Star Fox 64 voice actor Jock Blaney dies at 76

Wolf O'Donnell and Bill Grey were the voices many Star Fox 64 players never forgot, and the man behind them, Jock Blaney, has died at 76. Blaney, whose work also included Granga in the Nintendo 64 shooter, died peacefully on March 19, 2026, at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Born Frank "Jock" Blaney II on June 29, 1949, in Morristown, New Jersey, Blaney moved between radio broadcasting and character performance in a way that made his game work feel unusually lived-in. For Nintendo fans, his place in the company’s history is tied to Star Fox 64, the 1997 release that helped define the series on Nintendo 64 and remains one of the platform’s signature titles. Wolf O'Donnell, Fox McCloud’s recurring rival and the leader of Star Wolf, became one of the franchise’s most recognizable antagonists, and Blaney’s version of the character was the one players heard in that era.

That mattered because Star Fox 64 did more than tighten up the series’ gameplay. It gave Nintendo a sharper voice identity, with short, punchy lines and rival banter that helped make the cast memorable well beyond the screen. Blaney only portrayed Wolf in Star Fox 64, with later games recasting the role, but his performance set a standard that fans still associate with the character. Bill Grey and Granga, both voiced by Blaney in the English version, added to the game’s distinct sound and to the sense that Nintendo’s localization work was giving each pilot and enemy a clearer personality.

The news first moved through radio-industry and Nintendo-fan circles before broader gaming coverage picked it up, a reminder that Blaney’s legacy sat at the intersection of two worlds: broadcast performance and video game voice acting. That blend is part of why his work endures inside Nintendo’s history. Star Fox 64 is remembered for speed, precision and character, and Blaney’s voice helped give Wolf O'Donnell and the rest of that cast the sharp edge that made them stick.