Don LaFontaine RIP

nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts
edited September 2008 in Strut Central
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7595352.stm/a1b,121b,121
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QPMvj_xejg
b,121b,121 Don LaFontaine, who voiced more than 5,000 movie trailers, has died in Los Angeles aged 68.b,121b,121During his 33-year career he provided the voice for films including The Terminator and Dr Strangelove.b,121b,121He was best known for his catchphrase used on several trailers that began with the words "In a world where..."b,121b,121LaFontaine died in the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Monday from complications caused by an ongoing lung-related illness, his agent said.b,121b,121LaFontaine insisted he never cared that no one knew his name or his face, though millions of film fans knew his voice.b,121b,121In an interview last year, he explained the strategy behind his catchphrase.b,121b,121"We have to very rapidly establish the world we are transporting them to," he said of his viewers.b,121b,121"That's very easily done by saying, 'In a world where...violence rules' 'In a world where... men are slaves and women are the conquerors' - you very rapidly set the scene."b,121b,121LaFontaine began working in the promotions industry in the early 1960s as an audio engineer producing radio adverts for movies.b,121b,121When an announcer didn't show up for a recording session in 1965, LaFontaine voiced his first narration, a promo for the film Gunfighters of Casa Grande. The client, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, liked his performance.b,121b,121LaFontaine remained active until recently, averaging seven to 10 voiceover sessions a day.b,121b,121He worked from a home studio his wife nicknamed "The Hole," where his fax machine delivered scripts.b,121b,121In addition to his trailer work LaFontaine voiced hundreds of thousands of TV and radio advertisements, including commercials for Chevrolet, Pontiac, Ford and Budweiser.b,121b,121Based on contracts signed, he was perhaps the single busiest actor in the history of the Screen Actors Guild.b,121b,121LaFontaine is survived by his wife, singer and actress Nita Whitaker, and three daughters.b,121b,121------------------------------------------------ b,121b,121A true legend in every sense of the word. and a great sense of humor to boot. Damn shame.b,121b,121RIP.

  Comments


  • BaptBapt 2,503 Posts
    Is he the voice used by Dr Dr?? for Bilal, or did they used an imitator?
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