Great Speaking Voices

[Beef Oven!]

Marcel Marceau ?

Controversially perhaps - can I suggest Churchill ? He at least gives good car insurance.

Oh Yes !!!

Best Wishes,

Tevot

Joseph Pujol

[agingjb]

Betty Hardy (many roles on Children's Hour and later) had a very distinctive voice.

I have Four Quartets etc. read by Alec Guinness on LP and by Paul Scofield on CD. Neither, certainly not the Guinness, seem to be currently available from the BBC. Both are splendid.

[Tevot]

Joseph Pujol

ah ... "The opening cannonade at Waterloo"

Must have been smelly !!!

Leonard Rossiter featured in a short feature about him back in the day... Highly recommended !!


Best Wishes,

Tevot

[salymap]

Not forgetting Charlotte Green, sadly lost to CFM

[Stanley Stewart]

The name Robert sprang to mind several times when gardening this afternoon. Robert Speight - probably a case of 'a voice beautiful'; Robert Edison, sweet dulcet tones and a command of language; Robert Harris, I worked with him on a TV hearts and flowers drama, early 70s and 'Bobby' had wonderful reminiscences about his life as a young actor in the
20s! Finally, Robert Donat. Saw him in "Murder in the Cathedral" at the Old Vic, 1953. Perhaps the most magnetic presence and voice of them all, only later rivalled by Paul Scofield. Good to see him as British cinema pioneer, Wm Friese - Greene in "The Magic Box" on BBC 2, a few weeks ago. The film was released during the Festival of Britain, 1951.

[Ferretfancy]

I recorded many fine voices in commentary for numerous BBC documentaries. Of these voices two stand out, Tim Piggott-Smith and Samuel West. They both have a wonderful range of expression and pacing, and they neverr sound 'actorish ' in this kind of work.

[Angle]

Carleton Hobbs
Norman Shelley
Richard Goolden
Roger Allam
Brian Cox (actor not the simpering scientist)
Nan Macdonald (BBC Northern Children's Hour organiser and presenter)
Kathleen Helme
Betty Hardy (as already mentioned by someone)
Mary O'Farrell (Dame Hilda!)
Marjorie Westbury
Sylvia Coleridge
Elizabeth Proud
Mary Wimbush
Dorothy Holmes-Gore
Denholme Elliott

... to name but a few among thousands.

It depends, I suppose, on how suited are their voices to what they are hoping to convey.

[pastoralguy]

The name Robert sprang to mind several times when gardening this afternoon. Robert Speight - probably a case of 'a voice beautiful'; Robert Edison, sweet dulcet tones and a command of language; Robert Harris, I worked with him on a TV hearts and flowers drama, early 70s and 'Bobby' had wonderful reminiscences about his life as a young actor in the
20s! Finally, Robert Donat. Good to see him as British cinema pioneer, Wm Friese - Greene in "The Magic Box" on BBC 2, a few weeks ago. The film was released during the Festival of Britain, 1951.

Wonderful film. The 'climax' where he shows the suspicious 'Bobby' the first moving picture is one f my favourite moments in all film. And such a sad end... "About enough to get into the pictures"

[decantor]

I'd like to put in a word for Dennis Price, Donald Sinden, and.................... Mary Ann Kennedy.

[Stanley Stewart]

#38 Indeed, and the suspicious 'bobby' was, of course, Laurence Olivier in a cameo role. I'm reliably told that Robert Donat was so nervous about this scene, he couldn't sleep on the previous night and arrived at the studio quite exhausted. Olivier had his moment when he was dragged indoors by the hysterical Friese-Greene to witness the first moving picture on a sheet before he retorts, "You must be a very proud man".

[pastoralguy]

#38 Indeed, and the suspicious 'bobby' was, of course, Laurence Olivier in a cameo role. I'm reliably told that Robert Donat was so nervous about this scene, he couldn't sleep on the previous night and arrived at the studio quite exhausted. Olivier had his moment when he was dragged indoors by the hysterical Friese-Greene to witness the first moving picture on a sheet before he retorts, "You must be a very proud man".

Thank you for that! I really had no idea. I must watch it again.

[VodkaDilc]

And Andrew McGregor. Genius! (Word to be used only of him!)

Fine at home, but impossible to follow in the car, with his thrown-away ends of sentences ("swallowed" was the word used by a friend who moves in these circles).

The ongoing series on television about London theatres has reminded me just how distinctive Sir Donald Sinden's voice is.

[AuntyKezia]

Jamie Glover, Simon Russell Beale

[teamsaint]

Nikolai Drozdov.
Realms of the Russian Bear chap.

amazed that nobody has mentioned Juliet "Voiceover" Stevenson , or indeed Alan Rickman.

Barbara "if Juliet isn't available" Flynn also.

[EdgeleyRob]

Lorne Greene.
Morgan Freeman.
Bob Harris.
Bob Bubka.
Anna Kournikova (works for me).