Most Distinctive Voices (Starting with James Mason)

[cornershop15]

I've just thought of this subject, which I'd again like to dedicate to actors and actresses I've admired. James Mason is my favourite British film actor and his voice still rates as one of the most distinctive in films.



Not to everyone's taste, but Lolita is the performance that most influenced my wish to have 'an actor's voice'. The way he spoke that dialogue! As you'll know if you've seen it, he narrates long periods of the film. My favourite of his lines in those scenes is "The brakes were re-lined,the waterpipes unclogged, and so we set off to Beardsley in Ohio" (Don't know what it means but I think that's about right!). In another scenes he reads a desperate letter from Shelley Winters - "I'm a passionate and lonely woman ...". Fantastic! Of course, this can't be reproduced in my post so you'll have to take my word for it.



He had presence too! I don't have it on DVD, so can't capture it, but there was a moment in Pandora And The Flying Dutchman when another actor feels he's staring at him ("You're looking at me in the strangest way"), but I think he's more likely in some kind of trance and it just seemed like it to the older man. One other highlight I'd like to mention, regarding his voice, was in North By Northwest when he first mistakes Cary Grant for another man. His voice was again particularly good in this scene.



This picture is from around the time he made Lolita and was about to start playing memorable supporting roles, including a great 'turn' in another of my favourite films, The Pumpkin Eater.





I'd like others to join in and tell me who they consider a great voice. I've corresponded with Captain Casper the last couple of days, a fan of Richard Burton - perfect example. Many years ago I talked with a man on a train, on the way back from Saffron Walden actually, who enthused about Paul Schofield - another memorable voice ("Please stay!". he pleaded to Joseph Cotton in 'A Delicate Balance'). So come on, who do you have in mind who can match up to these late, great stars? Two others I'd like to mention, in passing, are Alan Badel and Glenda Jackson. Much better than Will Smith and Big Brother housemate Tina Malone!

[thatllbetheday]

Orson Welles. He narrated as well as directed "The Magnificent Ambersons" and it is one of the most beautiful elements of a beautiful film. I'm sure Welles' radio experience gave him an appreciation of the power of the human voice.

[cully]

Valentine Dyall

Suzan Farmer...lovely 60s actress who couldn't quite pronounce her R's

Roger McGough, musician and poet rather than actor whose voice I would recognize anywhere

Dervla Kirwan

Fiona Mollison...cut glass voice par excellence

Fiona Bell and Aline Mowat..Scottish actresses

[cornershop15]

name='thatllbetheday']Orson Welles. He narrated as well as directed "The Magnificent Ambersons" and it is one of the most beautiful elements of a beautiful film. I'm sure Welles' radio experience gave him an appreciation of the power of the human voice.

Brilliant example (also sadly no longer with us)! Many thanks for your quick response. He was only in his 20s when he made this and Citizen Kane. Very unusual to have such a rich voice at that age. Michael York would be another but he sounds too much like James Mason for me!



I hope you sort out your problem uploading images by the way (have just sent another PM).

[Steve Crook]

Roger Livesey



In the IMDb message board for I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) there are some interesting comments on his voice:



Brad Pitt? George Clooney? Sean Connery? Paul Newman? Robert Redford? Matthew McConnahy? These screen sex symbols pale beside velvet-voiced, steady-as-she-goes, pipe-smoking, quiet but ardent Scot Roger Livesey in this film, one of the most romantic ever made. When he tells Wendy Hiller, after they both listen to a Celtic song, "you're the girl for me", that about wraps it all up for me. Women, do you agree with me??



Absolutely,totally agree,weak at the knees or what?



Yep, he'll do. I wouldn't throw him out of bed for eating biscuits.

You know just where you are with a man like that. I just don't know where a man like that is!



It was good casting. I own the Criterion Collection DVD and a film historian doing commentary decribes Livesey's voice as "warmly brown."

I never thought of voices having any particular colour, but it's true!



Yes, "warmly brown" does describe it; how lovely.



I wish I could live inside Roger Livesey's voice.

It would be safe and warm and wonderful in there.



I love the guy. He's just the sort of man you could imagine yourself growing old together with.

Mmmm...where are the Roger Livesey's of today?



