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Hal Douglas, The Gravelly Voice In Countless Movie Trailers, Dies At 89
In a world where voice-over artists are one of the most important parts of a movie trailer, one of the most recognizable of those has been lost. Hal Douglas, whose epic voice was lent to thousands of trailers over the years, has died at the age of 89.
Douglas' voice has been heard in countless movie trailers and television spots, including Forrest Gump, Lethal Weapon 2, Con Air, Philadelphia and many more. Along with Don LaFontaine, who died in 2008, Douglas' voice was one of the most widely heard in the entertainment business, the New York Times says.
Douglas first got his start in voice-overs while looking for acting gigs after moving to New York. Prior to that, he served in World War II and went to the University of Miami on the G.I. Bill. Douglas has always been modest about his legendary career. "I never thought of it as a great voice," he once said. "It's throaty, chesty."
Douglas died last Friday from complications of pancreatic cancer at his home in Virginia, TMZ says.
As a tribute, let's take a look at just some of the trailers that feature his voice:
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Douglas once played a fictionalized version of himself in the trailer for Jerry Seinfeld - Comedian:
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There was also a short documentary about him released last year that chronicles his life in the business:
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Our trailers will never be the same.
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