Pauline Newstone obit

Transformers: Beast Wars and Dragon Ball Z Star Pauline Newstone Has Passed Away

 

She was not on the list.

A voiceover artist known for her role in Beast Wars: Transformers has sadly been confirmed as having passed away.

Pauline Newstone was a Canadian voice acting talent with a long career, and she supplied her vocals to several franchises. These included Western animation, as well as English dubs of numerous anime. Newstone's passing at the age of 79 actually occurred early in May 2023, though the exact reasons are not currently known. The news was broadcast on Twitter/X by Candice Santora, a collaborator of Garry Chalk. Chalk worked alongside Pauline Newstone on the show that became one of her most notable gigs.

One of Pauline Newstone's most well-known roles was in the CGI Mainframe animated series Beast Wars: Transformers. This 1996-1998 cartoon was a unique entry in Hasbro's Transformers franchise. Radically different from the previous 1980s animated series from Sunbow, this series replaced the franchise's Autobots and Decepticons with Maximals and Predacons. Newstone's character was a female Maximal named Airazor, who transformed from a robot to a peregrine falcon. The toy for Airazor was one of the first mass market female Transformers available at retail.

 

During this era, Newstone also voiced the villainous alien Frieza in the Ocean Dub of Dragon Ball Z. Though the Ocean Group Dub is highly contentious among some, it's also the version of the iconic anime that many viewers in the West grew up with. Gintama and InuYasha were some of the other anime that the actress provided voice work for. Likewise, she worked alongside several Beast Wars alumni in the Marvel cartoon X-Men: Evolution, where she voiced Agatha Harkness. Conversely, David Kaye, Scott McNeil and Venus Terzo (the voices of Megatron, Silverbolt and Blackarachnia in Beast Wars: Transformers) voiced Professor X, Wolverine and Jean Grey.

It was Garry Chalk himself who first noted Pauline Newstone's passing, as she was mentioned in the UBCP/ACTRA Awards In Memoriam segment during November 2023. She worked on dozens of movies and shows throughout the years, with her biggest roles still being rewatched by many. The character of Airazor was molded by Newstone's vocals, characterizing her as a serene, peaceful Maximal scout.

 

Since the original Beast Wars, Airazor has shown up in a few different Transformers continuities. These include the Netflix Transformers: War for Cybertron animated series and the recent Transformers: Rise of the Beasts live-action movie (where she was voiced by Michelle Yeoh). Even though Pauline Newstone didn't voice the character there, her legacy in the original role and several others is sure to live on forever in the hearts (and ears) of fans.

Actress

Cats & Dogs 3: Paws Unite (2020)

Cats & Dogs 3: Paws Unite

3.8

Video

Sis (voice)

2020

 

Brian Dobson, Paul Dobson, Andrew Francis, Sam Vincent, Brent Miller, Michael Adamthwaite, Adrian Petriw, Vincent Tong, Heather Doerksen, Kelly Metzger, David Raynolds, Brynna Drummond, and Jennifer Hayward in Ninjago (2019)

Ninjago

8.0

TV Series

Aspheera (voice)

2019

9 episodes

 

Gintama (2005)

Gintama

8.7

TV Series

Shop Lady (English version, voice)

2015

1 episode

 

Bratz: Desert Jewelz (2012)

Bratz: Desert Jewelz

5.0

Old Woman (voice)

2012

 

Cosmic Quantum Ray (2007)

Cosmic Quantum Ray

6.1

TV Series

Olga

Contessa De Worm (voice)

2007–2009

26 episodes

 

Bratz Kidz Fairy Tales (2008)

Bratz Kidz Fairy Tales

5.7

Video

Witch (voice)

2008

 

Bratz (2005)

Bratz

4.0

TV Series

Miss Fortune (voice)

2008

1 episode

 

A Kind of Magic (2008)

A Kind of Magic

6.9

TV Series

Aunt Ferocia (voice)

2008

1 episode

 

Class of the Titans (2006)

Class of the Titans

7.1

TV Series

Campe

Grae #1

Grae # 2 (voice) ...

2006–2007

11 episodes

 

Kong: The Animated Series (2000)

Kong: The Animated Series

5.7

TV Series

Harpy (voice)

2000–2006

36 episodes

 

Tom Kenny and Kath Soucie in The Cramp Twins (2001)

The Cramp Twins

6.1

TV Series

Mrs. Parsons

Lily Parsons (voice)

2001–2005

24 episodes

 

Richard Ian Cox in Being Ian (2004)

Being Ian

6.4

TV Series

Nurse Sturgeon (voice)

2005

1 episode

 

Inuyasha (2000)

Inuyasha

7.9

TV Series

Mistress Centipede (English version, voice)

2000–2004

4 episodes

 

X-Men: Evolution (2000)

