Robert Axelrod (May 29, 1949 – September 7, 2019), also credited as Axel Roberts and Myron Mensah, was an American actor. He was primarily known for his voice work, which included ''

Digimon , short for "Digital Monsters" ( ''Dejitaru Monsutā''), is a Japanese media franchise, which encompasses virtual pet toys, anime, manga, video games, films, and a trading card game. The franchise focuses on the eponymous creatures who inhabit a ...

'', having started voice acting for the

English-language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

versions of anime in 1980; providing the voice of Lord Zedd, the main villain of the ''

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ''Mighty Power Rangers'' (''MMPR'') is an American superhero television series that premiered on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Kids programming block. It is the first entry of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, and became a 1990s popular culture, ...

''; and Finster, the original ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' monster maker. He also portrayed a sympathetic doctor, Jennings, in '' The Blob''. He also portrayed a

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

look-alike on the popular sitcom '' Family Matters'', and later in his career appeared in several productions by comedy duo Tim & Eric.

Biography

He was born and raised in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He has said that he wanted to be in the entertainment industry starting in kindergarten after first entertaining his classmates. He started acting in commercials and theater as a child. He then worked as a full-time guitarist in the early 1970s. Then in 1980 he got his start in voice over roles with '' Banner the Squirrel''. He continued throughout the years performing on stage and in 1983 starred in the rock play ''All the Difference''. In 1984 he started working for

Saban Entertainment BVS Entertainment, Inc., previously known as Saban Productions, Saban Entertainment and Saban International, is a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company. Founded on April 24, 1980, as a music production company by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy, it ...

doing voice over and writing for programs including ''

Wowser "Wowser" is an Australian and New Zealand term that refers to someone who seeks to deprive others of allegedly immoral and sinful behaviour, such as drinking, smoking and gambling. Critics of wowsers typically describe them as prudish and self-ri ...

'' and ''

Hallo Spencer ''Hallo Spencer'' is a German children's television series, created by Winfried Debertin and produced by Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) from 1979 until 2001. In these 22 years, 275 episodes were filmed, including a number of 'specials' featuring th ...

'', which he said were "the two finest products we produced." His agency, Mobile Monicker Productions, noted that he voiced over 150 characters in his career.

Death

Axelrod died in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

on September 7, 2019, at the age of 70. He had complications from a spinal surgery he had in 2018. He was survived by his sister.

Filmography

Anime

* ''

Aesop's Fables Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a Slavery in ancient Greece, slave and storyteller who lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 Before the Common Era, BCE. Of varied and unclear origins, the stor ...

'' - Hare * '' Around the World with Willy Fog'' - Additional Voices * ''

The Big O is a Japanese mecha-anime television series created by designer Keiichi Sato and director Kazuyoshi Katayama for Sunrise. The writing staff was assembled by the series' head writer, Chiaki J. Konaka, who is known for his work on '' Se ...

'' - Colonel Anthony Gauss - As Axel Roberts * '' Carried by the Wind: Tsukikage Ran'' - Genma Otagaki * '' Codename: Robotech'' - Rico * ''

Cowboy Bebop is a 1998 Japanese neo-noir space Western anime television series that aired on TV Tokyo and Wowow from 1998 to 1999. It was created and animated by Sunrise (company), Sunrise, led by a production team of director Shinichirō Watanabe, ...

'' - Doctor Londes - As Axel Roberts * '' Digimon Adventure'' - Wizardmon, Vademon * ''

Digimon Adventure 02 , originally released as ''Digimon: Digital Monsters Season 2'' in English-speaking territories, is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. It is the sequel to ''Digimon Adventure (1999 TV series), Digimon Adventure'', ...

'' - Armadillomon, Ankylomon, Wizardmon, Shakkoumon (Shared with

Dave Mallow Dave Mallow (October 19, 1948 – March 11, 2025) was an American voice actor. Life and career Mallow was born on October 19, 1948. His father worked in radio and television and was a 30-year on-air veteran at Chicago's WGN. After graduating ...

