In a world without voice-overs ... RIP Don LaFontaine

[Football_Bat]

A sad day.

http://cbs2.com/local/LaFontaine.voiceover.died.2.808104.html

The "King of Voiceovers" died Monday in Los Angeles at age 68.

Don LaFontaine, whose voice was on nearly 5,000 movie trailers, died this afternoon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, his agent, Vanessa Gilbert, told Entertainment Tonight.

He died of complications from a collapsed lung, ET reported, although the official cause of death was not immediately released.

In addition to being the omnipresent voice on movie trailers, he was also an announcer for Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, as well as CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, UPN, TNT, TBS and the Cartoon Network, according to ET.

His voice is believed to have been used in hundreds of thousands of television and radio spots, including commercials for Chevrolet, Pontiac, Ford, Budweiser, McDonalds, Coke and other corporate sponsors, ET reported.

He was also the in-show announcer for the Screen Actors Guild and Academy Awards, and recently parodied himself in a Geico insurance commercial -- one of the few times he could be seen as well as heard.

Based on contracts signed, he may have been the single busiest actor in the history of SAG, according to ET.

 

[DanOregon]

This guy was awesome. He will be missed. I'm glad we got to see him in those Geico commercials.

 

[Mystery_Meat]

The Gate of Heaven. Rated PG-13.

 

[slappy4428]

IBC... Yule Love It!

Great voice... sory he's gone

 

[EStreetJoe]

great voice.. he will be missed

threre great clips about all the work he's done:




(none of these are the Geico commercial)

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

That GEICO commercial was really well-conceived and executed.

RIP, sir.

 

[waterytart]

RIP

(perfect title, F_B)

 

[KP]

GEICO commercial.

 

[playthrough]

Don't know how FOX will do their TV trailers without him.

 

[jps]

damn ... always joked with mrs. jps that, whenever he died, there would be a huge void for someone out there to fill. never expected it to be so soon.

 

[Oz]

This guy was awesome. He will be missed. I'm glad we got to see him in those Geico commercials.

Second that. Talk about creating a great niche for youself ... RIP.

 

[jps]

one of the greatest movie trailers ever ... and I've never even seen the movie.
watch it. laugh.

 

[jps]

... though maybe this guy can get out of the comedy clubs now ...

 

[Birdscribe]

This guy was awesome. He will be missed. I'm glad we got to see him in those Geico commercials.

Second that. Talk about creating a great niche for youself ... RIP.

In a world where the owner of the greatest job in Hollywood sadly left us today...

Third that. Somewhere in the Great Beyond, he and John Facenda are taking turns working the PA system.

 

[markvid]

Don't know how FOX will do their TV trailers without him.

That wasn't him, but someone with a voice close to his.

 

[ServeItUp]

Heard him on Whaddaya Know? on NPR a couple of years back. Imagine the shock of waking up one morning, age 13, and realizing you have this voice. He said the first thing he said with the voice was answering his mom's question about what to have for breakfast.

[thevoice]I'll have some Rice Krispies, please.[thevoice\]

Yes, Jon Facenda and Barry White now have basso profundo company.

 

[jps]

and it seems he answered fan mail and even recorded people's voice mail messages at times ... makes me wish I'd have sent him a request.

 

[Birdscribe]

and it seems he answered fan mail and even recorded people's voice mail messages at times ... makes me wish I'd have sent him a request.

That would be the coolest thing in the world to have on your cell phone...

"In a world where Birdscribe can't take your call right now because he's either in traffic, coaching his daughter's soccer team or twisting a writer's arm to write about his client (thump, thump), one thing is clear (thump, thump)... he'll get back to you at his (thump, thump) earliest convenience.... COMING SOON TO AN EARDRUM NEAR YOU -- the BEEP."

 

[GuessWho]

Got a kick out of the Youtube clip of that one voiceover guy doing a parody (obviously taped long before LaFontaine died): "In a world where there's no Don LaFontaine . . . there'd be a lot more money for the rest of us."

 

[Baron Scicluna]

This guy was awesome. He will be missed. I'm glad we got to see him in those Geico commercials.

Second that. Talk about creating a great niche for youself ... RIP.

In a world where the owner of the greatest job in Hollywood sadly left us today...

Third that. Somewhere in the Great Beyond, he and John Facenda are taking turns working the PA system.

Sadly, I have a feeling Bob Sheppard may be joining them soon. He's 97 years old, and I don't think he's worked a Yankee game this year.

And RIP to LaFontaine. I always liked it in the Geico commercial when he made that little nod after he finished his lines.