Don LaFontaine, 1940-2008.

IFC.com > Blogs > Indie Eye > Don LaFontaine, 1940-2008.

By Alison Willmore on 09/02/2008

Filed under: Memoriam

You do know who he is. Don LaFontaine was the voice of the voiceover for over 5,000 commercials, network spots and, of course, movie trailers, promising in tones of comforting, gravelly authority forthcoming drama, laughs, action and tears, almost certainly taking place "In a world..."

From CNN:

His favorite work was one he did for the 1980 film "The Elephant Man," he said in interviews, but whether the film was Oscar-caliber or a bomb waiting to blow, he handled every assignment equally.
"My philosophy is that you have to really believe what you're reading, even if you think the film's a piece of junk," he told Swindle magazine. "Even the worst picture is someone's favorite film, and that someone is the fan I am always talking to."

There's a short video on LaFontaine on YouTube here.

[Photo: Don LaFontaine]

+ 'In a world' voiceover master dies at 68 (CNN)
+ Don LaFontaine: The Voice (YouTube)

Tags: Don LaFontaine

emilyfields

What a bummer! I can't tell you how many times this man has given me goosebumps using simply the throttle of his melodramatic bass vocals. Movie trailers of a grit-stained hero, carrying a baby through an inferno, will never be the same.