Hal Douglas "Voice of Movie Trailers" Dies At 89

 

Chances are you don't recognize his face, but you definitely know his voice.

It is the sound of Saturday matinees. Of action films. Heart-wrenching dramas. And slapstick comedies. The promise of another world.

The sad news arrived today that Hal Douglas, one of Hollywood's most prolific voiceover artists, died last Friday at his home in Lottesville, Virginia.

The 89-year-old legend, who continued to work steadily until just two years ago, succumbed to pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Francis Douglas; his daughter, Sarah; and two sons, Jeremy and Jon.

Douglas was one of the most recognizable voices in the industry for decades, with a rough-and-low baritone so deep, it evoked the voice of god — or at least someone of supreme authority.

"Hal Douglas was one of those voices everyone has heard," says Robert Thompson, pop culture expert and media professor at Syracuse University. "His voice has probably penetrated the lives of more Americans more times than probably anyone. But he's totally anonymous," Thompson tells Yahoo Movies, calling Douglas "the ultimate voice."

Douglas voiced literally thousands of coming-attraction promos over the course of his career, and his voice can be heard on trailers for "Philadelphia," "Coneheads," "Forrest Gump," "Waterworld," "Lethal Weapon," "Con Air," "Men in Black," "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," and "Meet the Parents," to name but a few.

"He sounds like what a movie voiceover is supposed to sound like because he's done so many of them," Thompson says. "He is the rule. He's become the model."

Thompson points out that Douglas's voice even gave bad movies a lift: "He did a lot of really good, major movies… to the extent that with Hal narrating your trailer, you could make a really horrible movie at least sound like it's big time. With that voice you could make it sound really imprortant."