Slain Actor Jonathan Joss Leaves Behind Video Game Voice-Acting Legacy

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Actor Jonathan Joss, who had voice-acted in a number of high-profile video games, was killed this week outside his home in an attack that his husband has alleged was a homophobic hate crime. He was 59 years old and leaves behind a legacy of roles across television, movies, and games.Joss, who was of Comanche and White Mountain Apache descent, provided his voice for numerous games across his career. According to his IMDB page, Joss had roles in Red Dead Redemption, The Walking Dead: Michonne, Days Gone, and Wasteland 3. He also provided the voice for Robert Rainwater, a ripperdoc in Cyberpunk 2077.Outside of games, he was best known for his roles as indigenous characters in television comedies. Between 1997-2007, he played John Redcorn on King of the Hill; later, he appeared in several episodes of Parks and Recreation as casino magnate and tribal chief Ken Hotate.Warning: sensitive and potentially disturbing details about Joss's death are discussed below.Joss was shot dead on June 1, 2025, at his house in San Antonio, TX. He had just married his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, on Valentine's Day earlier this year. After Joss's death, de Gonzales asserted that Joss was the victim of an anti-gay attack by a neighbor, who was described as yelling homophobic slurs at the couple. De Gonzales relayed how they returned to their home, which had previously burnt down, to check their mail, and they discovered remains of one of their dogs had been placed "in clear view." Expressing sadness and despair, the couple was confronted by the neighbor who opened fire, de Gonzales stated.De Gonazles shared that the couple had faced homophobic harassment in their neighborhood for an extended period of time, and their reports to law enforcement had received no response. The San Antonio police has responded that it has not found any evidence to charge the suspect with a hate crime, and neighbors have shared that Joss and the suspect had a years-long feud that had gone unresolved.Many actors who worked with Joss in the past have been outspoken in their sadness about his passing. Nick Offerman, who played Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation, told People Magazine that the other actors from the sitcom extensively discussed and supported each other in the aftermath of the tragic events.