Carl Banas was a Canadian radio personality and voice actor whose career in animation included several notable roles during the mid-to-late twentieth century. He was born on January 23, 1929, in Toronto, Canada, and passed away on April 1, 2020, at the age of 91. While Banas is recognized for his extensive work in Western animation and as a beloved radio host on Toronto stations such as CKFM-FM and MIX 99.9, his contributions to the field of anime are represented by a select number of key performances in animated series that crossed cultural boundaries.

One of Banass significant roles in a production with direct ties to the anime industry was his portrayal of Grandpa Kitty in the series Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater. This show, which aired from 1987 to 1988, was a co-production between the American studio DiC Entertainment and the Japanese animation studio Toei Animation, based on the globally popular character from the Japanese company Sanrio. In this series, Banas provided the voice for the elder family figure, bringing the character of Grandpa Kitty to life. His role placed him alongside voice actors such as Tara Strong as Hello Kitty and Len Carlson as Papa Kitty.

In addition to his work on Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater, Banas is also known for the role of Professor Bond in The King Kong Show. While this series was a Western animated production from the 1960s that blended adventure with the giant ape character, Banass performance as the patriarch of the Bond family remains a credited part of his animation filmography. His voice acting career extended across many other popular animated series of his era, where he often portrayed gruff, elderly, or authoritative figures. These roles included the sheepdog Schaeffer in the long-running Canadian series The Raccoons, the Dandy Lion and the Wizard of Oz in Tales of the Wizard of Oz, the foreman elf in the classic television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and the villain Scorpion in the 1967 Spider-Man series.

Throughout his voice acting career, Banas frequently collaborated with a network of fellow Canadian voice actors. He worked alongside actors such as Alfie Scopp and Paul Soles on several projects, including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Spider-Man. His other notable achievements outside of strictly anime work included performing annual live readings of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, a recording of which was released by Polydor Records. He also worked extensively in radio for decades and provided voices for numerous television commercials and animated features, including Babar: The Movie.