Voice actor Jim Ward, best known for his recurring roles on the Nickelodeon animated series The Fairly OddParents, sadly passed away on Wednesday, December 10. He was 66.
Ward died following a battle with Alzheimer's disease, the actor's agent, Arlene Thornton, confirmed to media outlets on Thursday, December 11.
"His ability to improvise on the spot, as well as his dead-on impressions, were beyond impressive," Thornton said in a statement. "He was a one-man comedy show every time he came to the office to do his auditions. We will miss him dearly, and we will never forget the joy he brought to our lives on a daily basis."
Despite his TV pedigree, it was the world of gaming where Ward's voice-over career truly took off. In the early '90s, the actor appeared in several video games, including Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin, Grim Fandango, King's Quest: Mask of Eternity and Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
Ward expanded into film and TV in the late '90s and early 2000s with roles in Casper Meets Wendy, Spirited Away and Totally Spies! The voice-over actor would later become a staple on Nickelodeon, appearing on the series The Fairly OddParents, Hey Arnold!, Danny Phantom, My Life as a Teenage Robot and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
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| L-R: Doug Dimmadome and Chet Ubetcha in 'The Fairly OddParents' | Nickelodeon |
On Fairly OddParents, Ward played business tycoon Doug Dimmadome and news anchor Chet Ubetcha, in addition to various other characters, over the course of a 95-episode stint. Dimmadome has become a meme over the years, thanks to his tall hat and ownership of the Dimmsdale Dimmadome.
In 2009, Ward's performance as Stoker in the 2006 revival of the sci-fi action series Biker Mice from Mars won him a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding performer in an animated program.
From 2004 to 2017, Ward was the co-host of The Stephanie Miller Show, a syndicated progressive talk radio program that featured a number of his impersonations of political figures and other celebrities and news makers.
In 2021, it was reported that Ward had developed symptoms of a precocious form of Alzheimer's disease and contracted a severe case of COVID-19, leaving him unable to continue voice acting.
On December 10, 2025, Ward's radio colleague Miller announced she had received an email from Ward's wife, announcing that he had died earlier that morning.
Butch Hartman, the creator of
The Fairly OddParents and
Danny Phantom paid tribute to the late actor
on Facebook, saying:
"My good friend, colleague and voice actor extraordinaire JIM WARD has sadly passed away. I had the great pleasure and honor of working with Jim for many years on “The Fairly Oddparents” and other shows. He did the iconic voices of some of the most classic characters ever including CHET UBETCHA and DOUG DIMMADOME. To say the voice over world has lost a giant is an understatement. Rest in peace, dear friend and thank you for blessing us with your incredible talent and charm. Love you, brother. ✝️🩷😢 #voiceover #rip #fairlyoddparents #nickelodeon #childhood #hollywood"
R.I.P. Jim Ward, May 19, 1959 - December 10, 2025