Steve

[cornershop15]

name='cully']Valentine Dyall

Suzan Farmer...lovely 60s actress who couldn't quite pronounce her R's

Roger McGough, musician and poet rather than actor whose voice I would recognize anywhere

Dervla Kirwan

Fiona Mollison...cut glass voice par excellence

Fiona Bell and Aline Mowat..Scottish actresses

Thank you to Cully and Steve. I missed the former's post as I was typing mine ... and it looks like you've put them in order of who I know best! I think Valentine Dyall appeared in 'Tales Of The Unexpected', long ago, and recall him being tall and white bearded but not the voice - and he's the most famous name in that list! Suzan Farmer, once married to Ian McShane, is again more familiar visually than vocally so I shall listen more closely to my DVD episodes with her (thanks), and Roger McGough's voice must be more recogniseable than his face to lovers of poetry. I've always liked him. And Dervla Kirman, like Suzan, is someone I've seen a lot of ... but not heard a lot of (a cue for Roger's song 'Lily The Pink' I think!).



But who are the others - the two Fionas and Aline? Don't know them at all! Which decade are they from (either too early or too recent)?



Roger Livesey, on the other hand, is a FANTASTIC choice ... and voice. A Matter Of Life And Death has always been a big favourite of mine and a lot of that has to do with him. I must read that thread you mentioned but, more importantly, I've GOT to see 'I Know Where I'm Going', now you've whetted my appetite for the film. Wendy Hiller's voice came in useful when she uttered the first swear word in films (in 'Pygmalion'): "Not Bloody Likely"!



I think I know what you mean about Roger's cosy and comforting voice, ideal for a village doctor. I'd rather say velvet than brown as 'dark brown voices' are usually associated with someone like James Earl Jones, a very good black American actor with a GREAT voice but somehow not so much the same presence. I hope that's not too unfair! Conversely, Nat 'King' Cole is known as 'velvet-voiced' so there's no reason why Roger Livesey shouldn't be called 'brown-voiced' I suppose! [I'm a big fan of Nat's]



It could be said that Gary Watson, who I've mentioned many times now, might also not be a particularly memorable screen presence (very unfair!) but he was used to great advantage when he kept surprising Patrick O'Neal in Thriller! His voice has become more and more distinctive and I'm glad I used his dialogue for those Callan captures I chose for his thread - "The detail is quite remarkable" - as it helped me to remember it. He definitely had what I would call 'an actor's voice' but, realising he's 78 now, it surely can't be as strong as it was in Callan. Very sad. We could do with him and we could do with Roger! But hearing some of the thick accents from actors, especially 'EastEnders', when they're not acting I mean, can be as annoying as a fork scraping a plate (again).

[James Fox]

name='thatllbetheday']Orson Welles. He narrated as well as directed "The Magnificent Ambersons" and it is one of the most beautiful elements of a beautiful film. I'm sure Welles' radio experience gave him an appreciation of the power of the human voice.

(Welles was also the original choice for narrator on "The Twilight Zone." He turned it down, so writer Rod Serling stepped in and decided to do it himself.)



Henry Fonda comes to mind immediately. He had a great Midwestern accent (not unlike my own lol).

[torinfan]

British or American?



For British I'd say: Richard Burton, Torin Thatcher (natural voice not disguised), Valentine Dyall.



American, Ron Masak, Claude Akins, Powers Boothe.

[cornershop15]

Hello to James Fox and Torin and welcome to my new thread [very popular already - thanks to everyone]. I think I will include American actors and Foreigners like Conrad Veidt or Jeanne Moreau. Henry Fonda is obviously a great choice. Mainly think of him from Twelve Angry Men, 'Mister Roberts' and 'The Wrong Man', but I have to say that Vera Miles was brilliant in the latter and I think stole the film (shown recently on BBC2)



Torin's suggestions are as obscure as Cully's I'm afraid, but I know Claude Akins' face quite well and even remember an American show he was in that aired Sunday afternoons in the mid-70s. It was called 'Movin' On'.



And so must I ... off to bed. Goodnight to all.

