Gary Cole has maintained a substantial career as a voice actor in animation, with several roles that fall within the anime and anime-influenced genres. Born on September 20, 1956, in Park Ridge, Illinois, Cole is an American actor whose voice work spans numerous animated series and films. His career in voice acting began in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with early credits including the animated series The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest and the role of Zeta in Batman Beyond. One of his most notable early voice roles was providing the voice of Dr. James Possible in the Disney Channel animated series Kim Possible, a role he played from 2002 to 2007 across forty-five episodes and several television films, including Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time and Kim Possible: So the Drama. He is also known for his long-running role as Principal Shepherd on the adult animated series Family Guy, a part he has voiced since 2000.

Within the specific realm of anime, Cole has a notable credit. He voiced the role of Sergeant Dai Li in the animated series The Legend of Korra, the sequel to the acclaimed anime-influenced series Avatar: The Last Airbender. His other voice work in animation includes a wide variety of characters across different genres and networks. He voiced the lead role of Harvey Birdman in the Adult Swim comedy series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law from 2000 to 2007 and reprised the role in a 2018 television film. Cole has also been a recurring voice on Bob's Burgers as Sergeant Bosco since 2012 and has appeared in Archer, Rick and Morty, and Big Mouth. His roles extend to the DC animated universe, where he has voiced characters such as James Gordon in Batman: Under the Red Hood and Batman: A Death in the Family, as well as Black Adam in Justice League Action. He also provided the voice for the Inspector in the Netflix adult animated anthology series Love, Death and Robots. As referenced, Gary Cole played the character of Martin Savide in the live-action horror film The Ring Two. Beyond his extensive voice work, Cole has had a successful on-camera career, earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in Veep in 2014.