He worked on voice acting and ADR directing on a number of English dubs of Japanese anime shows.

[4][5] Ayres had his first professional acting gig in a commercial for Lollipop Soft Drinks in Richmond, Virginia, when he was six years old.

[9] After graduating high school Ayres attended Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas, and studied theatre until 1985.

[10][11] In November 2017, Ayres was diagnosed with end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and required a double lung transplant to survive.

His death was announced on Twitter the following day by his partner and fellow voice actress, Krystal LaPorte.