Madeleine Joan Blaustein (born Adam Blaustein, October 9, 1960 – December 11, 2008), also known as Kendra Bancroft, was an American voice actress and comic writer who was known for her voice acting work for

4Kids Entertainment 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (formerly known as Leisure Concepts, Inc. and later known as 4Licensing Corporation; stylized as 4K!DS ENTERTAINMENT) was an American licensing company. The company was previously also a film and television production ...

DuArt Film and Video DuArt Film & Video is an American film and recording studio founded in New York City by Al Young in 1922.
DuArt has contribute ...

and

NYAV Post NYAV Post is an American recording studio located in New York City. It was founded by Michael Sinterniklaas in 2000, with a West Coast branch located in Los Angeles, California. The studio is prolific in recording anime dubs, original anima ...

, for her reprising role as the character

Meowth Meowth, known in Japanese as , is a List of Pokémon, Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon, ''Pokémon'' media franchise, and the first stage of its Gameplay of Pokémon#Pokémon evolution, evolved form, Persian (Pokémon), Pers ...

from the ''

Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...

'' anime series and for comics written for

Milestone Comics Milestone Media Company LLC is the media company which created the Milestone Comics line, which were published and distributed by DC Comics. Milestone Media created the source material that was adapted as the ''Static Shock'' animated series. Th ...

, in which she introduced one of superhero comics' first transgender female characters. She was the first

intersex Intersex people are those born with any of several sex characteristics, including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binar ...

and

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

voice artist for many of her respective agencies.

Career

In the late 1980s, Blaustein worked for

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

, as an editor (several issues each of ''

Web of Spider-Man ''Web of Spider-Man'' is the name of two different monthly comic book series starring Spider-Man that have been published by Marvel Comics since 1985, the first volume of which ran for 129 issues between 1985 and 1995, and the second of which ran ...

'', '' Marvel Tales'', and '' Marvel Saga'') as a writer (several issues of ''Conan the King''), and penciling a one-shot of ''Power Pachyderms.'' She wrote assorted comics published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

in the early 1990s, including a few for the

Impact Comics Impact Comics was an imprint of DC Comics that was aimed at younger audiences. It began in 1991 and ended in 1993. The initial "I" in the logo was stylized as an exclamation point, but the official name of the imprint was not ''!mpact''. Impa ...

imprint and TSR line. In 1994, she went to work for Milestone Media as production manager and writer. With assistance from her partner Yves Fezzani – sometimes billed together as "Adam & Yves" – she wrote issues of flagship titles '' Hardware'' and '' Static'' (in which she co-created the character Karmon Stringer/Rubberband Man). She also wrote (with Fezzani) Milestone's first limited series ''Deathwish'', which featured as its central character transgender female police officer Marisa Rahm, one of the first trans heroes featured in mainstream superhero comics. During this time she was sometimes referred to in editorial copy in the comics as "Addie Blaustein". After leaving Milestone, she served as Creative Director for ''

Weekly World News The ''Weekly World News'' is a tabloid formerly published in a newspaper format reporting mostly fictional "news" stories in the United States from 1979 to 2007. The paper was renowned for its outlandish cover stories often based on supernatur ...

''. Blaustein was a voice actress at

, where she worked on the English dub version of the ''Pokémon'' anime. She provided "filler" voices for various characters until episode #31, when she took over from Nathan Price in the role of Meowth, which she played through season 8. During the

2004 Democratic Party presidential primaries From January 14 to June 8, 2004, voters of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party chose its nominee for President of the United States, president in the 2004 United States presidential election. United States Senate, Senator J ...

, she voiced Sméagol on ''

The Mike Malloy Show ''The Mike Malloy Show'' is a syndicated progressive radio talk show hosted by long-time radio personality Mike Malloy. Malloy came to talk radio in 1987, moving from his position as a writer and producer at CNN. He was married to former produ ...

'', announcing a satirical presidential bid. Beginning in 2004 under the pseudonym ''Kendra Bancroft'', Blaustein was a content creator on the ''

Second Life ''Second Life'' is a multiplayer virtual world that allows people to create an Avatar (computing), avatar for themselves and then interact with other users and user-created content within a multi-user online environment. Developed for person ...

'' platform, earning a reputation as an innovative, competent, and reliable 3-D modeller in the communities where she participated.

