The performer behind Doug Dimmadome and Captain Qwark died due to complications from advanced Alzheimer’s disease.

Jim Ward, Fairly OddParents and Ratchet & Clank voice actor, dies at 66

The performer behind Doug Dimmadome and Captain Qwark died due to complications from advanced Alzheimer's disease.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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December 11, 2025 12:54 p.m. ET

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Jim Ward in 2013. Credit:

Albert L. Ortega/Getty

Jim Ward, a prolific voice actor whose credits include beloved children’s shows like *The Fairly OddParents *and video games like the* Ratchet & Clank* series, has died. He was 66.**

Ward died on Wednesday, his longtime rep Arlene Thornton confirmed in a statement to *. ***

“He was one of the most loyal and talented clients since the early ‘80s,” she said. “His ability to improvise on the spot as well as his dead-on impressions were beyond impressive. He was a one-man comedy show every time he came to the office to do his auditions.”

Jim Ward in 2012.

Thornton continued, “We will miss him dearly and we will never forget the joy he brought to our lives on a daily basis.”**

Ward's wife, Janice, told TMZ that her husband died due to complications from advanced Alzheimer’s disease. The outlet noted that Ward had been receiving treatment at Silverado Beverly Place Memory Care in Los Angeles prior to his death.

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Born in New York City in 1959, Ward got his start appearing on several ‘80s television shows before landing his first voice actor credit on the 1988 cartoon *Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures*. He would make his foray into the world of video games five years later as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the 1993 Sega CD version of *Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin*. **

Throughout the ‘90s, Ward leant his voice to films such as the Disney classic *Mulan* and multiple *Star Wars* games, including* *the hit racing game *Star Wars Episode I: Racer*. During that time, Ward could also be seen on television as Vice Principal Militich on the Tahj Mowry-led sitcom *Smart Guy* when it aired from 1997 until 1999. **

Ward is perhaps best known for playing newscaster Chet Ubetcha and Doug Dimmadome, owner of the Dimmsdale Dimmadome, on the Nickelodeon series *The Fairly OddParents* and as the ditzy Captain Qwark in the *Ratchet & Clank *franchise. **

He voiced his *Fairly OddParents *characters in more than 90 episodes from 2001 to 2017 and appeared the franchise's TV films and video game adaptations. As Captain Qwark, Ward appeared in eight *Ratchet & Clank* games, the most recent being 2021’s *Ratchet & Clank: Life of Pie.*

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Other credits include television shows like* My Life as a Teenage Robot, Ultimate Avengers, Danny Phantom, Ben 10, The Replacements*, and animated films such as *Spirited Away, Cars, Toy Story 3, Monsters University, Inside Out, Minions, *and* Wall-E*.

Ward also brought several characters to life in various hit video games, including *Resident Evil 4, Destroy All Humans!, Metal Gear Solid 3, The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth, BioShock 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Dragon Age II, Diablo III, Lost Planet 3, *and *Red Dead Redemption II.  ***

From 2004 until 2017, Ward was also a cohost on the syndicated talk radio program *The Stephanie Miller Show*, on which he would often impersonate a host of political figures. **

Ward is survived by his wife.

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