Yuri Lowenthal | |
|---|---|
 Lowenthal at the 2018San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | (1971-03-05)March 5, 1971 (age 54) |
| Other names | |
| Education | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1995–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | yurilowenthal |
Yuri Lowenthal (born March 5, 1971) is an American voice actor known for his work in cartoons, anime, and video games. Some of his prominent voice roles in video games includePeter Parker / Spider-Man invarious video games associated with the character, notably theincarnation featured in theMarvel's Spider-Man series byInsomniac Games and inMarvel Rivals byNetEase Games, Lorath Nahr inBlizzard Entertainment'sDiablo III,The Prince inUbisoft'sPrince of Persia, Hayate/Ein inDead or Alive, Courier 6 (male variant) in Obsidian Studio's Fallout: New Vegas, Matt Miller inSaints Row: The Third andSaints Row IV,The Protagonist inPersona 3,Yosuke Hanamura inPersona 4, Pure Vanilla Cookie inCookie Run: Kingdom,Dainsleif inGenshin Impact. His roles in animations and anime includeSasuke Uchiha inNaruto, teenageBen Tennyson inBen 10, Jinnosuke inAfro Samurai, Simon inGurren Lagann andSuzaku Kururugi inCode Geass.
He has a production company, Monkey Kingdom Productions, with his wife,Tara Platt, where they have produced several feature films and a live-action web series calledShelf Life. He co-authored the bookVoice-Over Voice Actor.
Yuri Lowenthal was born inAlliance, Ohio on March 5, 1971[4][5][6] but raised inNashville, Tennessee,[7] later moving toNorthern Virginia.[8][9] His father worked for theUnited States Agency for International Development and he spent two years inNiger in Africa.[8] He did not do much acting until the end of high school when he tried out for drama class in his senior year, but it was enough to get him interested in acting, he also joined his high school gymnastics team in his sophomore year.[10] His early exposure to anime was from shows such asSpeed Racer,Star Blazers, andBattle of the Planets.[11]
AtThe College of William & Mary inWilliamsburg, Virginia, he took classes in theatre but majored in East Asian studies where in his third year, he studied abroad inOsaka, Japan.[12] He also participated in the school's gymnastics program andROTC.[8] After graduating in 1993, he joined theJapan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET) where he served as a Coordinator of International Relations, helping out foreign English teachers inShiga Prefecture. While at JET, he continued to participate in theatre and acting.[8][10][12] After two years there, he still wanted to try acting full-time, and moved to New York City and participated in theatre in shows that were off-off-Broadway.[8] He spent six years in New York doing theatre and indie films.[10][12][13][14]
Yuri Lowenthal moved to Los Angeles and worked in live-action and theatre roles.[15][16][17] To supplement his on-camera work, he and his wifeTara Platt took a voice-over class that was taught by Rick Zieff.[8][10] Zieff later happened to be directing the English dub for an anime show calledSD Gundam Force; he got his first ever anime dub role there and soon tried out for other anime roles as well as other voice-over work in animation, commercials, and video games. Lowenthal recalled that his first voice appearance in a video game might have also been forSD Gundam Force.[18]
Lowenthal's first major role in video game voice-overs was asthe Prince inUbisoft'sPrince of Persia: The Sands of Time. In an interview withCritical Gamer, he describes that role as "a very lucky break for me, because it ended up being a super game. We audition all the time for all different kinds of projects, and video games are one part of that, a part that I love." He said that "[he felt] that [he] in a way originated that role". Lowenthal did not return to voice the Prince inWarrior Within, being replaced byRobin Atkin Downes. Lowenthal felt that this was a conscious decision by Ubisoft to fit in with the game's overall tonal shift and thought it was the right decision. ForThe Two Thrones, he returned to play the role, as fans had stated their preference for his portrayal of the character.[19] The Prince became one of Lowenthal's favorite roles, and he was pleased to return to the role forThe Forgotten Sands.[20] According to Lowenthal, his well-received performance put pressure on him in future games from both fans and staff, as he needed to remain true to and improve on his original portrayal. This ultimately gave him little creative freedom with the character afterThe Sands of Time.[18] For the reboots following the live-action films, the staff wanted a different portrayal of the Prince to Lowenthal's, and so recast the role.[19]
