Nintendo

James Carter Cathcart, often credited as simply Carter Cathcart (March 8, 1954 – July 8, 2025), was an American voice actor and musician who was most notable for Nintendo are various Pokémon franchise characters. He has also been credited under his pseudonyms Billy Beach and Jimmy Zoppi.

He is the current voice actor of James, Meowth, Professor Oak, and various Pokémon species and characters since the ninth season of Pokémon the Series. He also voiced Gary Oak since the anime's debut of the English dub in 1998. Cathcart reprised these characters in several games.

Following the retirement of Kayzie Rogers at the start of Pokémon the Series: Sun and Moon, he was the longest-serving voice actor in the English dub of the franchise, working for the series for 25 years. He was the only English voice actor in the series to work on the dub of every season of the anime until Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series. In 2023, while undergoing cancer treatment, Cathcart announced he would be retiring from script adapting and voice acting on Pokémon, with him being succeeded by Barton Bishop and Rachel Robinson in his script adaptation duties.[1] He died in hospice care at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, New York City, on on July 8, 2025, at the age of 71.[2]

Credited roles in Nintendo[]

Year Title Role
1998-2023 Pokémon the Series and movies James, Meowth, Gary Oak, Professor Oak, various characters and Pokémon
1999 Pokémon Snap Todd Snap and Grimer
2000 Pokémon Puzzle League Gary Oak
2001-2003 Kirby: Right Back at Ya! Sir Gallant and Chef Nagoya
2005 Shadow the Hedgehog Vector the Crocodile
2008 Super Smash Bros. Brawl Munchlax, Gulpin
2010 PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure Haunter, Gengar, Glalie
2012 PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond Gengar
2019 Pokémon Masters EX James and Meowth
2023 Distant Blue Sky! James and Meowth (Final credited Nintendo and voice acting role)

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