"In A World Where" Voice Over Guy Passes

Although this is not what I usually cover in my blog, I wanted to let my readers know that Don LaFontaine, the guy who made the phrase "In A World Where...." so famous, died yesterday at the age of 68.

The news was brought to my attention via the respected Steve Rubel Lifestream blog and his coverage of the obit written by CNN.

His passing had a definite impact on me. I never met him but somehow I feel we all came to know him just a little through his work. LaFontaine was simply THE voice for movie trailers and the person we judged all other voice over artists against, at least in terms of movie previews. In fact, I was wondering just a couple of days ago why I hadn’t heard him recently.

Besides maybe Mason Adams’ “With a name like Smuckers it has to be good” and the voice over guy for Hallmark (“When you care enough to send the very best”) how many other voice over artists does the average person recognize just by hearing their distinctive sound?

Giving us a peek into his technique, Don was quoted by CNN as saying: “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.”

That’s good advice for all of us to follow I think.

And if you ever wondered if he used that voice outside the studio, here’s Don’s answer: “If I tried to use that voice in public,” he said, “they’d be calling security.”

Thanks for the memories Mr. LaFontaine.