Personal life

Blaustein was born on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, and was the second oldest of five children. She was

assigned male at birth Sex assignment (also known as gender assignment) is the discernment of an infant's sex, typically made at birth based on an examination of the baby's external genitalia by a healthcare provider such as a midwife, nurse, or physician. In the v ...

. She was born

, and transitioned to female. Her experience as an activist in the

community helped her to organize and support groups of people in ''

''. Video game localization coordinator and translator Jeremy Blaustein is her brother.

Death

Blaustein died on December 11, 2008, at age 48 in Christ Hospital of

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

, from an untreated stomach virus (possibly

gastroenteritis Gastroenteritis, also known as infectious diarrhea, is an inflammation of the Human gastrointestinal tract, gastrointestinal tract including the stomach and intestine. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Fever, lack of ...

) that she had been suffering from a couple of weeks prior. She is buried at the Congregation B'nai Israel Cemetery in

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

, Hampshire County, Massachusetts.

Work

Voice roles

* ''

Cutie Honey is a Japanese Shōnen manga, shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. First appearing in ''Weekly Shōnen Champion''s 41st issue of 1973, the series ran until April 1974. It follows an android girl named Honey Kisara ...

'' (live action movie) – Sister Jill * ''

Cubix '' Cubix'' is a South Korean animated television series created by Cinepix. Set in 2044, it follows Connor, a boy fascinated with robots, who lives with his father, Graham, in Bubble Town, a robot-abundant city that is a center for robotics corp ...

'' – Dr. K * ''

Dinosaur King is a 2005 card-based arcade video game from Sega that uses similar gameplay mechanics to '' Mushiking''. The game was revealed in JAMMA 2005. A Nintendo DS version was also later released. In the fall of 2008, Upper Deck Company rele ...

'' – Helga (Season 1) * ''

One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as he explores the Grand Line in search of the myt ...

'' - Dr. Kureha (4kids Dub) * ''Domain of Murder'' – Detective Shimizu * ''

Funky Cops ''Funky Cops'' is an animated series about two cops in San Francisco during the 1970s. The show was created by brothers Christophe and Benoit Di Sabatino and produced by Antefilms Production. In the US, it was licensed by 4Kids Entertainment an ...

'' - Additional voices * '' G.I. Joe: Sigma 6'' - Overkill * ''

Garfield's Fun Fest ''Garfield's Fun Fest'' is a 2008 animated comedy film based on the comic strip ''Garfield''. It was produced by Paws, Inc., in cooperation with The Animation Picture Company. It was written by Garfield's creator Jim Davis as a sequel to '' Ga ...

'' - Alligators * '' Huntik: Secrets & Seekers'' – Rassimov (Ep. "Mission"; Posthumous release) * ''

Impy's Island ''Impy's Island'', or ''Urmel from the Ice Age'' (), is a 2006 German animated feature film based on the children's novel '' Urmel from the Ice Age'' by Max Kruse. Plot On a magical tropical island called Tikiwoo in the 1950s, a fun-loving group ...

'' – Shoe the

Shoebill The shoebill (''Balaeniceps rex''), also known as the whale-headed stork, and shoe-billed stork, is a large long-legged wading bird. It derives its name from its enormous shoe-shaped bill. It has a somewhat stork-like overall form and has pre ...

* ''Impy's Wonderland'' – Shoe the Shoebill * ''

Jungle Emperor Leo ''Jungle Emperor Leo'', known in Japan as is a 1997 Japanese animated adventure drama film focusing on the last half of Osamu Tezuka's manga, '' Jungle Taitei'' (known in earlier US productions as ''Kimba the White Lion'' and '' Leo the Lion'') ...

'' - Mother, Trainer *'' Kirby: Right Back at Ya!'' - Chef Kawasaki, Waddle Doo, Professor Curio, Tuggle, Gengu, Melman, Biblio * ''Mutant Rampage Bodyslam'' – L. Wolf Jam * ''

'' –

(1998-2006), additional voices ** ''

Pokémon Chronicles ''Pokémon Chronicles'' is a spin-off series of the ''Pokémon'' anime, revolving around characters other than Ash Ketchum. It first aired in Japan on December 3, 2002, on TV Tokyo and concluded on September 28, 2004. The series made its U.S. ...