Lowenthal continued voicing in other anime shows, including the lead characterHaru Glory inRave Master, which had a run onCartoon Network'sToonami line up.[21] He also voiced a character inZatch Bell! which had a notable run on Cartoon Network. He starred in a number of anime shows such as:Girls Bravo where he playedYukinari,[22]Scrapped Princess where he voicedLeo Skorpus,[23]Kyo Kara Maoh!, where he voicedYuuri Shibuya, andSaiyuki Reload where he voicedSon Goku.[1]When he auditioned forNaruto, which was being directed by the same person who didRave Master, he had tried out for multiple roles includingSasuke Uchiha andIruka, and got a call back for Sasuke. In an interview with Silionera, Lowenthal said that "It certainly allows me to go to some dark places as the series continues. And it makes Sasuke that much more interesting as a character. And that much more fun to play."[23] TheNaruto anime became one of the more popular anime shows in the U.S.,[24] and its sequelNaruto Shippuden has also aired on Adult Swim.[25]
In 2007, Lowenthal was cast asJinnosuke, aka "Kuma", a teddy-bear-headed warrior, in the anime featureAfro Samurai which starredSamuel L. Jackson as the title character. In an interview with Eastern Kicks, Lowenthal said that what he liked about Jinno was that he "starts off as one guy and ends up in a very different, very very dark place. Plus I got to kick Sam Jackson's ass. And they keep bringing him back from the dead for me to play again. And he's a twin-sword-wielding insane cyborg death machine with a giant teddy bear head. What's not to like?"[26] He also said that they recorded the voicing forAfro Samurai separately so he did not get to meet Jackson personally until a release party for the related video game years later.[8][26] Luke Carroll of Anime News Network described Lowenthal's voicing as a "good performance" but "not enough to make it more than an average dub at best".[27] Dennis Amith of J-ENT! thought the voice acting was well done.[28] Lowenthal would reprise the role in the 2009 featureAfro Samurai: Resurrection.[29][30] Steve Fritz ofNewsarama wrote "The action sequencing is still top notch, and the vocal performances from Jackson, [Lucy] Liu, Lowenthal and company is on the money."[31]
Other lead roles in anime includeSuzaku Kururugi inCode Geass, which ran on Adult Swim,[32] andSimon inGurren Lagann, which ran on Toonami.
In 2006, Lowenthal landed the role ofSuperman in the animated seriesLegion of Super Heroes. In an interview withThe Oklahoman, Lowenthal recalled that he read forLightning Lad andBrainiac 5 in the original audition, and was called back to do Superman. During the callback, he had begun reading for Superman and Brainiac 5 when the producers stopped him. He was later informed that he got the main role, and they did not need to hear more of him on other parts.[33]
In 2008, Lowenthal provided the voice of 15-year-oldBen Tennyson inBen 10: Alien Force.[34][35] Set five years after theoriginal series, the premiere ofAlien Force set ratings records for Cartoon Network in its key demographics.[36] In portraying Ben, Lowenthal was given guidance by series directorGlen Murakami, whom he had worked with onTeen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo. Early on in the show, Murakami told Lowenthal to portray Ben as less of a wisecrack than his 10-year-old persona, and did not want Ben to "veer into the whining, Luke Skywalker". The show was renewed for a second season,[37] and would be followed byBen 10: Ultimate Alien which ran from 2010 to 2012, andBen 10: Omniverse[38] which ran from 2012 to 2014. InUltimate Alien, Ben's age was bumped up to 16 years old.