William Dufris, Bob the Builder and Anime Voice Actor, Dies at 62

Today, the voice acting community is coming together to mourn one of its own today. William Dufris has passed away at 62 years old. The actor was best-known for his work on shows like Bob the Builder as well as anime such as Lupin III.

The announcement came from Pocket Universe Productions which was cofounded by Dufris.

“We are heartbroken to announce that the co-founder of [Pocket Universe Productions] and the director of “EC Comics Presents… The Vault of Horror”, William Dufris, has died from cancer,” the statement reads. “There is a hole in a lot of people’s hearts right now. We will have more to say later. Bless you, Bill.”

The actor recently turned 62 years old amidst his battle with cancer. The Maine-born voice actor enjoyed a variety of work during his career, and he’s been widely celebrated for his range. From audio books to audio dramas, it seems Dufris did it all. While many will know him as being the original voice of Bob the Builder, just as many will recognize his voice from anime like Appleseed, X, and two of the Lupin III films. He was curious actor who didn’t fear risk for the sake of reward, and Dufris will be dearly missed amongst all of his colleagues.

Our thoughts are with Dufris’ loved ones during this time. May he rest in peace.