439:". LaFontaine did not win the game and offered to record the listener's answering machine message himself. LaFontaine once claimed that he enjoyed recording messages like these because it allowed him to be creative in writing unique messages and said that he would do so for anyone who contacted him if he had the time. By 2007, he found the requests to be too numerous for him to take on and stopped providing the service.
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235:. Peterson incorporated many of LaFontaine's ideas for the spots and, in 1963, they went into business together producing advertising exclusively for the movie industry. LaFontaine claimed that this company first came up with many of the famous movie trailer catchphrases, including his own future signature phrase "In a world
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in 1981. LaFontaine was contacted by an agent who wanted to promote him for voiceover work, and from then on worked in voiceovers. At his peak, he voiced about 60 promotions a week, and sometimes as many as 35 in a single day. Once he established himself, most studios were willing to pay a high fee
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began an advertising campaign in which actual customers told their own stories of GEICO experiences, accompanied by a celebrity who helped them make the story interesting. LaFontaine was featured as the celebrity in one of these ads which began airing in August 2006. In the commercial, he was
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closing logo in 1990, simply saying the company's name after it had been formed on the screen). For a time, LaFontaine had a near-monopoly on movie trailer voiceovers. Some notable trailers which LaFontaine highlighted in the intro on his official website include:
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on May 14, 2005, where he played "Not My Job" (a game in which famous people must accurately answer questions unrelated to their chosen professions). The prize (for a listener, not the contestant) is "
169:. Widely known in the film industry, the man whose nicknames included "Thunder Throat", "The Voice of God" and "The King of Movie Trailers", became known to a wider audience through commercials for
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He became the head of
Kaleidoscope Films Ltd., a movie trailer production company, before starting his own company, Don LaFontaine Associates, in 1976. Shortly thereafter, he was hired by
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had announced, prior to the dedication sign, that LaFontaine—who had been the show's announcer since 1988—had died at the age of 68. On the evening of
September 7, 2008,
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as "that announcer guy from the movies", with his name printed on-screen to identify him. He began his telling of the customer's story with his trademark "In a world
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We have to very rapidly establish the world we are transporting them to. That's very easily done by saying, "In a world where..." You very rapidly set the scene.
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After his death, voice-overs in film trailers became rare, with most trailers now relying on music, sound effects, and dialogue taken from the film.
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LaFontaine lent his distinctive voice to thousands of movie trailers during his career, spanning every genre from every major film studio, including
479:. On September 1, 2008, six days after his 68th birthday and ten days after his hospitalization, LaFontaine died following complications from a
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to do their trailers and was eventually promoted to vice president. He decided to get back into trailer work and left
Paramount, moving to
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showed a visual with a picture of him with words below that said, "In
Memoriam: Don LaFontaine August 26, 1940 – September 1, 2008."
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artist and friend John Leader retired from the voice-over business on
September 1, 2008, upon learning of LaFontaine's death.
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at age 13 in mid-sentence, giving him the bass tones that later brought him much fame and success. After graduating from
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497:... There, I said it. Happy?" The episode also ended with a short tribute to him, although the iTunes, UK, Spanish, and
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Pay Per View events, as well as the "Don't Try This at Home" bumper and the opening narration for the television shows
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and was reported to be in critical condition the following
Tuesday. His family made a public appeal for prayers on
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LaFontaine was referenced, with opening clips of his work and several subsequent verbal homages, in the film
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from Disney also dedicated the episode "The
Chronicles of Meap" which he provided the narration for. Fellow
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In a 2007 interview, LaFontaine explained the strategy behind his signature catchphrase "In a world where
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147:(August 26, 1940 – September 1, 2008) was an American voice actor who recorded more than 5,000
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versions of the episode omitted the dedication. His final movie trailer voice-over was for
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LaFontaine also did other voice work, including as the announcer for the newscasts on
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LaFontaine often had jobs at several different studios each day. With the advent of
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episode "The
Chronicles of Meap" in which he said in his final line: "In a world
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and hundreds of thousands of television advertisements, network promotions, and
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255:. After MGM bought the spots, LaFontaine began a career as a voiceover artist.
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On Friday, August 22, 2008, LaFontaine, a longtime smoker, was admitted to
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after discharge and began working at the
National Recording Studios in
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technology, LaFontaine eventually built a recording studio in his
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165:...", used in so many movie trailers that it became a humorous
1146:"Don LaFontaine, Voice of Trailers and TV Spots, Is Dead at 68"
628:"Don LaFontaine, Voice of Trailers and TV Spots, Is Dead at 68"
1170:"In a World Without Don LaFontaine, Film Won't Be as Much Fun"
656:"In a World Without Don LaFontaine, Film Won't Be as Much Fun"
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285:, for which he voiced one of their logos (he also voiced the
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1175:"In a World of Don LaFontaine, a Reel-Life Figure of Speech"
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487:. His final television voice over role was for the
683:"Hal Douglas, famed voice-over artist, dies at 89"
267:for his service. His income was in the millions.
