Great Voices

[dhermann1]

Donald Sutherland. Can we include singers? If so, then I'd throw in Deanna Durban, Irene Dunn, Jeannette McDonald and Nelson Eddy.
Eddie "Rochester" Anderson had a voice that was unmistakable. Ethel Waters had a wonderful singing and speaking voice.
Marlene Dietrich had a distinctive voice. So did Franklin Pangborne. Walter Pigeon, too.

 

[Atomic Glee]

Walter Pigeon, too.

Allow me to slip sideways from Walter Pigeon to his "Forbidden Planet" co-star as well - Leslie Nielsen. Seriously, he does have a great speaking voice, I've always thought.

 

[Stiff Collared]

So, who were the great voices of film?

BARBARA STANWYCK, who's voice was once accurately described by Richard Chamberlain as, "like a million dollars worth of laryngitus"

 

[DanielJones]

George Sander comes to mind. A very deep & mellow voice perfect for the reading of books voicing animated features.

Expecially voicing the character of Shere Khan.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[BJBAmerica]

I'd nominate those two "English Cads", Terry Thomas and Leslie Phillips.....I say, good show, what!

 

[carter]

Ah, Burton. Welsh, don't you know

I have to echo Richard Burton. Great voice.
For character voice, Sterling Holloway and Jim Backus.
Actresses, Katherine Hepburn.
Actresses/Singers, Deanna Durbin.
Political figures, Winston Churchill.
Newsmen, Walter Cronkite

 

[Diamondback]

George C. Scott as Patton.
Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine, Star Wars) for his ability to seemingly voice from Mr. Pushover to Evil Incarnate at the flip of a cue.
Not very versatile, but The Duke always had the ability to project as someone who said what he meant and meant what he said.
If James Earl Jones isn't the top of the list, though, he darn well should be. (When I imagine the Voice of God, Jones is awful close.)

For voice-only work, Peter Cullen and Paul Frees both had a gift for it. (Cullen so much so that he reprised one of his major roles almost 20 years later; Frees did everything from the Pillsbury Doughboy to Admiral Yamamoto in Midway to the "Ghost Host" in the Disneyland/Disney World Haunted Mansions and a voice in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride--how's that for versatile?) Oh, can't forget Mel Blanc voicing all those Looney Tunes characters, or Lorenzo Music as Garfield.

 

[warbird]

Many of my favorites have already been listed. One I did not see, though I may have missed, is Lowell Thomas. I have always enjoyed watching Movietone News clips with his voice in the background.

And though this is outside of movies per se, you have to love the voice of John Faccenda, the voice of NFL Films back in their early years, "On the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.........."

 

[thunderw21]

Not vintage by any means, but Mike Rowe of "Dirty Jobs" fame has quiet a nice voice. He use to be an opera singer. He also does Ford commercials.

 

[BeBopBaby]

Not vintage, but I absolutely adore Alan Rickman's voice.

 

[Edward]

Hmmnn.... afraid most of mine aren't Golden Age, but....

Patrick Stewart. I'm not a trekkie but man he's got it!

I saw him play Prospero on stage last February. I'm also planning to go to see him play Macbeth later this year. truly a stunning voice, an actor with incredible stage presence. I liked him in Star Trek a lot, but to see him with material of the sheer depth of The tempest - fantastic.

A contemporary actor I don't think many folks will know here, but who I think has the most stunning voice is David Bedella.

For the ladies, Anne Bancroft was wodnerful in The Graduate. Gretchen Moll's voice is amazing in The Notorious Bettie Page - only thing I've seen her in so I can't comment beyond her imitation of Bettie, but her voice in that is just wonderful.

I like Liam Neeson's voice a lot, and Harrison Ford. and of course Kelsey Grammar has one of the richest, most wonderful voices in entertainment history. I'd kill to have a voice like that. Dicky Attenborough is great also.

Regarding the voices of Sean Connery and James Earl Jones:

I have been thinking for some years now that the Broccoli people are missing an opportunity by not doing a James Bond movie which pairs up an old James Bond of MI6, (Connery), with his occassional counterpart from the CIA, (Jones). Both back from retirement for some operation or other. Imagine those two voices working together with a good script!

Haversack.

That could be fun. I always also wanted to see Connery as a bond villain, i think that could be fun. Especially if they ever did decide to kill Bond off.... remembering Connery's famous quote "I'd like to kill that damn James Bond!"

Peter Falk has had a long career and a distinctive voice.

Though it was probably his pacing, enunciation and mannerisms that really made Columbo unique and created the voice we think of for the diffident detective.

I remember when they brought him back for a new series in the 90s - just as good as ever. IMO, Columbo was way ahead of its time - wasn't it the first big show to break away from the "whodunnit" angle and instead let you watch the detective and the killer play off each other. Columbo was such a great character. I also loved Peter Falk in Himmel Uber Berlin (retitled "Wings of Desire" in the English speaking world - it's sequel, Faraway So Close is probably better known thanks to the U2 link). The film is about an angel who falls in love with a human woman and resigns his post to come to earth as a human, be human and experience true love and all that - it's really in large part an exploration of what it means to be truly human. Great film, some beautiful shots of late 80s Berlin, with the wall still in place. Falk plays a version of himself - he's an actor, called Peter Falk, in Berlin filming a war movie - the gimmick being he is also a former angel, and the lead guy comes to him for advice. Very funny. At one point a bunch of German kids walk past and one says "look, it's Columbo!" Another replies "Don't be daft, he wouldn't be walking around out here in a shabby old raincoat."

I love Bobby Deniro's voice. Especially when he played the priest in Sleepers. That character was just so utterly believable to me, and his voice was perfect - from the streets, but educated.

Others I rate big time:

Christopher Lee.... Gregory Peck... Tim Curry.... Harvey Keitel.... Raul Julia was a sad loss.

Another one of the ladies: Deborah Harry.

 

[Leading Edge]

Male voices that come to mind immediately are:

• James Earl Jones
• Charlton Heston
• Patrick Stewart
• James Niven
• Sean Connery
• The actor who played Rochester on Jack Benny
• Walter Cronkite
• Sir Laurence Olivier

Female voices:

• Lauren Bacall
• Marlene Dietrich
• Bette Davis
• Kathleen Turner
• Drew Barrymore
• Catherine Deneuve
• Judi Dench

My apologies if some or all of the above were already named. I got so overwhelmed with all those powerful and distinctive voices sounding in my ears I did not read through the whole thread. lol

 

[Leading Edge]

. . . John Faccenda, the voice of NFL Films back in their early years, "On the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.........."

JOHN FACENDA!! :eusa_clap

Even though Walter Cronkite slipped in, I thinking of voices in film, but if we can include sportcasters -

Howard Cosell - not only a unique voice, but the greatest and most knowledgeable sportscaster of our times! The sports' world lost a major treasure when he left and I don't even think they knew it at the time. I bet they found out though.​