Kirby Morrow, known best for his performances on Hallmark and Stargate Atlantis and his legendary voiceover roles, has died. A cause of death was not immediately reported for the actor. He was 47 at the time of his passing.
The news of Kirby Morrow’s death was originally announced by his brother, Casey, in a Facebook post (via GateWorld). In the sweet message, Morrow celebrated his late brother’s work and stressed how it was the fans that motivated him to do the best possible work that he could:
Kirby was a blessed and talented individual who brought joy to so many but also thrived off all your love and friendship. He lived for it and it fueled him every day.
On the small screen, Morrow, a Canada native, was best known to the Stargate community for his role on Stargate Atlantis in which he played the recurring role of Captain Dave Kleinman, the weapons officer on the bridge of the U.S.S. Daedalus. The character would also make a 2009 appearance on Stargate Universe. And before he took on the role of Kleinman, he also had smaller roles on Stargate: SG-1.
Morrow is also known to Hallmark fans for his role in 2013’s A Ring by Spring. In the rom-com, he plays the role of Tom, the love interest of Rachel Boston’s Caryn.
Throughout his lengthy career, Kirby Morrow made appearances on numerous shows, ranging from Hallmark’s When Calls the Heart to ABC’s The Good Doctor. He was especially a fixture in sci-fi, horror and superhero shows, with credits in Arrow, The Flash, Legion, Supernatural and Fringe, among others.
Aside from his roles in the live-action realm, Kirby Morrow became a prolific force within the realm of voice acting. Morrow famously lent his voice to the role of Goku on Dragon Ball Z for several years, and he also voiced Miroku on Inuyasha. His other notable anime roles come in massive franchise like Gundam and Death Note.
Anime was only one aspect of his voice acting career, as he has credits in a variety of other animated shows. He voiced Scott Summers/Cyclops in X-Men: Evolution. He also lent his voice to the character of Anakin Skywalker in a few LEGO Star Wars animated TV specials. His most famous role, however, is arguably that of Cole (the black ninja) on LEGO’s Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu. The actor is credited for 97 episodes, making Cole one of the longest-running characters in his career.
It's not often that someone amasses as many acting credits as Kirby Morrow, and it's even rarer that someone can have such an impact on a medium. His body of work, especially in voice acting, is nothing short of incredible and, as someone who’s enjoyed many of his projects, I can definitely say that his wide-ranging talent will be sorely missed.
We here at CinemaBlend extend our condolences to the family and friends of Kirby Morrow during this time.
