Voiceover artist and inspiration to all aspiring voiceover talent, Don LaFontaine, has died this past Monday. Our small community is morning the loss of it’s king. Don was a true pioneer and a master of  all things voiceover and I’m horribly disappointed that I never had the chance to tell him that in person. Not that he needs to hear that from me, but I still would have loved to have met him.

Associated Press LOS ANGELES - Don LaFontaine, the voice behind thousands of Hollywood movie trailers, has died. He was 68.

LaFontaine’s agent Vanessa Gilbert says the voiceover artist died Monday as a result of complications from the treatment of an ongoing illness at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

LaFontaine has been a fixture in Hollywood for decades, working on about 5,000 movie trailers. Much of his fame stems from his trademark movie-trailer catch phrase, “In a world where…”

——————————-

That Voiceover Guy, R.I.P. - Chicago Trib

In a world where celebrities such as George Clooney and Gene Hackman have been taking over the voiceover business, this man had the most recognizable voice of anyone whose name and face you wouldn’t recognize.

You’ve heard his deep, dramatic delivery on ads. You’ve heard it in movie trailers. And more trailers. And more trailers.

Like this one:

His name was Don LaFontaine, but to most of us he was That Voiceover Guy. He died Monday at age 68 in Los Angeles from complications of a collapsed lung.

The Web site for this “king of voiceovers” credits him with voicing almost 5,000 movie trailers and nearly 350,000 commercials and other works.

“He is arguably the most successful Voice Actor of all time,” the site states, and actually it’s hard to argue.

Here’s another one:

He was easy to parody. Reach to the gravelly back of your throat, solemnly intone the words, “In a world…” and you’re off.

And here is LaFontaine parodying himself on a Geico ad:

Really there was just one Don LaFontaine. Otherwise, the studios and companies would have hired someone else, no?

The experience of going to the movies was somehow shaped by this guy who was so often heard, not seen.

In a world without Don LaFontaine, there are going to be a lot of strange sounding trailers and ads.

 

Voice artist Don LaFontaine dead at 68

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 2 (UPI) — U.S. voiceover artist Don LaFontaine has died at the age of 68, his agent said.

FoxNews.com said LaFontaine’s memorable voice was heard in thousands of movie trailers, as well as in nearly 350,000 commercials.

The Minnesota native and former recording engineer for the U.S. Army Band and Chorus recently appeared in a Geico Insurance commercial in which he was described as “that announcer guy,” the news Web site said.

ET.com reported that LaFontaine died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles Monday of complications from a collapsed lung.

FoxNews.com said Tuesday no official cause of death had been released.

LaFontaine is survived by his wife, singer and actress Nita Whitaker, and three children — Christine, Skye and Elyse.

His Web site said LaFontaine helped create some of the most popular catch phrases used in film trailers. Among the lines he made famous through the years are “In a world…,” “A one-man army,” “No where to run, no where to hide and no way out…”

He spent a number of years as a head of production for Kaleidoscope Films, Ltd., a trailer production house and, in 1976, started his own production company, Don LaFontaine Associates where his first assignment as an independent was the trailer for “The Godfather, Part II.”

He later spent several years in charge of the trailer department at Paramount Pictures, but left in 1981 to go back to being an independent producer.

“Over the past 25 years, LaFontaine cemented his position as the ‘King of Voiceovers,’” his Web site said. “Aside from his continuing work in the trailer industry, he has also been the voice of NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and UPN, in addition to TNT, TBS and the Cartoon Network.”