Voiceover artist par excellence Hal Douglas was born Harold Cone on September 1, 1924 in Stamford, Connecticut. The son of Samuel and Miriam Levenson Cone, Hal and his brother Edwin were primarily raised by their grandparents Sarah and Tevya Levenson after their mother died when Hal was only nine. (Their father later remarried.) Douglas trained as...
Often started trailers he narrated with the phrase "In a world ..."
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Distinctive gravelly baritone voice.
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Quote
1
Movies, particularly, fall into departments. You have an action film, you have a romantic film, you have the dark films. They all suggest an attitude and a voice quality. I don't do character voices per se, but depending upon the emotion, try to approach it as an actor.
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I'm not outstanding in any way. It's a craft that you learn, like making a good pair of shoes. And I just consider myself a good shoemaker.
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[on his voiceover work] I'm not outstanding in any way. It's a craft that you learn, like making a good pair of shoes. And I just consider myself a good shoemaker.
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[on his distinctive gravelly baritone] I never thought of it as a great voice.
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[describing his voice] Throaty, chesty, a voice in need of clearing.
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Fact
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His parents were Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe.
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Worked for a decade in advertising prior to moving into full-time voiceover work in the mid-1960's.
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After moving to New York, he changed his last name to Douglas. He supplemented his small income from acting jobs with voice-over and announcing work on radio and television. He became much sought-after for commercials and lead-ins for TV shows.
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He trained as a pilot and spent three years in the Navy during WWII. He wrote fiction in his free time. After the war he studied acting at the University of Miami on the GI bill.
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His voice can be heard in a lot of movie trailers, he's known as "In a world..." guy.
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Described by a Miramax publicist as "perhaps the most recognizable trailer voice in the business."
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Holiday
2006
Movie Trailer Narrator (voice)
Johnny Bravo
2004
TV Series
Hal Douglas
Waterworld
1995
Narrator (voice, uncredited)
Disney's Halloween Treat
1982
Video
Narrator
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
Five Men and a Limo
1997
Short special thanks
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Toronto Maple Leafs Forever: The Tradition of the Toronto Maple Leafs
2002
Video documentary
Narrator (voice)
HBO First Look
1997-1999
TV Series documentary
Narrator
Five Men and a Limo
1997
Short
Himself (uncredited)
Houdini
1996
Documentary
Narrator (voice)
NHL: Overtime
1996
Video documentary
Narrator (voice)
Rebels with a Cause: The Story of the American Football League
1995
TV Movie documentary
Narrator (voice)
Known for movies
The Holiday (2006) as Movie Trailer Narrator
Toronto Maple Leafs Forever: The Tradition of the Toronto Maple Leafs (2002) as Narrator
Rebels with a Cause: The Story of the American Football League (1995) as Narrator
$10 Million
