Don LaFontaine, 1940-2008

It’s weird to be writing twice in the space of a few hours about great voice talents, but, man, the giant has left the building. Don LaFontaine, whose low, gritty, rock-hard “In a world, where…” anchored so many of the over 5,000 trailers he voiced during his 33-year career—like this one for Tyler Perry’s upcoming The Family That Preys—passed away on Monday at the age of 68.

“LaFontaine died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from complications in the treatment of an ongoing illness, said Vanessa Gilbert, his agent,” reported the Associated Press.

Most voiceover artists vend their craft within a relative bubble of anonymity. Theirs is a small circle, one typically so invisible to outsiders that the mere sight of these craftspeople plying their trade is, from time to time, used to comedic effect. That’s what happened in LaFontaine’s “5 Guys in a Limo” industry promo, and, more famously, his GEICO car insurance spot, pictured above.

LaFontaine’s voice, however, was so iconic that some comedians built acts around impersonating his distinct tonalities. His most famed copycat is certainly Pablo Francisco, known both for his hilarious “Preview Man” sketch, and, recently, with MadTV alumnus Frank Caliendo, for the “Three Tenors” piece—in which LaFontaine also appeared—on Caliendo’s Frank TV TBS sketch comedy program.

During an interview with The Associated Press last year, LaFontaine outlined the thinking behind the “In a world, where…” phrase.

“We have to very rapidly establish the world we are transporting them to,” he said. “That’s very easily done by saying, ‘In a world where … violence rules.’ ‘In a world where … men are slaves and women are the conquerors.’ You very rapidly set the scene.”

He got his start

in the promo industry during its infancy in the early 1960s. As an audio engineer, he produced radio spots for movies with producer Floyd Peterson.

When an announcer didn’t show up for a recording session in 1965, LaFontaine voiced his first narration, a promo for the film, Gunfighters of Casa Grande. The client, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, liked his performance.

LaFontaine remained active until recently, averaging seven to 10 voiceover sessions a day. He worked from a home studio his wife nicknamed “The Hole,” where his fax machine delivered scripts.

LaFontaine is survived by his wife, the singer and actress Nita Whitaker, and three daughters.