X-Men: Evolution

7.8

TV Series

Agatha Harkness (voice)

2002–2003

2 episodes

 

Sitting Ducks (2001)

Sitting Ducks

7.0

TV Series

Additional Voices (voice)

2001–2003

26 episodes

 

Dragon Ball Z (1996)

Dragon Ball Z

8.8

TV Series

Frieza (voice)

1997–2003

25 episodes

 

Ultimate Book of Spells (2001)

Ultimate Book of Spells

6.8

TV Series

(voice)

2001–2002

26 episodes

 

Project ARMS (2001)

Project ARMS

6.6

TV Series

Maria (English version, voice)

2001–2002

2 episodes

 

Aaagh! It's the Mr. Hell Show! (2000)

Aaagh! It's the Mr. Hell Show!

7.1

TV Series

Various (voice)

2001–2002

3 episodes

 

Monster Rancher (1999)

Monster Rancher

6.9

TV Series

Mum Mew

Secretary (voice)

2001

24 episodes

 

Infinite Ryvius (1999)

Infinite Ryvius

7.0

TV Series

Dicastia XO (English version, voice)

2000

3 episodes

 

Yvon of the Yukon (1999)

Yvon of the Yukon

6.6

TV Series

Lillian Valintine (voice)

2000

1 episode

 

Susan Blu and Alex Doduk in Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (2000)

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

4.6

Video

The Judge (voice)

2000

 

A Fish Tale (2000)

A Fish Tale

6.0

Aunt Anna (English version, voice)

2000

 

Robin and the Dreamweavers (2000)

Robin and the Dreamweavers

4.6

Brenda Plump

XXX

The 'Dark Catacomb' Game Voiceover (voice)

2000

 

Hamtaro (2000)

Hamtaro

6.4

TV Series

Kaitlin Endo (English version, voice)

2000–2006

 

Roswell Conspiracies: Aliens, Myths & Legends (1999)

Roswell Conspiracies: Aliens, Myths & Legends

7.5

TV Series

Additional Voices (voice)

1999–2000

40 episodes

 

Z-Mind (1999)

Z-Mind

6.4

TV Mini Series

Grandma (English version, voice)

1999

 

Fat Dog Mendoza (1998)

Fat Dog Mendoza

6.0

TV Series

Ester (voice)

1998

1 episode

 

Master Keaton (1998)

Master Keaton

7.9

TV Series

Ms. Belnine

Adult School President (2003) (English version, voice)

1998–2000

 

Mummies Alive! The Legend Begins (1998)

Mummies Alive! The Legend Begins

7.2

Video

Heka (voice)

1998

 

Mummies Alive! (1997)

Mummies Alive!

7.0

TV Series

Heka (voice)

1997

31 episodes

 

Beast Wars: Transformers (1996)

Beast Wars: Transformers

8.1

TV Series

Airazor (voice)

1996–1997

12 episodes

 

Vortech: Undercover Conversion Squad (1996)

Vortech: Undercover Conversion Squad

6.9

TV Series

(voice)

1996

2 episodes

 

Well, Just You Wait!: Movie (1996)

Well, Just You Wait!: Movie

Video

Baba Yaga (voice)

1996

 

Littlest Pet Shop (1995)

Littlest Pet Shop

6.6

TV Series

(voice)

1995

 

Long John Baldry, Garry Chalk, Philip Maurice Hayes, Jaleel White, and Christopher Welch in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (1993)

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog

6.3

TV Series

Additional Voices (voice)

1993

65 episodes

 

Captain Zed and the Zee Zone (1991)

Captain Zed and the Zee Zone

7.6

TV Series

Doris (voice)

1991–1992

26 episodes

 

Bitsy Bears (1992)

Bitsy Bears

7.1

TV Movie

Bramble

Shirley (voice)

1992

 

Snow White (1991)

Snow White

7.2

Video

Queen (voice)

1991

 

Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars! (1991)

Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars!

7.3

TV Series

Captain Lanelle (uncredited)

1991

1 episode

 

G.I. Joe (1990)

G.I. Joe

7.3

TV Series

Additional Voices (voice)

1990–1991

19 episodes

 

Captain N: The Game Master (1989)

Captain N: The Game Master

6.3

TV Series

Additional Voices (voice)

1989

13 episodes

 

Ranma ½ (1989)

Ranma ½

7.9

TV Series

Sentaro's Grandmother

1989–1990

 

The Adventures of Mowgli (1973)

The Adventures of Mowgli

7.6

White Cobra (English version, voice)

1973

 

Archive Sound

Dragon Ball Z (1996)

Dragon Ball Z

8.8

TV Series

Frieza (archive footage)

1997–2001

5 episodes

 

The World of Dragon Ball Z (2000)

The World of Dragon Ball Z

6.9

Video

Frieza (archive footage)

2000