) * ''

Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds ''Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds'' is a children's animated television series that adapts the classic 1844 Alexandre Dumas story of d'Artagnan and ''The Three Musketeers'', produced by Spanish studio BRB Internacional with animation by Ja ...

'' - Blue Falcon, Additional Voices * ''

Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was Serial (literature), serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 indi ...

'' - Master Shen * '' Gaiking'' - Prince Darius, Additional voices * '' Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex'' - Katakura * '' Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics'' - Hare * ''

Hajime no ippo is a Japanese boxing-themed manga series written and illustrated by George Morikawa. It has been serialized by Kodansha in the manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' since October 1989, with its chapters collected in 143 volum ...

'' - Hachinohe * '' Honeybee Hutch'' - Additional Voices * ''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott, originally published in two volumes, in 1868 and 1869. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters— Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details th ...

'' - Father * '' Lensman'' - Sol * '' Maple Town'' - Additional Voices * '' Neo-Tokyo'' - Tsutomu Sugioka * '' The Noozles'' - Additional Voices * ''

Robotech ''Robotech'' is an American-Japanese science fiction Media franchise, franchise that began with an 85-episode anime television series produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production; it was first released in the United St ...

'' - Rico (as Axel Roberts) * ''

Rurouni Kenshin is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins in 1878, the 11th year of the Meiji era in Japan, and follows a former assassin of the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his work against ...

'' - Sakata, Additional Voices * '' Samurai Champloo'' - Roukishi * ''

Space Pirate Captain Harlock , also titled Captain Harlock, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Leiji Matsumoto. It was serialized in Akita Shoten's ''Play Comic'' from January 1977 to June 1979, with the chapters collected into five volumes. The ser ...

'' - Dr. Zero * '' Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' - Movor * ''

'' - Ratso Catso * '' Ys'' - Jenokris

Animation

* '' Animated Stories from the New Testament'' - Bartholomew * ''Chucklewood Critters'' - George,

Easter Bunny The Easter Bunny (also called the Easter Rabbit or Easter Hare) is a folkloric figure and symbol of Easter, depicted as a rabbit—sometimes dressed with clothes—bringing Easter eggs. Originating among German Lutherans, the "Easter Hare" origi ...

* '' Creepy Crawlers'' - Additional Voices * ''

Iznogoud ''Iznogoud'' (; from "is no good" pronounced with a French accent) is a French comics series featuring an eponymous character, created by the comics writer René Goscinny and comics artist Jean Tabary. The comic series chronicles the life and ...

'' - Additional Voices * '' Jin Jin and the Panda Patrol'' - Professor Know-A-Lot, Additional Voices * ''

Journey to the Heart of the World ''Journey to the Heart of the World'' () is an animated series that ran from September 6, 1993 to 1994. It was based on the Franco-Belgian comic strip '' Corentin''. Ownership of the series passed to Disney in 2001 when Disney acquired Fox Kids ...

'' - Scarface * '' Little Miss'' - Narrator (USA version) * ''

Mickey Mouse Works ''Mickey Mouse Works'' (also known as ''Disney's Mickey Mouse Works'' or simply ''Mouse Works'') is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation featuring Mickey Mouse and his friends in a series of anima ...

'' -

Headless Horseman The Headless Horseman is an archetype of mythical figure that has appeared in folklore around Europe since the Middle Ages. The figures are traditionally depicted as riders on horseback who are missing their heads. These myths have since inspired ...

* '' Spider-Man: The Animated Series'' -

Microchip An integrated circuit (IC), also known as a microchip or simply chip, is a set of electronic circuits, consisting of various electronic components (such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors) and their interconnections. These components a ...

* '' Wisdom of the Gnomes'' - Additional Voices Robert Axelrod 2012

Film

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Axelrod, Robert 2019 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors Male actors from New York City 1949 births