R. Martin Klein

Birth Date: 11/05/1957

Born in San Luis Obispo, California, on May 11, 1957, Robert Martin Klein began his acting career on Broadway before transitioning to Los Angeles and the world of dubbing and voiceover. Best known for Gomamon in Digimon: Digital Monsters, Me-Mania in Perfect Blue, and Katsuhiko Jinnai in El Hazard, he worked across anime, animation, and video games for over 25 years before moving into semi-retirement around 2022.

R. Martin Klein’s Career in Voice Acting and Dubbing

Klein’s path into voice acting came through an unlikely route – years on Broadway before relocating to Los Angeles, where he landed a lead role in the anime dub of El Hazard and never looked back. His early dubbing work was credited under the alias Bob Marx, later switching to Bob Klein for many subsequent projects. Over the course of more than two decades, Klein lent his voice to anime, animated series, live-action dubs, and video games across multiple studios including Animaze, Saban Entertainment, Studiopolis, and NYAV Post.

Most Known Roles of R. Martin Klein

- Gomamon / Ikkakumon – Digimon: Digital Monsters (1999-2020)
- Mamoru Uchida / Me-Mania – Perfect Blue (1997)
- Katsuhiko Jinnai – El Hazard (OVA series)
- Fukurou – Noein: to your other self (2005-2006)
- Ivan Whiskey / Cyborg 001 – Cyborg 009 (2001-2002)
- Harald Hoerwick – .hack//SIGN (2002)
- Marumaro – Blue Dragon (2007-2008)
- Flint Hammerhead – Flint the Time Detective (1998-1999)

Digimon and a Two-Decade Legacy

No single role defined Klein’s career more than Gomamon, the playful sea-mammal Digimon and partner to Joe Kido. Starting with the original Digimon: Digital Monsters in 1999, he reprised the character across multiple series, the theatrical tri. films, and finally Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna in 2020 – a span of over 20 years with the same beloved character. His commitment to the role was widely noted by the fan community, and it remains the cornerstone of his voice acting identity.

Perfect Blue and Dramatic Range

His portrayal of the obsessive stalker Me-Mania in Satoshi Kon’s psychological thriller Perfect Blue (1997) stands as one of the most dramatically demanding roles in his catalog. The film is widely regarded as a landmark in anime cinema, and Klein’s performance helped ground the English dub’s unsettling tone. That role, alongside his comedic and adventurous characters in other titles, shows the breadth of character types he tackled throughout his career.

Broadway Roots and Transition to Voiceover

Before anime dubbing studios became his professional home, Klein built his foundation in live theater, including a stint on Broadway. The shift to Los Angeles opened the door to voiceover work, beginning with the lead in El Hazard – a character defined by manic energy and comedic bluster that suited his theatrical training well. He also worked as a casting director during this period, crediting himself as Robert Martin Klein in that capacity.

Semi-Retirement and Final Credits

Around early 2022, Klein revealed in an interview that he had largely stepped back from active performing, though he expressed willingness to return when specifically sought out. His most recent major credit is The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road (2024), a video game dub where he appeared under the name Bob Klein. A handful of later animation dubs, including Four Souls of Coyote (2023) – where he voiced Eagle and Chancellor – round out his final active years.