[35] Lowenthal said that he did not realize how popular the show was outside North America until he went to Australia, England and Ireland, and saw kids wearingBen 10 merchandise. He also said that at comic conventions, he was able to walk the halls unbothered until theBen 10 panel, after which he was "outed".[35] Lowenthal has also been involved inThe Swan Princess direct-to-video series starting in 2012 withThe Swan Princess Christmas where he was the voice of Prince Derek, and then in 2014 withThe Swan Princess: A Royal Family Tale and in 2016 forThe Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today where he reprised the main role.[39] Of these videos, he also served as the screenwriter onChristmas andRoyal Family Tale.[40][41]
Lowenthal voicedZane inLego Ninjago: Nindroids in 2014. In the same year, he also voiced Bedman in the English dub ofGuilty Gear Xrd -Sign-, the first game in theGuilty Gear Xrd subseries. Lowenthal also provided the voice for theprotagonist inPersona 3 andYosuke Hanamura forPersona 4. He also provides the voice ofCecil Harvey in the Nintendo DS remake ofFinal Fantasy IV, and again inDissidia: Final Fantasy on thePSP. In theDead or Alive series, he voices Hayate / Ein. He voices Matt Miller, the leader of the Decker gang inSaints Row: The Third; andin its sequel. Since 2020, he has voiced Dainsleif inGenshin Impact, narrating nearly all the "Collected Miscellany" videos for new characters. Lowenthal also voiced Lorath Nahr inBlizzard Entertainment'sDiablo III, and while fans presumed he would reprise his voice acting for the upcomingDiablo IV, actor Ralph Ineson replaced Lowenthal as the voice. Lowenthal voiced and provided the motion-capture performance forSpider-Man/Peter Parker inSony'sMarvel's Spider-Man (2018) for the PS4 and reprised the role inMarvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020) andMarvel's Spider-Man 2 (2023); he had previously voiced Spider-Man in the mobile version ofThe Amazing Spider-Man 2 video game, andSpider-Man Unlimited (2014) mobile game. Kirk McKeand ofEurogamer described Lowenthal as "the man you've killed the most" for his participation in over 200 video games.[42]
In February 2023, Lowenthal guest voiced Benni Baro, a teenage scavenger and ipsium miner, inStar Wars: The Bad Batch.[43]
Later in 2023, Lowenthal also voicedTomas Vrbada / Smoke, a ninja specializing in stealth and smoke-based attacks, inMortal Kombat 1,[44]
In early 2024, he appeared as the "Default Helldiver Voice 2" voice pack inHelldivers 2.[45]
In August 2024, he was cast to voice Viscous, a green gooey sea creature, inDeadlock.[46]
Lowenthal has been involved in several live-action projects with his company Monkey Kingdom Productions with wife Tara Platt. In 2008, they producedCon Artists, amockumentary that chronicles some of their convention visits.[5] They produced a psychological thriller film calledTumbling After which garnered an Award of Merit at the Accolade Film Festival.[47][48] In 2011, Lowenthal and Platt producedShelf Life, a web series where they act as action figures in aToy Story-like environment, but with more adult humor.[49][50][51] Lowenthal said in an interview that he wanted to make a show for nerds: "I wanted to make the kind of thing that my friends and I would watch. It's got the four S's: Sex, Social commentary, Slapstick and Superheroes."[52] In 2014, they produced a short steampunk-themed film calledTopsy McGee vs. the Sky Pirates which was an official selection at the New York City International Film Festival.[53][54] and was a finalist at theDragon Con Independent Short Film Festival in the steampunk category.[55][56]
He also plays a key role in the horror podcastOld Gods of Appalachia as the voice of The Railroad Man. He has been featured in an interview with podcast creator Steve Shell where he talks about his voiceover career and his enjoyment of being a part of the fabric of "Old Gods."[57]
In 2010, Lowenthal starred as the title character inVan Von Hunter, a live-action mockumentary co-directed byTokyopop founder Stuart Levy, based on the comics of the same name. In the film, he plays a sword-swinging barbarian from a fantasy world who is thrown into Earth and is cast in a sword and sorcery movie. The film was featured in severalfilm festivals,[58] and was an official selection at Fantasia Film Festival[59] and a special audience award at MockFest 2010. Lowenthal won an award for best character at MockFest as well.[60]
He co-wrote the screenplay forThe Arcadian, a film byDekker Dreyer that was inspired by underground science fiction comics of the 1970s and 1980s.[61] In 2015, he joinedWil Wheaton's web seriesTitansgrave as a starring cast member which he role-plays a character named S'Lethkk. The series is broadcast byGeek & Sundry.[62][63] In 2016, he starred as Glenn Lauder in the Keith Arem-produced filmThe Phoenix Incident, about four guys who were trying to follow thePhoenix lights UFO sighting and end up being attacked by the aliens.[64][65][66] The film received awards and nominations at film festivals.[67][68] He is slated to participate in an independent film calledAny Bullet Will Do which starsMark Ryan and was filmed in Montana.[69]
He and Platt co-authored the bookVoice-Over Voice Actor: What It's Like Behind the Mic, released in 2010.[70][71] He also co-authored the comedy-noir novellaTough City with Keith Ikeda-Barry as part of a 72-hour novel writing contest. It was released in 2013.[72] In 2016, he released the novella as a weekly podcast series.[73][74]
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Lowenthal met actressTara Platt on anNYU grad film where they played opposite each other in a romantic comedy film calledModel Chaser.[10] Six months into their relationship, Lowenthal helped Platt do a cross-country move to Los Angeles so that Platt could participate in auditions there for new TV shows. He had originally planned to fly back after the move, but midway through the trip he proposed to her inBowling Green, Ohio, and they married inLas Vegas in 2001.[8][37] They founded a company called Monkey Kingdom Productions in 2004. Their son was born in 2016.[75]
Lowenthal has described himself as a "Tennessee Jew".[76][77][78]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | D.I.C.E. Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Character | Marvel's Spider-Man | Nominated | [79] |
| 2024 | British Academy Games Awards | Performer in a Leading Role | Marvel's Spider-Man 2 | Nominated | [80] |
Yuri Lowenthal, an actor in the Nada company, recalled a night when he and some friends wereall falling-down hungry after going to the Mercury Lounge to hear a band.
The cast is ideal, both for the circus troupe and for "Carol": The bouncy fat man (E.E. Bell), the fluttering ingenue (Erin Bennett) and her zaftig diva stage mom (Lee Anne Moore), the lean hero (Douglas R. Clayton), the dulcet-voiced leading lady (Sarah Underwood) and a trio of impossibly versatile clowns: Yuri Lowenthal, Matt Gould and the brilliant Madeleine Falk.
Other standouts include Clark, Kerr Seth Lordygan's cardinal and Yuri Lowenthal's epidermal tailor.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Sometimes there are English dubs where the supporting characters are more entertaining than the leads. Liam O'Brien is a riot and a half as Fukuyama in this volume, and his character ought to go terrorize more girls just so we can hear that smarmy delivery. Lulu Chiang is similarly high-spirited in her role as Kirie, playing the uptight foil to Fukuyama. Now if only Yuri Lowenthal and Michelle Ruff—Yukinari and Miharu respectively—could match that energy.
Yuri Lowenthal voiced Suzaku with an appropriate mix of guilt and conviction, but it all comes out really fast and with little reaction from Euphemia.
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)Thank you to everyone who came out to the ICE Film Fest today and to all the filmmakers who submitted their films for consideration. We'd like to congratulate our 2016 winners. The Winner of Best Short is "Hank". The Winner of Best Feature is "The Phoenix Incident". The Winner for Audience Choice is "The Nehemiah Project". And the Winner of Best of Fest is "The Phoenix Project".
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