don lafontaine Tagged Articles at Cinematical

So every year the Academy Awards does their little In Memoriam montage where they honor those who've passed throughout the year. Queen Latifah sang over the montage for this year's ceremony, which, of course, included lots but excluded a few -- most notably 'The Voice of God' himself, Don LaFontaine, who passed away back in September. LaFontaine, in case you forgot or didn't know, was an actor, producer and writer who provided voiceover for pretty much every trailer ever made (okay not that many, but he is the voice of more than 5,000 movie trailers and hundreds of thousands of television commercials, video game trailers and network promotions).

That's pretty impressive in and of itself, and more than worthy of a mention during the Oscar telecast. But wait, I'll give you one more -- LaFontaine was also the in-show announcer for the Academy Awards! YES! The guy lent his voice to the Academy Awards ceremony every year ... AND THOSE IDIOTS COULDN'T EVEN FIND THE TIME TO HONOR HIM! I haven't had the time to process this entirely since I've been quite busy for the past 24 hours, but this has to be one of their biggest snubs ever. And I don't care if the guy didn't belong to the right club or organization in order to have his work recognized by the Academy -- fact is, his voice helped sell the biggest (and smallest) movies of our time. He is (and always will be) a Hollywood legend. The Academy should be ashamed ... and since they didn't have the time, space or brains to give this guy a shout out -- we will. I will also call on other websites to do the same today.

Don LaFontaine (August 26, 1940 – September 1, 2008)



[via Film Drunk]

In a world where one man used his distinctive voice to lend gravitas and then some to trailer after feature after episode, it really is a shame to see Don LaFontaine pass away at the age of 68. According to ET Online, LaFontaine died due to complications from a collapsed lung.

This video above pretty much summarizes what an impact this man had on modern moviegoing, and it helps to be reminded that there was a genuine personality behind his very particular talent, a notion that his official website only reinforces in spades. Whether it was a Geico spot or the Big Momma's House 2 trailer, his booming delivery will remain imitated (as witnessed after the jump, in what is perhaps the only funny moment from "Frank TV"), but only because it was so iconic.

You've heard his voice a million times, and now you can actually see what he looks like. Don LaFontaine, who has provided the "This summer, one man fights injustice and tyranny ..." voiceovers for over 3,500 different projects appears in this video, along with a sleigh-load of other voiceover talent reading "The Night Before Christmas." Aside from the Blockbuster commercials a few years ago, and the bizarre yet funny short film Five Men and a Limo which was made for the 26th Annual Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards from 1997 (that's a mouthful), you've probably never seen this guy's face.

Now's your chance to see him, Eddie Deezen, Dennis Haysbert, Jim Cummings and a load of other voice over actors (hey, you throw the voice of Pooh and Tigger into anything, and I'm a sucker for it) instead of just hearing them. They do a great job of it, and even throw in some Hanukkah cheer. After the jump, gather your friends and family around the warm glow of the computer screen, and let them soak in the wonderment of something you never see: the face of voiceover artists.