Michael Kopsa, ‘Gundam’ Voice Actor, Dies at 66

Michael Kopsa, the English dub voice actor of Char Aznable in “Mobile Suit Gundam,” has died of a brain tumor at the age of 66, his ex-wife Lucia Frangione announced on Twitter.

In the early 2000s, Kopsa, was part of the cast for the English dub of “Mobile Suit Gundam,” which initially aired in Japan back in 1979 but was introduced to the U.S. decades later as part of Cartoon Network’s “Toonami” programming block. Kopsa’s character, Char Aznable, became the series’ most prominent villain as a charismatic but deadly ace tactician consumed by his thirst for revenge for his father’s murder.

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Along with playing Char in the series, Kopsa, played him in the English dub of the 1988 film “Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack,” a film that saw the final showdown between Char and series protagonist Amuro Ray. He also played the antagonist in several video games released by Bandai.

Outside “Gundam,” Kopsa, provided the voice of Dr. Hank McCoy, a.k.a. Beast, in the animated series “X-Men: Evolution.” On the live-action side, he had roles on episodes of “The Outer Limits,” “X-Files,” and “Stargate SG-1.” He also appeared on “Fringe” as Captain Windmark, the leader of an evil race known as the Observers who take over Earth in a dystopian future timeline that serves as the setting for the show’s fifth season.

“He was an incredible stage and screen actor, voice actor, carpenter, musician and painter. Most importantly, he was a loving and richly present father,” Frangione tweeted.