Michael Forest, anime voice actor, dies aged 97

Actor Michael Forest, whose screen and voice work included Star Trek, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and The Big O, has died aged 97.¹

A career across television and anime

Forest died on October 14, according to Anime News Network, which reported the news on October 19.¹ The actor built a long career across live-action television, film and animation. His television credits included Apollo in Star Trek, Father Joe Coogan in The Dick Van Dyke Show, Anastacio in Zorro and Steve in an episode of The Twilight Zone.¹

He also appeared in Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, Bonanza, Gilligan's Island, Rawhide, Get Smart and Cast Away, among other productions.¹

His anime voice roles

Forest was also familiar to anime audiences. Anime News Network lists him as Kubota in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Alex Rosewater in The Big O, Kojima in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, Braya in Eureka Seven, Takeshi Kusumi in Patlabor WXIII and Dr Seijiro Inui in Paprika.¹

The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline also reported Forest's death and highlighted his wider screen career, including his role as Apollo in Star Trek.²³ Those reports place his work in anime alongside a much broader body of television and film performances.

Remembering Michael Forest

Forest's career connected several generations of genre viewers. He was recognisable to Star Trek fans as Apollo, while anime viewers encountered his voice in acclaimed series and films including Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, The Big O and Paprika.¹²³

He was 97. The available reports do not state a cause of death.¹²³

Our opinion

Forest's passing is a reminder that voice performances often travel further than the credits make obvious. His anime roles were only one part of a career that stretched from classic television to genre film, but they gave him a second life with audiences who may never have seen his live-action work. That range is worth remembering alongside the individual characters.