Jason Christopher Marsden Bio
Jason Christopher Marsden (born January 3, 1975) is an American actor and voice artist whose career spans live-action television and film as well as a prolific array of animated performances. Beginning his professional work in 1986 at age 11, Marsden became widely known for voicing iconic characters such as Max Goof in Disney’s A Goofy Movie, Kovu in The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, Haku in Spirited Away, and Chase Young in Xiaolin Showdown, among many others. He has contributed to popular series including The Weekenders, Static Shock, and The Fairly OddParents, as well as performing in video games and feature films like Hocus Pocus. Marsden has also appeared in live-action television such as General Hospital and Full House. He resides in Nashville, Tennessee.
Early Life and Background
Jason Christopher Marsden was born on January 3, 1975, in Providence, Rhode Island, to Linda (née Williams), a former fashion model, and Myles Marsden (1936–2019), a former premier danseur of the Yugoslav National Ballet. Marsden has three older half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Croatian dancer Ivanka Herci Munitic: Ana Fox, ballet dancer Rick Marsden, and Mark Marsden. Growing up in a household connected to dance and performance likely influenced his early exposure to the entertainment industry.
From a young age, Marsden demonstrated a talent for performing. His family’s artistic background provided him with connections and opportunities that would help launch his career in entertainment. He began pursuing professional acting opportunities while still a child, eventually booking his first major roles in the mid-1980s.
Path to Acting
At just 11 years old in 1986, Marsden landed his first professional acting job playing A.J. Quartermaine in the television series General Hospital. This marked the beginning of a career that would span nearly four decades. In 1987, at age 12, he booked his first major film role in the science fiction feature Robot Jox, though the film was not released until two years later due to the studio’s financial difficulties. That same period saw him take on the role of Eddie Munster in the television series The Munsters Today, a revival of the classic sitcom.
Simultaneously, Marsden began his voice acting career by voicing Cavin in Adventures of the Gummi Bears and served as an announcer for The Mickey Mouse Club. He continued building his resume with guest appearances on various prime-time sitcoms throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, including voicing Peter Pan in the animated series Peter Pan and the Pirates from 1990 to 1991 and playing Dash X in Eerie, Indiana in 1992.
Jason Marsden Career
Early Career (1986–1994)
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Marsden steadily built his reputation as both an on-camera actor and voice performer. In 1993, he provided the voice of Thackery Binx in both cat and human form for the Disney film Hocus Pocus, a role he would later reprise in the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular. His ability to bring animated characters to life caught the attention of major studios, leading to increasingly prominent voice roles.
His early career also included recurring roles in popular television series. He appeared in guest spots on shows like Boy Meets World, where the series creator Michael Jacobs wrote a character specifically named after Marsden. He also played Rich Halke, J.T.’s best friend, in Step by Step from 1995 until the show’s cancellation in 1998.
Breakthrough (1995–2006)
1995 marked a turning point in Marsden’s career when he began voicing Max Goof, the son of the iconic Disney character Goofy, in A Goofy Movie. He would reprise this role in An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000) and continued voicing the character in Disney’s House of Mouse. This role established him as a prominent voice actor in animation. During this period, he also voiced Kovu in The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (1998) and was part of the voice cast for Tarzan (1999), working under director Kevin Lima, who also helmed A Goofy Movie.
The year 2000 proved particularly prolific for Marsden. He voiced Tino Tonitini in The Weekenders (2000–2004), a beloved Cartoon Network series, and Richie Foley/Gear in Static Shock (2000–2004). He also voiced Chester McBadbat in The Fairly OddParents starting in 2001, a role he maintained for over 15 years. That same year, he provided the English voice of Haku in Hayao Miyazaki’s acclaimed animated film Spirited Away, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
From 2003 to 2006, Marsden voiced Chase Young in the animated series Xiaolin Showdown. His voice work extended to numerous other animated productions during this period, including various DC Comics-inspired series such as Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, Teen Titans, and Batman Beyond. He also voiced multiple characters in the Fallout video game series, most notably Myron in Fallout 2 (1998) and Boone in Fallout: New Vegas (2010).
Notable Works and Milestones
Throughout his career, Marsden has accumulated an impressive catalog of voice roles across television, film, and video games. Beyond his Disney work, he voiced Final Fantasy XIII-2 character Noel Kreiss (2012), provided voices for The Hub series Transformers: Rescue Bots and Kaijudo, and voiced Bart Allen (Kid Flash) in Young Justice starting in 2010, returning for all four seasons through 2023. His video game work includes the Tak and the Power of Juju trilogy (2003–2005) and the talking sword Lilarcor in Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn.
From late summer 2004 to early spring 2007, Marsden served as the head announcer for Toon Disney, excluding the Jetix block, and also worked as a part-time announcer for Disney Channel. His on-camera work included playing the young Burt Ward/Robin in the 2003 television movie Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt.
Directing and Producing
Marsden has also explored work behind the camera. His first foray into directing was an episode of the Nickelodeon series The Journey of Allen Strange in 1997. He later directed, wrote, produced, and edited The Greatest Short Film Ever!!! and multiple independent music videos. In 2020, Marsden began producing an online web series called The Mars Variety Show on YouTube. Modeled after The Dean Martin Show, it features indie musicians, comedians, and alternative performers.
Jason Marsden Family
Jason Marsden comes from a family with strong artistic connections. His father, Myles Marsden (1936–2019), was a premier danseur who performed with the Yugoslav National Ballet. His mother, Linda Williams, was a former fashion model. He has three older half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Croatian dancer Ivanka Herci Munitic: Ana Fox, Rick Marsden, and Mark Marsden. Rick Marsden became a professional ballet dancer, continuing the family’s dance tradition.
Personal Life
Marsden married Christy Hicks in October 2004. They share a son who was born on February 17, 2010. The couple operated Yoga Blend, a yoga studio in Burbank, California, from 2005 until its permanent closure on December 30, 2020, which was attributed to financial issues following the COVID-19 pandemic. Marsden and Hicks divorced in 2020 after 16 years of marriage. Marsden resides in Nashville, Tennessee, where he continues his work in entertainment.