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957:"VO Legend Don LaFontaine in Critical Condition"
161:He became identified with the phrase "In a world
886:"J! Archive – Clues narrated by Don LaFontaine"
864:"Don LaFontaine, voice of movie trailers, dies"
379:documentary from 1977 and the television shows
1058:"The lost art of the movie trailer voice-over"
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1157:"Don LaFontaine, 68; voice of movie trailers"
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1133:—Article about Don LaFontaine by Alan Gelder
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937:"Don LaFontaine, who voiced trailers, dies"
185:LaFontaine was born on August 26, 1940, in
862:Dillon, Raquel Maria (September 2, 2008).
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735:"Don LaFontaine, Duluth's 'Voice of God'"
531:had a bumper that said: Don LaFontaine .
373:New York, from 2000 to 2001, narrator of
332:Lafontaine also did announcing for a few
278:home and began doing his work from home.
1230:Respiratory disease deaths in California
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1014:episode "The Chronicles of Meap" (2009)
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1037:from the original on December 12, 2021
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714:from the original on December 12, 2021
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1225:Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
1056:Horatia Harrod (September 13, 2013).
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808:Arrillaga, Pauline (April 2, 2007).
626:Hevesi, Dennis (September 2, 2008).
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1250:20th-century American male singers
1240:Male actors from Duluth, Minnesota
681:Bernstein, Adam (March 12, 2008).
221:LaFontaine continued to work as a
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967:. August 26, 2008. Archived from
654:Holley, Joe (September 3, 2008).
1129:(Australia), November 29, 2003:
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18:American voice actor (1940–2008)
1245:Radio and television announcers
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793:. April 2, 2005. Archived from
911:Don LaFontaine's official site
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761:Don LaFontaine's official site
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406:Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction
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1255:20th-century American singers
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993:. CNN.com. September 1, 2008
197:in 1958, he enlisted in the
7:
991:"Don LaFontaine Dies At 68"
702:"Don LaFontaine: The Voice"
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469:Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
428:Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
388:World's Most Amazing Videos
351:Rambo: The Force of Freedom
10:
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1220:American male voice actors
553:, written and directed by
485:Hollywood Forever Cemetery
293:Terminator 2: Judgment Day
248:Gunfighters of Casa Grande
242:While working on the 1964
195:Duluth Central High School
106:The King of Movie Trailers
92:Hollywood Forever Cemetery
1025:"Call + Response Trailer"
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1235:Deaths from pneumothorax
1188:Don LaFontaine obituary
471:in Los Angeles, with a
376:The Making of Star Wars
145:Donald LeRoy LaFontaine
47:Donald LeRoy LaFontaine
942:The Hollywood Reporter
810:"About Don LaFontaine"
787:"Ask the Answer Bitch"
515:On September 6, 2008,
435:'s voice on your home
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37:Don LaFontaine in 2007
1215:America's Most Wanted
1103:with host Brett Cohen
518:America's Most Wanted
400:America's Most Wanted
363:
945:. September 2, 2008.
917:on December 25, 2008
843:on December 25, 2008
797:on October 10, 2006.
767:on December 25, 2008
607:Biography portal
1183:The Daily Telegraph
1163:The Washington Post
1136:Select obituaries:
971:on December 1, 2008
688:The Washington Post
661:The Washington Post
570:Ben Patrick Johnson
158:over four decades.
1141:The New York Times
866:. Associated Press
739:Zenith City Online
633:The New York Times
483:. He is buried at
473:pulmonary embolism
447:introduced by the
223:recording engineer
173:insurance and the
82:, California, U.S.
1152:Los Angeles Times
815:Houston Chronicle
745:on April 2, 2015.
437:answering machine
339:Team Knight Rider
322:biographical film
201:and served as an
187:Duluth, Minnesota
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119:Years active
72:September 1, 2008
61:Duluth, Minnesota
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841:the original
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74:(2008-09-01)
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1210:2008 deaths
1205:1940 births
997:February 8,
965:Mediabistro
961:Fishbowl LA
921:January 14,
891:January 14,
757:"Biography"
718:January 14,
595:Redd Pepper
575:Hal Douglas
477:Mediabistro
433:Carl Kasell
264:Los Angeles
114:Voice actor
80:Los Angeles
1199:Categories
975:August 26,
907:"Archives"
667:August 19,
639:August 19,
613:References
542:voice-over
528:Adult Swim
523:John Walsh
449:voice-over
181:Early life
153:video game
111:Occupation
53:1940-08-26
833:"Ask Don"
585:Nick Tate
555:Lake Bell
534:The show
442:In 2006,
418:Jeopardy!
412:Fillmore!
394:Boot Camp
260:Paramount
205:with the
199:U.S. Army
122:1962–2008
1035:Archived
791:E!online
712:Archived
564:See also
345:Renegade
209:and the
156:trailers
135:Children
1126:The Age
1069:May 28,
1041:May 31,
1030:YouTube
707:YouTube
499:Disney+
371:WCBS-TV
244:western
511:Legacy
495:
459:...".
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361:...":
359:
287:Viacom
239:...".
237:
217:Career
163:
127:Spouse
63:, U.S.
444:GEICO
299:Shrek
171:GEICO
1120:IMDb
1071:2020
1043:2009
999:2015
977:2008
923:2009
893:2009
872:2008
849:2008
773:2008
720:2009
669:2023
641:2023
409:and
348:and
314:and
272:ISDN
69:Died
43:Born
1118:at
1109:at
1099:on
425:'s
423:NPR
334:WWE
253:MGM
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
