ensemble.
Rankin/Bass followed ThunderCats with two more animated series built on the same recording stage: SilverHawks in 1986, then TigerSharks in 1987. Both leaned hard on actors the studio already knew could carry a lead. Five of the eight ThunderCats actors crossed over to SilverHawks. Three of them, Larry Kenney, Earl Hammond and Peter Newman, went all the way into a third show entirely.
ThunderCats
1985-1989 · 130 episodes
- Larry KenneyLion-O, Jackalman
- Earl HammondMumm-Ra, Jaga
- Peter NewmanTygra, WilyKat, Bengali, Monkian
SilverHawks
1986 · 65 episodes
- Larry KenneyBluegrass, Poker-Face + more
- Earl HammondMon*Star
- Peter NewmanQuicksilver, Mumbo-Jumbo + more
- Bob McFaddenCommander Stargazer + more
- Doug PreisHotwing, Windhammer + more
TigerSharks
1987 · 26 episodes
- Larry KenneyDolph, T-Ray
- Earl HammondWalro, Shad, Captain Bizzarly
- Peter NewmanMako, Wall-Eye
3 Actors who voiced characters across all three Rankin/Bass shows: Larry Kenney, Earl Hammond and Peter Newman. Bob McFadden and Doug Preis crossed over for SilverHawks only.
★ ON VIDEO
The cast on camera.
The last recording session at RCA Studio B, and a 2013 Power-Con reunion panel with the writers. Press a clip to play.
The Original Power of Thundera, Power-Con 2013
Voice actors and writers reunion panel from Power-Con 2013, featuring Larry Kenney, Lynne Lipton, Peter Newman, and a roster of the show’s writers.
★ 2011 & BEYOND
The cast didn't stop in 1989.
Two more eras of ThunderCats, two more casts - including one deliberate piece of legacy casting.
ThunderCats (2011, Cartoon Network reboot)
Will Friedle
Lion-O
The 2011 Cartoon Network reboot, animated by Studio 4°C.
Matthew Mercer
Tygra
Years before becoming one of the biggest names in modern voice acting.
Emmanuelle Chriqui
Cheetara
Entourage.
Kevin Michael Richardson
Panthro / Lynx-O
Voiced both characters in the reboot.
Robin Atkin Downes
Mumm-Ra
A darker, more overtly menacing take.
Larry Kenney
King Claudus
The original Lion-O returns as Lion-O’s father - a deliberate legacy casting.
ThunderCats Roar (2020) - Larry Kenney, the original Lion-O, returned once more to voice Jaga in this broadly comedic reboot.
The Warner Bros. Pictures Animation feature (announced 22 June 2026) - no voice cast has been announced yet. Read the full announcement →
★ FREQUENTLY ASKED
Everything people ask about the voice cast.
Who voiced Lion-O in the original 1985 ThunderCats?
Larry Kenney, across the full 130-episode run. He also voiced the cowardly Mutant Jackalman on the same show.
Who provided the voice of Mumm-Ra?
Earl Hammond, who also voiced Lion-O’s wise mentor Jaga - two characters that could not have been more different, from the same actor.
Did the ThunderCats cast work on other Rankin/Bass shows?
Yes. Five of the eight actors profiled here crossed over to SilverHawks (1986): Larry Kenney, Earl Hammond, Peter Newman, Bob McFadden and Doug Preis. Three of them, Kenney, Hammond and Newman, went on to a third show, TigerSharks (1987), as well.
Who voiced the most ThunderCats characters?
Peter Newman, with four: Tygra, WilyKat, Bengali and Monkian - ThunderCats hero and Mutant villain from the same actor.
Are any of the original 1985 cast still alive?
Yes. Larry Kenney (born 1947) and Peter Newman (born 1942) are both still active in voice work. Earl Hammond, Bob McFadden and Earle Hyman have all passed away.
Who plays Lion-O in the 2026 ThunderCats movie?
No cast has been announced yet. Warner Bros. Pictures Animation confirmed a new ThunderCats animated feature is in development, unveiled at the Annecy festival on 22 June 2026 - see the movie hub for the latest on casting.