Miya Pearson
In the English version of the video game Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, the voice of Master Xehanort, the main antagonist of the Dark Seeker saga, is provided by the late Leonard Nimoy, known for his role as Spock in the Star Trek franchise. In the Japanese version, Xehanort is voiced by Chikao Ōtsuka. Both actors passed away in 2015. Following Nimoy's death, Rutger Hauer, best known for playing Roy Batty in Blade Runner, voiced Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts III.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of character | Master Xehanort |
| Game | Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep |
| Voice actor | Leonard Nimoy |
| Voice actor language | English |
| Voice actor death | 27 February 2015 |
| Voice actor cause of death | Chronic lung disease |
| Voice actor replacement | Rutger Hauer |
| Voice actor replacement death | 19 July 2019 |
| Voice actor second replacement | Christopher Lloyd |
| Character age | Mid-80s |
| Character appearance | Bald except for thin eyebrows and a curled, silver goatee. Thin frame with broad, hunched shoulders and a crooked back. |
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What You'll Learn
- Leonard Nimoy voiced Master Xehanort in the English version
- Chikao Ōtsuka voiced Master Xehanort in the Japanese version
- Rutger Hauer replaced Leonard Nimoy as the voice of Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts III
- Christopher Lloyd replaced Rutger Hauer as the voice of Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind
- Young Xehanort was voiced by Mamoru Miyano in Japanese and David Gallagher in English
Leonard Nimoy voiced Master Xehanort in the English version
In the English version of the video game Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Master Xehanort is voiced by Leonard Nimoy. Xehanort is the main antagonist of the Dark Seeker saga of the Kingdom Hearts series, appearing directly as the main antagonist of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. The character was created by Kingdom Hearts director Tetsuya Nomura, who initially conceived of Xehanort as a character who would only appear in a single video game. However, when Square Enix approved the production of a sequel, Nomura expanded the character's role.
Leonard Nimoy was chosen specifically by Tetsuya Nomura to voice Xehanort in the English version of the game. Nomura was a huge fan of both Star Trek and Star Wars, two franchises he intended to pit against each other by casting Mark Hamill as Master Eraqus (Xehanort's enemy). Nimoy was chosen because of his role as Spock in the Star Trek franchise.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep was originally intended to be Nimoy's final performance before his retirement in 2010. However, he came out of retirement and briefly reprised the role of Master Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. On February 27, 2015, Nimoy died of chronic lung disease, and was replaced by Dutch actor Rutger Hauer for Kingdom Hearts III. Hauer died on July 19, 2019, of a short illness, making Kingdom Hearts III one of his final performances. Following Hauer's death, veteran actor Christopher Lloyd took over the role of Xehanort for the Re Mind DLC.
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Chikao Ōtsuka voiced Master Xehanort in the Japanese version
In the English version of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Master Xehanort is voiced by the late Leonard Nimoy, who was chosen by Tetsuya Nomura specifically for his role as Spock in the Star Trek franchise. Nimoy passed away on February 27, 2015, from chronic lung disease.
In Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, Rutger Hauer, best known for playing Roy Batty in Blade Runner, voiced Xehanort. Hauer passed away on July 19, 2019, of a short illness.
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Rutger Hauer replaced Leonard Nimoy as the voice of Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts III
Rutger Hauer replaced Leonard Nimoy as the voice of Master Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts III. Nimoy, who was chosen specifically by Tetsuya Nomura for his role as Spock in the Star Trek franchise, passed away in 2015 during the development of Kingdom Hearts III. Hauer, best known for his role in Blade Runner, assumed the role of Master Xehanort after Nimoy's death. Unfortunately, Hauer also passed away in 2019, leading to his replacement by veteran actor Christopher Lloyd in the Re Mind DLC and Melody of Memory.
Master Xehanort, the main antagonist of the Dark Seeker saga of the Kingdom Hearts series, was first introduced in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. In the English version of the game, the character was voiced by Leonard Nimoy. Tetsuya Nomura, the creator of Xehanort and director of the Kingdom Hearts series, chose Nimoy specifically because of his role as Spock from Star Trek. In the Japanese version of the game, Master Xehanort was voiced by Chikao Ōtsuka, who passed away in 2015, a month before Nimoy.
Nimoy had initially planned to retire after voicing Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. However, he enjoyed playing the character so much that he came out of retirement to reprise his role in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. Unfortunately, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance would be the last time Nimoy voiced Xehanort before his passing in 2015. With the game Kingdom Hearts III still in development, Rutger Hauer was chosen to voice Master Xehanort.
Hauer's portrayal of Master Xehanort was well-received, with MeriStation praising his performance. Hauer's performance in Kingdom Hearts III would be one of his final works before his death in 2019. Like Nimoy, Hauer passed away during the development of a Kingdom Hearts game. Following Hauer's death, veteran actor Christopher Lloyd was chosen to voice Master Xehanort in the Re Mind DLC and Melody of Memory.
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Christopher Lloyd replaced Rutger Hauer as the voice of Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind
Christopher Lloyd replaced Rutger Hauer as the voice of Master Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind. Xehanort is the main antagonist of the Dark Seeker Saga, the first phase of the Kingdom Hearts series by Square Enix. He was introduced as the original form of the Heartless "Ansem, Seeker of Darkness" in the first game and the Nobody Xemnas in Kingdom Hearts II.
In the English version of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Master Xehanort is voiced by the late Leonard Nimoy, who was chosen by Tetsuya Nomura specifically for his role as Spock in the Star Trek franchise. Nimoy was also a fan of Star Wars, and as Xehanort's rival, Eraqus, is voiced by Mark Hamill, Nomura wanted to pit the two franchises against each other.
Following Nimoy's death in 2015, Rutger Hauer assumed the role of Master Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts III. Hauer passed away in 2019, leading to Christopher Lloyd taking over the role in the Re:Mind DLC and Melody of Memory. Lloyd is known for his role as Doc Brown in the Back to the Future movies, and has lent his voice to other games like the Back to the Future game from Telltale and the 2015 King's Quest title.
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Young Xehanort was voiced by Mamoru Miyano in Japanese and David Gallagher in English
Young Xehanort, the main antagonist of the Dark Seeker Saga, is the adolescent self of Xehanort. In the Kingdom Hearts series, Xehanort is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the first phase of the series, the Dark Seeker Saga. Xehanort was created by Kingdom Hearts director Tetsuya Nomura.
In the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Young Xehanort is voiced by Mamoru Miyano. Miyano is a Japanese actor and singer known for his voice-over work in anime and video games. He has won multiple awards for his voice-over performances, including the Best Lead Actor Award at the 2013 Tokyo Anime Awards.
In the English version of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Young Xehanort is voiced by David Gallagher. Gallagher is an American actor who began his career as a child star, appearing in television shows and films. He has since continued to work in film and television and has also provided voice-over work for animated series and video games.
Both Miyano and Gallagher have also voiced the character Riku in their respective languages. Young Xehanort's appearance in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is his first in the series, and he serves as the main antagonist of the game.
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Frequently asked questions
Old Xehanort is voiced by Leonard Nimoy in the English version of Birth by Sleep.
Leonard Nimoy was chosen specifically by Tetsuya Nomura because of his role as Mr. Spock from Star Trek, a role for which Nimoy is well-known.
No, Nimoy also voiced Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
Yes, Leonard Nimoy passed away in 2015 due to chronic lung disease.
After Nimoy's passing, Xehanort was voiced by Rutger Hauer in Kingdom Hearts III.
