Rachael Lillis
American voice actress (1969–2024)
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Rachael Lillis (July 8, 1969[a] – August 10, 2024) was an American voice actress. She was best known for her performances as Misty, Jessie, and Jigglypuff in the first eight seasons of the English dub of the TV series Pokémon. She also provided voices for many other animation works and video games.
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Rachael Lillis | |
|---|---|
Lillis in 2017 | |
| Born | July 8, 1969 Niagara Falls, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 10, 2024 (aged 55) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Resting place | Ashes scattered in the waters of Los Angeles |
| Other name | Rachael McCabe[1] |
| Alma mater | Smith College (BS) |
| Occupation | Voice actress |
| Years active | 1997–2019 |
| Website | Official website (archive) |
Early life
Rachael Lillis was born to John and Constance Lillis (née Zafuto) in Niagara Falls, New York, on July 8, 1969. Her father served in the U.S. Navy and was a maintenance manager.[3][4] She was the youngest of six children.[3] Lillis and her family later moved to Plano, Texas.[5] Lillis attended Smith College, where she was a premed student.[3] She trained in opera before she became a voice actor.[6] She studied voice acting in Boston and moved to New York City in 1996. She cited Mel Blanc and June Foray among her influences.[7]
Career
Lillis became known for voicing Misty and Jessie in the English dub of the Pokémon anime. She also voiced Pokémon such as Goldeen, Jigglypuff, Vulpix and Venonat on the show. Lillis appeared in 423 Pokémon episodes.[6] She voiced various Pokémon in the Super Smash Bros. video games.[6] She was also the voice of Utena Tenjo in Revolutionary Girl Utena, and voiced characters in Winx Club, Hunter × Hunter, Your Lie in April and Gall Force, among other shows.[3][8][9]
Lillis's last voice acting role was in Hunter × Hunter: The Last Mission. According to Veronica Taylor, Lillis had difficulty finding work during the COVID-19 pandemic, in part due to a lack of recording equipment at her home.
In 2023, Lillis attended a Pokémon cast reunion in London.[3]
Illness and death
In May 2024, a GoFundMe campaign created by Lillis's sister announced that Lillis had developed breast cancer. Several of her fellow actors shared the campaign to help raise money for her care.[10] The campaign raised $98,000 by the time she died, with the money going towards Lillis's remaining bills, a memorial service and cancer research.[6] The cancer spread to her spine, which left her barely able to walk, and she eventually moved into a Los Angeles nursing home to receive care.[11]
Lillis died on August 10, 2024, at the age of 55.[3][2] In 2025, money was raised to donate a bench in her honor in Central Park’s Upper West Side. It is #7603 on the path between 106th St and 108th St off Central Park West.
Filmography
Voice roles
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Refs[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Pokémon: The First Movie | Misty, Jessie, Vulpix, Venonat, Goldeen, Jigglypuff | [12] | |
| 2000 | Pokémon: The Movie 2000 | |||
| 2001 | Night on the Galactic Railroad | Marceau | ||
| Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns | Misty, Jessie, Jigglypuff, Vulpix, Goldeen, Torchic, Beautifly | |||
| Pokémon 3: Spell of the Unown | ||||
| Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie | Utena Tenjō | |||
| 2002 | Pokémon 4Ever | Misty, Jessie, Jigglypuff, Vulpix, Goldeen, Torchic, Beautifly | ||
| 2003 | Pokémon Heroes | |||
| 2004 | Pokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker | |||
| 2005 | Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys | |||
| 2006 | Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew | |||
| 2012 | Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I The Egg of the King | Princess Charlotte | [12][13] | |
| 2017 | Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel | Sella | Home video edition only; later replaced by Julia McIlvaine in Heaven's Feel III. spring song | |
