# Most distinctive voice in movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 2, 2010, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617 "2010-06-02T09:25:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/21 "2010-06-02T12:50:12Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > Of course, ther’e the most recognizable voice of all time…Casey Kasem! Although “in movies” is part of the title, I suspect that the really distinctive voices are those in TV and radio we rarely (if ever) see the faces for. Think about that voiceover guy with the catchphrase “In a world…” Don Pardo Johnny Gilbert Shadoe Stevens Ed McMahon Billy Mays! ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/22 "2010-06-02T12:51:17Z")
Adam West. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/23 "2010-06-02T12:51:38Z")
I’ll add John Wayne and Fran Drescher. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/24 "2010-06-02T12:53:11Z")
What??!!! This thread is already 3 hours old and no one has said **Morgan Freeman**?!!! ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/25 "2010-06-02T13:00:38Z")
Andy Devine! ETA: RONALD COLMAN! ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/26 "2010-06-02T13:18:42Z")
What about all those narrators on PBS? Many of those distinctive voices are of people I don’t even know the names for. But their voices are so distinctive. One I do know the name (and face) for is [David McCullough (II)](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0567184/) but there are so many others on _NOVA_ and _Nature_ and other documentaries whose voices are omnipresent on shows on PBS and Discovery and the like. And the voiceover folks on commercials? It’s fun to identify people on commercials by just their voices. Lately “Dexter” ([Michael C. Hall](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355910/)) is the voice in at least one [car commercial.](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355910/otherworks) Liev Schreiber James Garner Dennis Hopper ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/27 "2010-06-02T13:23:56Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Although “in movies” is part of the title, I suspect that the really distinctive voices are those in TV and radio we rarely (if ever) see the faces for. > > Think about that voiceover guy with the catchphrase “In a world…” The late Don LaFontaine. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/28 "2010-06-02T13:27:38Z")
Mary Wickes ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/29 "2010-06-02T13:27:48Z")
**In a world** where there are movie trailers. There was only one [Don LaFontaine](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QPMvj_xejg) ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/30 "2010-06-02T13:28:48Z")
Damn. Was enjoying watching the youtube link for too long 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/31 "2010-06-02T13:38:48Z")
> [@yojimbo](#): > > **In a world** where there are movie trailers. There was only one [Don LaFontaine](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QPMvj_xejg) > [@Robot Arm](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > : > > Originally Posted by Zeldar > > Although “in movies” is part of the title, I suspect that the really distinctive voices are those in TV and radio we rarely (if ever) see the faces for. > > > > Think about that voiceover guy with the catchphrase “In a world…” > > The late Don LaFontaine. That’s the one. I knew there was a Fontaine in there, but I confused him with [Frank Fontaine](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0284803/) who was Jackie Gleason’s singing bartender Crazy Guggenheim. Jonathan Winters Dave Gardner Andy Griffith Don Knotts Jim Nabors Y’all want to get a thread going on those people whose voices sound enough alike to be confused for each other? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/32 "2010-06-02T13:43:11Z")
I was once listening to an old Andy Griffith show and THAT VOICE came on. I looked up to see a very, very, very young JACK NICHOLSON. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/33 "2010-06-02T13:57:56Z")
Bobcat Goldthwait. Samuel L. Jackson(particularly when yelling, which is mostly what he does anyway). ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/34 "2010-06-02T14:00:39Z")
Danny Devito ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/35 "2010-06-02T14:18:04Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Mary Wickes Well, then, Marjorie Main. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/36 "2010-06-02T14:34:25Z")
George Clooney is the very first name that popped into mind. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/37 "2010-06-02T14:54:46Z")
Morgan Freeman (who has already been noted) and Demi Moore. Her voice is kind of raspy and I always immediately recognize it. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/38 "2010-06-02T15:01:43Z")
Morgan Freeman was also my first “instant recognition” choice. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/39 "2010-06-02T15:08:26Z")
Patrick Warburton ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617/40 "2010-06-02T15:13:12Z")
Alan Rickman! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-voice-in-movies/541617.md?page=3)