Voice Actress Amy Howard Wilson passed away on February 28th, 2021 at the age of 65. Although she appeared as Miranda in the English dub of Irresponsible Captain Tylor produced by Right Stuf / Nozomi Entertainment, she was best known to the anime community as Nova, the lead female character in Star Blazers, the English language version of Space Battleship Yamato. After years of syndication broadcast across the U.S., Star Blazers is credited among anime historians as having planted the earliest seeds of American anime fandom in the early 1980s alongside contemporaries such as Speed Racer, Battle of the Planets, and Robotech.
News of Ms. Howard Wilson’s passing came after her husband David G. Wilson III posted the following to her fan page and other social media.
“It is with deep and profound emotions that I must announce that Amy Howard Wilson, 65, of Petersburg, VA; formerly of South River, NJ; passed away peacefully on February 28th,2021. She was born in Detroit, Michigan on May 28th, 1955 to John and Dolores Howard. The family moved to NJ in 1966. Amy graduated from St. Mary’s High School in South Amboy, class of 1973. Amy attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and PACE University in NYC. She worked at Sotheby’s NYC and AT&T in Bridgewater.
Amy voiced the character of Nova on the Star Blazers animé series and had quite a fan following. She enjoyed attending animé conventions, speaking on panels, and connecting with fans of the show. Amy had a very big heart and a generous spirit. She loved people and would start up a friendly conversation with anyone.”
She began to tour various gatherings after visiting Anime Weekend Atlanta IV in 1998, where she was surprised to learn Star Blazers still had a tremendous fan following and there were many who had wanted to learn how to begin similar careers in voice acting. This was also the convention where she was introduced to Mr. Howard through a mutual friend and would subsequently marry him.
Below is a link to the a segment of the voice acting panel from AWA IV. Host Joe Vecchio interviewed actors Michael Brady (Crusher Joe), Amy Howard Wilson and the duo of C. Martin Croker and George Lowe (Space Ghost Coast To Coast).
Additionally, here is a sample of her work on Star Blazers
At this time, our condolences go out to the Howard and Wilson families. Her final services will be private. In lieu of flowers, it’s requested that donations are sent to ASPCA (https://www.aspca.org/) an organization dedicated to the well-being of animals and fighting cruelty toward them.
Photo of Amy Howard Wilson courtesy of John Patterson.
Anime Weekend Atlanta clip is taken from AWA IV: The Movie courtesy of former convention chairman Lloyd Carter.