| 2019 | Hunter × Hunter: The Last Mission | Cocco | Last role. | [12] |
| Pokémon Detective Pikachu | Jigglypuff | Archival recording | [14] | |
Anime
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Refs[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Takegami: Guardian of Darkness | Satsuki | First principal role in a series | [15] |
| 1998 | The Slayers | Cally, Paula | [15] | |
| 1998 | Revolutionary Girl Utena | Utena Tenjō, Chu Chu | [16][17] | |
| 1998–2006 | Pokémon | Misty, Jessie, Jigglypuff, Pikachu (rarely), various | [7][16][17][18] | |
| 1999 | Slayers Next | Martina Zoana Mel Navratilova, Kira | [18] | |
| 2000 | Geobreeders | Takumi Sakurai | ||
| Irresponsible Captain Tylor | Yuriko Star, Noriko | [12][19] | ||
| Shamanic Princess | Mimi Joyman, Suzanna White | |||
| Boogiepop Phantom | Nagi Kirima, Manaka Kisaragi | [16] | ||
| RG Veda | Ashura | Central Park Media Dub | ||
| Gokudo | Miroku, Mora, Nihi | [20][16] | ||
| Harlock Saga | Fricka | |||
| Twin Signal | Elara, Number 3 | [12] | ||
| 2002 | Berserk | Princess Charlotte | [12] | |
| His and Her Circumstances | Miyako Mizawa, Aya Sawada, various | [21][16] | ||
| Maetel Legend | Queen La Andromeda Prometheum | [22] | ||
| Now and Then, Here and There | Boo, Sis | |||
| Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer | Omni Exist | [23] | ||
| 2003 | Alien Nine | Miyu Tamaki | ||
| 2003–2006 | Animation Runner Kuromi | Mai Horaguchi | ||
| 2003 | DNA² | Ami Kurimoto | ||
| K.O. Beast | V-Sion | |||
| Sonic X | Danny | [17][23] | ||
| 2004 | Comic Party | Mizuki Takase | [17] | |
| Gravitation | Ayaka Usami | |||
| Nana Seven of Seven | Hitomi Onodera, Mitsuko Suzuki | |||
| Shrine of the Morning Mist | Shizuka Midoh | |||
| World of Narue | Kanaka Nanase, Miss Īzuka | [12] | ||
| 2005 | Hammerboy | Poplar | [24] | |
| Midori Days | Haruka Kasugano | |||
| Mew Mew Power | Gym Team Girl | |||
| Shingu: Secret of the Stellar Wars | Momoe Sanemori | [12] | ||
| 2005–2010 | Genshiken | Kanako Ono | [18] | |
| 2006 | Boys Be... | Aya Kurihara | [25][16] | |
| Pokémon Chronicles | Misty, Jessie | |||
| 2007 | Dinosaur King | Dr. Reese Drake, Ursula, Laura | [18] | |
| The Third: The Girl with the Blue Eye | Rona Fauna | [26] | ||
| 2008 | Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Darkness | Sunflora, Shinx brother | [12] | |
| 2010 | Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn | Micott Bartsch | [27] | |
| 2011 | Bakuman | Amy | [12] | |
| 2015 | Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works | Sella | As Rachael McCabe | [28] |
| 2016 | Your Lie in April | Ryoko Miyazono | [23] | |
| 2016–2019 | Hunter × Hunter | Mito Freecss, Cocco | [12] |
Animation
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Refs[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Super Smash Bros. | Jigglypuff | Grouped under Voice Actors | [4][31] |
| 2000 | Pokémon Puzzle League | Misty, Jessie, Jigglypuff | [32] | |
| Valkyrie Profile | Jelanda, Lyseria, Mystina | [33] | ||
| 2001 | Super Smash Bros. Melee | Jigglypuff | Grouped under Voices | [4][34] |
| 2003 | Ape Escape 2 | Natalie | North American English dub | [18] |
| 2008 | Super Smash Bros. Brawl | Jigglypuff, Goldeen | Grouped under Character Voice | [4][12] |
| 2014 | Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U | [4][12] | ||
| 2015 | Lego Jurassic World | As Rachael McCabe | [35] | |
| 2018 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Jigglypuff, Goldeen | Grouped under Character Voices | [4][12] |
Audiobooks
| Year | Title | Author | Notes | Refs[1][36] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Diary of a Fairy Godmother | Esme Raji Codell | ||
| 2006 | Miss Watson Wants Your Teeth | Alison McGhee |
Production credits
Script adaptation
| Year | Title | Medium | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Apocalypse Zero | TV | [37] | |
| Gokudo | Television | [20] | ||
| 2002 | Boogiepop Phantom | Television | [38] | |
| 2003 | K.O. Beast | Television | [39] |
Translator
| Year | Title | Medium | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Cleopatra DC | Television | [40] |