'' – Meowth ** '' Pokémon: The First Movie'' – Meowth ** '' Pokémon the Movie 2000'' – Meowth ** '' Pokémon 3: The Movie'' – Meowth ** '' Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns'' – Meowth ** ''

Pokémon 4Ever ''Pokémon 4Ever'' is a 2001 Japanese anime film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and based on the television series ''Pokémon''. The fourth official ''Pokémon'' film, it was released in Japan on July 7, 2001. The film was directed in Japan by Kun ...

'' – Meowth ** '' Pokémon Heroes'' – Meowth ** '' Pokémon: Jirachi, Wish Maker'' – Meowth ** '' Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys'' – Meowth ** '' Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew'' – Meowth * ''

Samurai Deeper Kyo ''Samurai Deeper Kyo'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akimine Kamijyo. It was serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from May 1999 to May 2006, with its chapters ...

'' – Migeira * ''

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'', known in Japan as and alternatively subtitled ''Rulers of the Duel'' in the United States and Canada, is a Japanese anime series animated by Studio Gallop based on the ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' manga series written by Kazuki Takahash ...

'' - Solomon Muto * ''

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX ''Yu-Gi-Oh! GX'', also known in Japan as , is a Japanese anime television series. It is a Spin-off (media), spin-off and sequel to the original ''Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, Yu-Gi-Oh!'' anime series, which itself is based on the original man ...

'' - Sartorius Kumar * '' Slayers Try'' – Jillas Jillos Jilles * ''

The Little Panda Fighter ''The Little Panda Fighter'' (; previously titled ''Heavy's Little Bear'') is a 2008 Brazilian animated sports action comedy film directed by Michelle Gabriel. The film has drawn criticism as a mockbuster of the DreamWorks Animation film ''Kung Fu ...

'' – Grizzlepuss * ''Tiny Robots'' - Nev1 * ''

Viva Piñata ''Viva Piñata'' is a video game franchise created and produced by Xbox Game Studios and Rare. The series' first game, '' Viva Piñata'' (2006), was conceived as a mobile gardening game before Rare was acquired by Microsoft. It was released on ...

'' – Corinna * ''

Wild Cardz ''Wild Cardz'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series written by Noritaka Suzuki. It was adapted into a two-episode original video animation (OVA) anime in 1997, directed by Yasuchika Nagaoka. It was released in Japan by Studio OX, Mo ...

'' - King

Video games

* ''

Pokémon Channel ''Pokémon Channel'', released in Japan as is a 2003 video game in the Pokémon (video game series), ''Pokémon'' series developed by Ambrella and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the GameCube. The player's goal is to help Pro ...

'' - Meowth * ''

Shadow the Hedgehog is a character created by the Japanese game developers Takashi Iizuka (game designer), Takashi Iizuka, Shiro Maekawa, and Kazuyuki Hoshino. He is a major character in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. An Anthropomorphism, anthropomorph ...

'' – President * ''

Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battle ...

'' - E-123 Omega * ''

Valkyrie Profile or is a series of role-playing video games created by Masaki Norimoto and Yoshiharu Gotanda, primarily developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix (formerly Enix). The series is notable for featuring elements from Norse mythology. Comm ...

'' – Arngrim, Barbarossa, Lawfer, Lezard Valeth

Writing

*''

'' #45 (Marvel Comics) *''Deathwish'' #1-4 (Milestone Comics, 4-issue miniseries, with Yves Fezzani) *'' Hardware'' #20-21, 24, 26-28, 33 (Milestone Comics, ''The Hunt for Deathwish'' with Yves Fezzani) *'' Static'' #30-34 (Milestone Comics, with Yves Fezzani) *''Icon #18'' (Milestone Comics)

Art

*''Power Pachyderms'' (pencils) –

(1989)

References

External links

* * * from Trans-Ponder * at the English Voice Actor & Production Staff Database * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blaustein, Maddie 1960 births 2008 deaths American comics writers American comic book editors American voice actresses American female comics writers American intersex women American intersex writers Intersex rights in the United States Intersex rights activists Intersex actors Jewish American actresses LGBTQ comics creators LGBTQ people from New York (state) American LGBTQ rights activists People from Long Island Transgender women writers Transgender Jews Transgender rights activists 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women American transgender writers Deaths from gastroenteritis 20th-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American LGBTQ people American transgender actresses Intersex transgender women Jewish LGBTQ women Jewish American film people