Items14The creator’s order
  1. 1James Earl JonesJames Earl JonesBorn Jan 17, 1931Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in The Lion King Hear the same deep resonance do opposite jobs. In A New Hope, Jones keeps Vader’s inflection tight, giving the voice a severity that works with David Prowse’s physical performance. As Mufasa, he lets more warmth into the sound. That comparison…0
  2. 2Mel BlancMel BlancBorn May 30, 1908Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig Blanc could give Bugs a cool, unhurried delivery and make Porky’s speech feel as if it might get away from him. Try The Bugs Bunny Road-Runner Movie or Blanc’s 1982 Late Night interview, where he demonstrates the voices himself. Listen for how much of the difference is…0
  3. 3Eartha KittEartha KittBorn Jan 17, 1927Yzma in The Emperor’s New Groove There is a dry bite to the way Kitt can stretch out a word and then snap the next one shut. Yzma gives that delivery a comic purpose: you can hear her impatience before her plans fall apart. Her performance is a good starting point if you know her singing voice and…0
  4. 4David AttenboroughDavid AttenboroughBorn May 8, 1926Planet Earth and Life on Earth Attenborough can lower his voice until it feels as though he is inviting you to notice something beside him. Try his narration for the original BBC edition of Planet Earth from 2006 for that sense of shared discovery, or Life on Earth for a longer view of the way he…0
  5. 5Vin ScullyVin ScullyGame 1 of the 1988 World Series Find the broadcast of Kirk Gibson’s game-ending home run. Scully gives you enough context to understand why the at-bat matters, calls the hit, and then gives the crowd time to tell part of the story. It is a great example of a broadcaster recognizing the moment…0
  6. 6Morgan FreemanMorgan FreemanBorn Jun 1, 1937March of the Penguins and The Civil War In the English-language March of the Penguins, Freeman keeps the narration steady enough to follow the long journey without crowding the images. In Ken Burns’s The Civil War, he reads Frederick Douglass. Try both to hear the same measured delivery tell a…0
  7. 7Keith DavidKeith DavidBorn Jun 4, 1956Jazz and The Princess and the Frog David’s narration in Ken Burns’s Jazz has an easy authority that leaves room for the records and the musicians’ voices. Then listen to him as Dr. Facilier in The Princess and the Frog. The deep register is familiar in both, but in the Disney film he turns its…0
  8. 8Don LaFontaineDon LaFontaineBorn Aug 26, 1940Movie trailers and the familiar opening In a world LaFontaine’s low, emphatic delivery could establish a place and a mood in a few seconds. His own explanation of the familiar opening was practical: a trailer has to put you in its world quickly. The Elephant Man and Batman Returns are good…0
  9. 9Casey KasemCasey KasemBorn Apr 27, 1932American Top 40 and Shaggy in Scooby-Doo The countdown’s easy, friendly pace and Shaggy’s nervous voice can be surprisingly hard to connect. Try an American Top 40 aircheck beside an early Scooby-Doo episode. The former gives you a host guiding you through a long program, while the latter makes…0
  10. 10Frank WelkerFrank WelkerBorn Mar 12, 1946Fred Jones and Scooby-Doo Welker calls Freddy his first cartoon voice and the closest one to his own. His Scooby voice gives him a very different assignment in the same franchise. Listen to him in a production that credits him as both, such as Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, to hear how cleanly…0