William Roberts was an American-born actor, director, and writer who built a prolific career in British theatre, radio, and voice work, becoming widely recognized for his rich and resonant voice. He was born on October 18, 1943, in Roseburg, Oregon, and passed away on February 14, 2025. Roberts moved to England to study drama at the University of Manchester, a move that formed the foundation of his long career in the United Kingdom.

In the realm of anime and English dubs of Japanese animation, Roberts contributed his voice to several notable projects. He is known for the role of Moomin Papa in the Japanese-Finnish animated series Tanoshii Moomin Ikka, which aired from 1990 to 1992. He voiced the character for the second half of the series, from episodes 48 to 78. Another of his anime roles was Zenzō Kadoma in the 1989 cyberpunk film Goku II - Midnight Eye. His other credits in anime include Seitaro Sakaki in Patlabor 2: The Movie, Bularios in Appleseed, and Dogen in Sword for Truth.

Beyond anime, Roberts had an extensive and highly active career in voice acting, particularly in video games. His most iconic and celebrated role was as Vesemir, the mentor to the protagonist, in the English versions of The Witcher video game series, most notably in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. His performance in this role brought him widespread recognition and was a highlight of his long career. He lent his voice to a vast array of other major game titles, including Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Gothic, Crysis, Horizon Zero Dawn, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Atomic Heart, and several Star Wars titles.

Throughout his career, Roberts was also a dedicated stage actor, a radio reader for BBC programs, and a narrator of audiobooks, including works by authors such as Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe, and H.P. Lovecraft. In his later years, he also pursued writing, publishing fiction and biographies under the name W.E. Roberts, and was an avid pilot who flew his own plane.