J. Michael Tatum is an American voice actor, ADR director, and scriptwriter widely recognized for his extensive work in the English dubbing of Japanese anime series and video games. Born on May 25, 1976, in McKinney, Texas, his path to voice acting was rooted in a childhood speech impediment. His speech therapist encouraged him to participate in theater, where he discovered that memorizing and performing lines helped him manage the impediment. This early experience on stage, beginning with a role in a production of The Velveteen Rabbit at the age of nine, instilled in him a lasting passion for acting.

Before becoming a full-time voice actor, Tatum worked in marketing. His entry into the anime industry occurred in 2005 when a friend and voice director at Funimation, Christopher Bevins, convinced him to audition for a role. This led to his debut as Rikichi in the series Samurai 7. Initially a side pursuit, voice acting soon became his primary career, and he began taking on additional responsibilities such as ADR direction and scriptwriting, which were common for many in the Dallas-based voice acting community at the time.

Tatum's breakthrough role came with the character Kyoya Ootori in Ouran High School Host Club, which established him as a prominent talent. He is known for his versatile vocal range, often portraying intelligent, stoic, or villainous characters. His filmography includes hundreds of roles, with some of his most notable being the demonic butler Sebastian Michaelis in Black Butler, the determined Commander Erwin Smith in Attack on Titan, the eccentric mad scientist Rintaro Okabe in Steins;Gate, the class representative Tenya Iida in My Hero Academia, and the wise merchant Kraft Lawrence in Spice and Wolf. In addition to these well-known parts, his body of work includes the characters listed by the user: Childman in Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: Battle of Kimluck, Mycroft Holmes in Moriarty the Patriot, Great Red Siberian in Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Magma in Dr. Stone: Stone Wars, the Brain Cell Commander in Cells at Work! Code Black, Radboud in Magatsu Wahrheit -Zuerst-, Taiga Himuro in Skate-Leading Stars, Erich von Rerugen in Isekai Quartet 2, and Takagi in the Junji Ito Collection episode Tomie.

Beyond acting, Tatum has made significant contributions as an ADR director and scriptwriter. He has directed English dubs for series such as Romeo x Juliet and Corpse Princess and has written scripts for numerous shows, including the first two seasons of Attack on Titan and Steins;Gate. His work on Steins;Gate, in particular, is frequently praised for its adaptation of the series' complex and intellectual dialogue. His ability to craft sophisticated English scripts is complemented by his appreciation for literature and classical works.

Tatum often collaborates with a recurring group of voice actors from the Funimation and OkraTron 5000 talent pools, including Brina Palencia, Monica Rial, and Ian Sinclair. He previously co-hosted a podcast about anime titled That Anime Show with Terri Doty and later hosted the ghost story podcast Ghoul Intentions with Jamie Marchi.

His approach to acting is introspective and character-driven. He has described his philosophy as seeing each character as a version of himself placed in a different story, focusing on the emotional reality of the role rather than just external traits. To prepare for roles, he often creates character playlists; for instance, he listens to metal music to channel the intensity of Erwin Smith and a piece by composer John Adams to capture the unique energy of Tenya Iida. With a career spanning over two decades and encompassing more than 400 roles, J. Michael Tatum remains a highly respected and influential figure in the field of anime voice acting.