Hal Douglas, ‘Voice of God,’ Dies at 89
Hal Douglas, a veteran voice-over artist who worked on trailers for films such as “Philadelphia,” “Forrest Gump” and “Lethal Weapon,” died at the age of 89 last week, his daughter said on Thursday.
Douglas, known as the ‘voice of God,’ passed away on March 7 at his home in Lovettsville, Virginia, surrounded by family after suffering from pancreatic cancer, which was diagnosed in 2010.
“Hal was known not only for his incomparable voice, which could be heard on thousands of movie trailers, television and radio promos, commercials, documentaries, and as the spokesman for numerous broadcast networks, but also for his warmth, humility, humor, and generosity of spirit,” Sarah Douglas said on a memorial website for her father.
With his throaty voice, Douglas was one of the top talents in voice-overs for decades.
Director Casimir Nozkowski made a short film in 2013 about Douglas called “A Great Voice,” in which he demonstrated and described his voice-over technique.
He also appeared on camera in a trailer for comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s 2002 documentary “Comedian.”
Born in Connecticut, Douglas was a pilot, wrote fiction and studied acting before turning to announcing and voice-over work for radio, television and films.
He worked in New York studios for most of his career but spent the last 15 years recording in his home studio in Virginia.
He is survived by wife Ruth, daughter Sarah, two sons, Jeremy and John, and three grandchildren.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO