Despite its somewhat convoluted history, “The Clone Wars” excels at enriching the “Star Wars” saga. The series deepens our understanding of the Jedi knights’ battles against the droid armies and unveils the dark forces’ political machinations behind the scenes. It successfully fills narrative gaps, introduces fresh characters, and expands the universe beyond what many fans could have envisioned. A significant part of the show’s triumph lies in its exceptional voice cast, who breathe life into these characters. Curious about the actors behind these iconic roles and their lives beyond the booth? Let’s explore the faces and careers of the stars bringing “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” to life.

While Hayden Christensen portrayed Anakin Skywalker in the live-action prequels, Matt Lanter is the voice behind the character in the animated realm. In “The Clone Wars,” Anakin shines as a heroic figure, not just the tragic persona destined to become Darth Vader. Lanter’s portrayal adds layers to Anakin’s character, making audiences almost wish for a different fate. His performance reminds us of Anakin’s potential and the hero within.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin’s mentor and Jedi brother, stands as a pivotal figure in the “Star Wars” narrative. His calm demeanor and tragic history highlight what Anakin’s life might have been with different choices. Ewan McGregor famously portrayed the younger Obi-Wan in the prequels and the “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series, but in “The Clone Wars,” James Arnold Taylor took up the mantle.

Taylor reprised his role as Obi-Wan in “Star Wars Rebels” and “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi,” among other projects. With a career spanning decades, he has voiced characters in various Batman, Scooby-Doo, and Marvel animations, as well as in “Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters,” “Dragons: Race to the Edge,” and “The Loud House.” Beyond Obi-Wan, Taylor is widely recognized for his work as the main character in the “Johnny Test” series. Recently, he ventured into live-action with “A Wonderful Day with Mabel Maclay” and reunited with Matt Lanter in the anime series “Gabriel and the Guardians.”

As Anakin’s master, father figure, and Jedi brother, Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the most important characters in the larger “Star Wars” universe. His level-headedness in the face of battle and his own tragic past tell a tale of what Anakin’s life could have been had he made different choices. While Ewan McGregor brought the younger Obi-Wan to life masterfully in the prequel films and the “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series, veteran voice actor James Arnold Taylor took over the role in “The Clone Wars” and beyond.

Taylor returned to voice Obi-Wan in “Star Wars Rebels” and “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi,” among other projects, but has been in the business for decades. The actor has also played parts in episodes of various Batman, Scooby-Doo, and Marvel-related animated shows, as well as “Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters,” “Dragons: Race to the Edge,” and “The Loud House.” Outside of playing Obi-Wan Kenobi, Taylor is best known for his work as the titular protagonist in the “Johnny Test” animated series. More recently, he has expanded his career into live action with “A Wonderful Day with Mabel Maclay” and reunited with Matt Lanter for the anime fantasy series “Gabriel and the Guardians.”

When Ahsoka Tano was first introduced in the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” feature film, she was instantly controversial. Ahsoka wasn’t terribly likable at first, and the idea that Anakin would have a padawan was a hard sell for many. But over time, Ahsoka didn’t just become a fan favorite; she became pivotal to the future of the “Star Wars” brand, even graduating into live action on “The Mandalorian” before spawning the Rosario Dawson-led “Ahsoka” series. But in animation, “Snips” (as Anakin calls her) was voiced by Ashley Eckstein, who invented the role basically from scratch.

Admittedly, most of Eckstein’s career since “The Clone Wars” has consisted of reprising her role of Ahsoka in various video games, animated projects, and even a vocal cameo in “The Rise of Skywalker.” This includes returning for “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi” and the recent “Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy” series. Before taking on Ahsoka, Eckstein’s career was mostly geared toward live-action, playing small parts in Disney Channel or Nickelodeon shows like “That’s So Raven,” “Drake & Josh,” and “Phil of the Future.” Since veering into animation, she is also known for voicing the supervillain Cheetah in “DC Super Hero Girls” and Mia the Bluebird in “Sofia the First.”

When the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order received an assist from the Clone Troopers at the end of “Attack of the Clones,” nobody thought that these faceless, nameless precursors to the Galactic Empire’s Stormtroopers would amount to much beyond being background players. But after “Revenge of the Sith” sparked interest in Commander Cody, “The Clone Wars” took the Clone Troopers a step further with Captain Rex. After being brought to life originally by Temuera Morrison, Dee Bradley Baker took on Clone Trooper vocal duties in animation — and has continued to ever since.

Playing clones from Rex and Cody to everyone in between, Baker carved out a sweet gig voicing every Clone Trooper in all subsequent “Star Wars” media. His most notable contribution post-“Clone Wars,” however, is perhaps “Star Wars: The Bad Batch,” which follows a derelict group of clones after the war. But apart from “Star Wars,” Baker has played consistent parts on shows such as “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Phineas and Ferb,” “American Dad!,” “Blaze and the Monster Machines,” “Star Trek: Prodigy,” “Curious George,” and more. As a voice actor who appears to always be working, Baker voices characters you likely would never connect to him after hearing his work in “The Clone Wars.”

While the Clone Troopers are one half of the main conflict in “The Clone Wars,” the other half of the equation comes in the form of the Battle Droids. While these droids have been around since “The Phantom Menace,” they became the primary opposing force during the Clone Wars, often with General Grievous leading the charge. The coughing cyborg first appeared in “Revenge of the Sith” as something of a precursor to Anakin’s own fate, only for subsequent animated projects to give the character additional legs. Brought to life by Matthew Wood, these droids are as pivotal to “The Clone Wars” as Dee Bradley Baker’s Clones.

Although primarily a sound editor who has worked on Lucasfilm projects since the ’90s, Wood made his first contributions as an actor to the “Star Wars” franchise in “The Phantom Menace.” By “Revenge of the Sith,” he had been cast as General Grievous, a part he continued with through the end of “The Clone Wars” in 2020. By the time George Lucas was looking to expand the franchise with the animated series, Wood had secured the part of every Battle Droid on screen and has continued to portray the droids and Grievous in various animated and video game projects since. Outside of Lucasfilm, he voiced H.E.R.B.I.E. in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” and several characters in the animated “Marvel Zombies.”

Originally played by Sir Christopher Lee in the prequel films, Count Dooku was a Jedi-turned-Sith apprentice when swayed by the power of the Dark Side. One of the primary faces of the war against democracy, Dooku knows how to exploit the weaknesses of the Jedi and turn them against themselves. More than that, he is a formidable opponent in battle who nearly took out Obi-Wan and Anakin in their first encounter. Although Lee played Dooku in live-action, Corey Burton voiced the character in animation (including in 2003’s traditionally-animated “Star Wars: Clone Wars”, which predated the 3D-animated series) with a powerful imitation of Lee’s work. Oh, and he also voiced the notorious gunslinger Cad Bane.

While Burton reprised his Dooku role for “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi” and his part as Cad Bane in “The Bad Batch,” “Tales of the Underworld,” and “The Book of Boba Fett” (which brought the character into live action), his 40+ year career is full of notable roles across all animated genres. From playing Brainiac in several shows across the DC Animated Universe to the chipmunk Dale in various Disney animated productions, Burton’s work extends to feature films, video games, animated series, and more. More recently, you can hear his vocal contributions in episodes of “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+” and “Phineas and Ferb.”

Initially played by Natalie Portman in the prequels, Padmé Amidala was first queen of Naboo before becoming one of the planet’s most capable senators. Despite being a politician, she is also quite a fighter and spends as much of the war in battle as she does out of it. Keeping their romance a secret, Padmé and Anakin spend much of the Clone Wars apart, but the time that they do spend together is put to good use. In animation, Catherine Taber plays the part, bringing an elegance to the role befitting of a former queen.

Although Taber has voiced both Padmé and Leia on different occasions over the years, outside of “Star Wars” she has made a name for herself as Lori on “The Loud House.” She has also lent her talents to different “Minecraft” and Marvel projects and tackled the recurring role of Silver Banshee on the anime series “My Adventures with Superman.” In addition to her animated work, Taber has voiced roles in various video games and live-action shows, such as “Sistas,” “A Wonderful Day with Mabel Maclay,” and “The Walking Dead: World Beyond.”

As with Ahsoka, Asajj Ventress did not originate in live action “Star Wars” media. After being introduced in 2003’s original “Star Wars: Clone Wars” series(where she was voiced by Grey DeLisle), Ventress returned in the 3D-animated “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” with an expanded role that made her more than just a double-bladed Sith assassin. Now voiced by Nika Futterman, Ventress was a far more complicated and rounded character, diving into her history with the Nightsisters of Dathomir. Although she only appeared in the first five seasons, she was one of the most important and recurring characters in the series.

After Futterman left “The Clone Wars” behind, she tackled various roles in other “Star Wars” media. However, she eventually reprised her “Clone Wars” part in “The Bad Batch” and “Tales of the Underworld.” Beyond Ventress, she is known as Hawkgirl in “DC Super Hero Girls,” West in “Lost in Oz,” Sticks the Badger in “Sonic Boom,” and Luna Loud in “The Loud House” (which appears to be a favorite of “The Clone Wars” vets). With hundreds of voice acting roles under her belt, it’s likely you’ve heard Futterman before, even if you didn’t know it.

After Ray Park first appeared as “Star Wars’” coolest-looking, most terrifying villain in “The Phantom Menace,” everyone thought that Obi-Wan Kenobi had killed Darth Maul for good. But after years of expanded universe projects bringing the former Sith apprentice back from the dead, “The Clone Wars” officially did the same in its fourth season. Now voiced by Sam Witwer, Maul returned from the grave to take revenge on his former master and to build his own empire on Mandalore. As “Star Wars” finally had the chance to give Maul a real voice, Witwer made the character his own and pushed the villain back into the forefront of the franchise.

Since “The Clone Wars,” Witwer has reprised the part in several episodes of “Star Wars Rebels” to tell the end of Maul’s story, and is returning to the role in the Disney+ series “Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord.” He also voiced Maul in “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” though Park reprised the role physically. But “Star Wars” is not the only franchise in which Witwer takes primary residence. A frequent name within the DC Universe, Witwer played Davis Bloome/Doomsday on “Smallville,” Ben Lockwood/Agent Liberty on “Supergirl,” and voiced Orm/Ocean Master in “Justice League: Throne of Atlantis.” Witwer also appeared as Alex “Crashdown” Quartararo on “Battlestar Galactica” and in the American “Being Human” series as Aidan Waite. 

The mastermind behind the entire Clone Wars, Chancellor Palpatine is the secret Sith lord who would eventually rule over the entire Galactic Empire. A conniving force to be reckoned with, Palpatine pretends to be a helpless ally to Anakin and his friends but is secretly the most dangerous man in the galaxy. The way he fools everyone around him is remarkable, and “The Clone Wars” only further embellishes on this, with Ian Abercrombie voicing the part for the majority of the show’s run until Tim Curry took over.

Before he died in 2012, Abercrombie had been in the acting business since the ’60s. Although there are no shortage of roles to highlight, he is perhaps best known as Justin Pitt on “Seinfeld,” Alfred Pennyworth on the short-lived “Birds of Prey,” and as Rupert Cavanaugh on “Desperate Housewives.” He also voiced Ganthet on “Green Lantern: The Animated Series” and played Professor Crumb on “Wizards of Waverly Place.” Although Abercrombie died before “The Clone Wars” could be revived on Netflix, his final recorded episode, “The Lawless,” was dedicated in his honor, with archival recordings being used for Palpatine’s dialogue in the sixth season.

One of the few characters to cross over into all three “Star Wars” trilogies, Yoda is a Jedi Master with more power and experience than just about anyone. With a plethora of wisdom due to his long years and a fighting spirit that encourages those around him, he is more than just a mentor; he’s a warrior in his own right. Voiced on “The Clone Wars” by Tom Kane (who does double-duty as the series’ narrator), Yoda proved that even at over 900 years old, he could still take out battle droids and Sith lords better than most.

Kane didn’t just get to play a part in some of the best episodes of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” — he appeared in all but one of them. Since landing the Yoda/narrator job in the animated series, Kane has continued to voice characters throughout the galaxy, including Admiral Ackbar in “The Last Jedi,” Col. Yularen in “Star Wars Rebels,” and even reprising his narrator role for “The Bad Batch.” Apart from his work within the “Star Wars” franchise, he’s voiced Ultron on “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,” Woodhouse on “Archer,” Professor Utonium on “The Powerpuff Girls,” and Mr. Harriman on “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.”