[torinfan]

name='cornershop15']Hello to James Fox and Torin and welcome to my new thread [very popular already - thanks to everyone]. I think I will include American actors and Foreigners like Conrad Veidt or Jeanne Moreau. Henry Fonda is obviously a great choice. Mainly think of him from Twelve Angry Men, 'Mister Roberts' and 'The Wrong Man', but I have to say that Vera Miles was brilliant in the latter and I think stole the film (shown recently on BBC2)



Torin's suggestions are as obscure as Cully's I'm afraid, but I know Claude Akins' face quite well and even remember an American show he was in that aired Sunday afternoons in the mid-70s. It was called 'Movin' On'.



And so must I ... off to bed. Goodnight to all.

Powers appeared in "The Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones" and Ron is a well known character actor here in the States. He did a series of commercials for Vlasic pickles. And he worked with Angela Lansbury in "Murder She Wrote."



It's funny, I was on Claude's IMDB page a few days ago and saw a similar comment there, I'd see him mainly in westerns as he usually played the heavy.

[Pam1927]

Roger Livesey did have a wonderful and definitely brown-toned voice. I suppose if you can have 'round tones' you can have 'brown tones' too! Leo Genn's voice was described as black velvet in his day - and I never tire of hearing it! I also love Joan Greenwood's distinctive voice and vocal manner. I thought David Buck had a good voice too. When it comes to American voices, some of my favourites are Vincent Price, William Conrad, John Colicos and Mark Lenard.



Pam

[torinfan]

I "met" Ron through cyberspace - he answers his own email - a really nice guy. Does a ton of charity work and made some motivational videos, too.

[Mysteryfan]

What beter voice than Finlay Currie. Leo Genn is another person with a wonderful voice

[Marky B]

name='torinfan']I "met" Ron through cyberspace - he answers his own email - a really nice guy. Does a ton of charity work and made some motivational videos, too.

When I firfst saw Ron Masak on Murder She Wrote,I thought he was the son of Lou Costello. Anyway,I was wrong........

Two rich voices for me:

David De Keyser and James Earl Jones.

Ta Ta

Marky B

[cully]

name='cornershop15']



But who are the others - the two Fionas and Aline? Don't know them at all! Which decade are they from (either too early or too recent)?



(again).

...(sharp intake of breath)..cornershop cornershop...you DO know Fiona Mollison you just don't recognize the name. She's one of those actresses who's usually in every show going (since the 70's) but rarely the star. Very beautiful and the only way to describe her voice is clear, cut glass. Did lots of adverts most of which I've posted to her CV at IMDB. I'll try and find a pic of her.

Mowat and Bell ARE also well known faces but usually in Scottish shows like Taggart. Very distinctive voices, though, with Aline being rich and throaty and Fiona a VERY slight lisp. Aline did a comical TV advert for ages in Scotland for Scottish Blend tea which everybody in Scotland will remember. Auntie Fiona's cafe. 1980s/1990s to present day for the 2 actresses.

[cully]

Sarah Lancashire

Julie Peasgood

Jo Rowbottom...60s/70s redhead with most distinctive throaty delivery

[pelam123]

The best voice I 've heard for years amongst modern actors is that of Matt Berry (who stars in The IT Crowd) very James Masonesque.He even looks a bit like him, if he dropped a couple of stone!

[frame69]

I maybe not as cultered or as learned on the film front as some of you guys but Jenny Agutter does it for me,it maybe for different reasons though,I do think she has a great screen presence.Richard Burton also comes to mind as does Kelsey Grammer and James Earl Jones

[Nick Dando]

Patrick Magee

Patrick Macnee

Miles Malleson

Joan Greenwood

John Laurie

[cornershop15]

I've just looked at Fiona Mollison's profile at IMDB and notice she appeared in quite a few late 1970s shows I'm interested in, so I'll look out for in 'Hazell' and 'Crown Court' if I get them on DVD. Incidentally, I've always remembered a Scottish singer called Maggie Bell sang the former's title theme tune and she also did the one for 'Taggart' (a programme I've hardly seen), which you mentioned.



By the way, can you describe her role in the 'Inspector Morse' she was in (I saw that!), and, more obscurely, was she the young woman in a blue dressing-gown in 'Fallen Hero'?