General Iroh of the Fire Nation is one of the most beloved characters to come out of the Avatar franchise. Through his wisdom and compassion shown towards those around him, along with the badass monicker of the Dragon of the West, Iroh cemented himself as one of the most interesting characters in the show.
Mako Iwamatsu was the voice of General Iroh at the beginning of the series, but the voice actor sadly passed away in 2006, which prompted Greg Baldwin to take over the role from his mentor. Baldwin took over the role of Iroh, along with a myriad of roles that were under Iwamatsu, such as Aku from Samurai Jack, and Master Splinter from TMNT.
Greg Baldwin was not expecting “a part of the job”
Baldwin’s involvement as Iroh won him a lot of praise as an actor. What the actor was not prepared for, however, was how deeply the role impacted audiences and fans of the show. Speaking about his experience over the reactions to him impersonating Iroh during appearances, the actor, speaking to The Guardian, said:
“Sometimes I would do Iroh’s voice and I would see grown men cry. I got a text one time saying: ‘I’m sorry to bother you, Mr. Baldwin, but my mother died last night and I was wondering what Uncle Iroh would say to me.’ It’s a part of the job I never expected.”
Uncle Iroh’s presence in the audience’s lives cannot be understated, given how important the characters are to the show, and how much of his attitude is looked up to as life advice.
It needs to be noted that Avatar: The Last Airbender is a show aimed at kids, so having characters like General Iroh would not only have had an impact on the young minds but also helped them realize the importance of his wisdom and practical knowledge when dealing with various situations in life.
Greg Baldwin had been impersonating Mako Iwamatsu for thirty years
Way back in 1977, upon receiving a copy of Pacific Overture, which starred Iwamatsu in a Tony Award-winning performance, Baldwin immediately fell in love with the voice actor’s rendition of the song, obsessively learning the songs.
This is the reason Greg Baldwin became so confident imitating the legend’s voice, something that he was very proud of. The actor said:
“I was one of the few people who had been doing an impression of Mako for 30 years”
While the actor continued this practice, he took over the role of Iroh after Iwamatsu’s passing, replacing him for the rest of the season and even guest-starring in The Legend of Korra. The character’s impact on the wider Avatar community cannot be understated, as the character is looked at as one of the most influential mentor figures in fiction.
