Most of the times a movie is remembered for its stars — and sometimes a star is only remembered for his or her voice. And, since cinema does not necessarily mean Hollywood, I’ll be touching upon actors/actresses across several languages and their contribution with voice in this post. From Hollywood to Bollywood to Tollywood to Kollywood, today, let’s look at those voices that still linger in most of our heads and reside in our hearts.
It’s a herculean task to pick top 20 out of actors and actresses running in thousands. Therefore, in this process, if I may have forgotten to mention any name in particular please do feel free to add the same in the comments column J
Ok, there are several superstars, legendary actors out there who deserve to be adjudged number one on this list however this list not about acting but about voices that still manage to ring in our heads even while we are asleep (figuratively).
James Earl Jones – One of the best crystal clear voices I’ve heard till date, Earl Jones’s voice boasts’ authority and echoes every time you hear on the speakers. His voice speaks for himself and if you’ve heard his voice you’d vouch for me undoubtedly. His role as author Terrence Mann in ‘Field of Dreams’ is one of those films that you’ll want to watch again just to hear his voice. ‘Coming to America’, ‘Cry’, ‘Conan the Barbarian’ and ‘Hunt for Red October’ are amongst many other films. Jones is also credited as the voice of ‘Darth Vader’ in the ‘Star Wars’ trilogy. This remained uncredited for several years until 1997. One of his best voice works also includes ‘Lion King’, where he voiced Mufasa, a voice we will always remember.
Jones reciting the alphabets. A must watch video for his impeccable pronounciation.
A scene from the original Broadway production of Fences at the 1987 Tony Awards by the incredible James Earl Jones.
Clint Eastwood – A piece of something clenched between teeth, a scorn on face, and a Magnum .44 in hand -that’s Client Eastwood for you. One actor who could still strike fear in our hearts even at as old as 80 plus. He’s best playing foul-mouthed Harry Callahan in ‘Dirty Harry’ or old Walt Kowalski in ‘Gran Torino’. Clint is one of those actors blessed with oodles of talent for acting, high intellect for directing and most importantly a voice you can’t forget so easily.
Clint as Walt Kowalski in ‘Gran Torino’ – ‘Get off my lawn’
Jack Nicholson – Jack’s guttural inflection of the voice is a proof of true American soundscape.
The scene in ‘A Few Good Men’ where Jack explodes, ‘You Can’t Handle the Truth’ later became part of popular culture back then. Be it Frank Costello in ‘Departed’ or the villainous joker in ‘Batman’, Jack had it all coming with impeccable acting coupled with a voice that was unique in its own way.
‘You can’t handle the truth’
Marlon Brando – His voice was quiet, slithery and sounded like coming from a tape recorder. Of all his voice works, I fondly recall the soothing yet hard hitting narration he did for ‘Apocalypse Now’, describing the dream of a snail that defined the dark mission in the film. Yes, I prefer Marlon’s voice playing at the back of my head than on-screen. Not to forget it’s his voice that gave the film ‘On the Waterfront’ its strength.
‘Hey Stellaaaaa’
They call me Mr. Tibbs!
Sean Connery – With requisite sexual charisma, Sean carried all his roles with debonair. His voice was an added advantage and since his retirement from acting, Sean returned to voice acting, lending his voice to video game version of his film ‘From Russia with Love’. Sean was touted to be the Scotsman with the best voice and accent. Excellent intonation, pronounciation and varied accents is equal to ‘Sean Connery’. He’s the victorious voice of Bond.
‘Does that answer your question’
Alfred Hitchcock – Slow, sounds like dead drunk, Hitchcock spoke with gentle satire all the time.
His voice was deep, mushy and always strikingly clear. Of all the directors, Hitchcock’s voice was not easy to be forgotten because it was straight from the heart. No wonder Hitchcock was fascinated by sound/voice that’s clean and will remain eternal for many years.
‘Hitchcock defines happiness’
Peter Sellers – Better known as Chief Inspector Clouseau, Peter was one among the few actors
who had the knack for speaking in any accent. He was the master of voice disguise; though British by birth, Peter’s most characters required him to mouth several accents including French, German and even Indian in the super hilarious ‘The Party’. A voice that you can’t simply ignore, Peter added classic cadence to his voice in his last film ‘Being There’.
‘Bang Howdy Partner’
Robert De Niro – Besides excellent acting, Robert brought exuberance on to the screen with his voice. Be it Travis Bickle from ‘Taxi Driver’ or Al Capone ‘The Untouchables’, Robert expressed rage with his voice like nobody else. You wanted a gangster, he gave you one. You wanted a boxer, he gave you one. Robert never spoke, his characters spoke for himself and that’s ‘Robert De Niro’ for you all.
‘I want him dead’
Amitabh Bachchan – A man who was rejected due to weak voice by All India Radio, later on went
to become the nation’s biggest cinema star and a living legend – the name is Amitabh Bachchan. Thanks to his voice, Big B got debuted Bollywood as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen’s ‘Bhuvan Shome’. He went to lend his voice for several films over the years including blockbusters like Lagaan. Known for his baritone voice, he lent his voice to the Hindi version of French documentary ‘March of the Penguins’.
‘Angry Young Man’
Morgan Freeman – Popular for his distinctive voice, Morgan is one of the best choices amongst stars for narration. Be it a movie or documentary, he’s always been the most favorite narrators of our times. His voice is blessed with tons of gravitas that when you look at him, your brain automatically pictures his voice in the head. Such is the effect this man has left upon us with his voice.
