Deep-voiced legend Don LaFontaine, best known for his trademark “In a World” voiceovers on movie trailers, has passed away at the relatively young age of 68. He was perhaps the most prolific and well known voice actor, and was featured on hundreds of thousands of commercials and movie trailers. He passed away yesterday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in LA after he developed pneumothorax, which is when a lung collapses and air builds up in the surrounding area.

LaFontaine, who was born in Duluth, Minnesota, began as a voice actor in the mid-1960s while working as a recording engineer, according to his Web site. His strong, slightly gravelly voice was featured on trailers for thousands of films, including “The Godfather,” “Fatal Attraction” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” For a time in the late ’70s, LaFontaine was the official voice of Paramount Pictures.

His favorite work was one he did for the 1980 film “The Elephant Man,” he said in interviews, but whether the film was Oscar-caliber or a bomb waiting to blow, he handled every assignment equally.

“My philosophy is that you have to really believe what you’re reading, even if you think the film’s a piece of junk,” he told Swindle magazine. “Even the worst picture is someone’s favorite film, and that someone is the fan I am always talking to.” iReport: Share your thoughts on “the Voiceover King”

He also provided the voice for hundreds of thousands of commercials, for companies including General Motors, Ford, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and many others, according to his Web site.

The good-humored LaFontaine was willing to poke fun at himself, particularly in a recent ad for Geico insurance, in which he gave dramatic flair to a woman’s story about her car accident. He also voiced the trailer for “The Simpsons Movie,” in which his descriptions were mimicked by commentary from the film’s characters.

But LaFontaine was most famous for his phrase “In a world …,” used by seemingly dozens of movies determined to create an otherworldly atmosphere.

[From CNN]

I found a nice video about LaFountaine’s career on YouTube, below. LaFountaine says at the introduction that when his voice changed during puberty he got sent to the principals office because his teacher thought he was mocking her. He soon learned to use his deep voice to his advantage and said he often called up the school pretending to be various friends’ parents when they wanted to play hooky.

LaFountaine popularized the deep, authoritative voiceover style and is called an inspiration to his fellow voiceover artists. People in the industry praised him for his down-to-earth personality, and he called himself “the luckiest man on earth.” He also admitted that he had fun recording people’s voicemail messages for them after they sent him e-mail requests.

It’s a shame I’m only learning more about this guy after he passed, but I’ve certainly heard his voice enough. Now that I know what a great guy he was, his immense success makes a lot more sense.

RIP Don LaFountaine. You are much imitated but will never be replaced.