Editing Hal Douglas

{{Short description|American voice actor (1924–2014)}}
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{{Infobox person
|name = Hal Douglas
|image =
|caption = Douglas at work
|birth_name=Harold Cone
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1924|9|1}}
|birth_place = [[Stamford, Connecticut]], US
|death_date = {{death date and age|2014|3|7|1924|9|1}}
|death_place = [[Lovettsville, Virginia]], US
|alma_mater= [[University of Miami]]
|years_active= 1950–2010 
|spouse= Lois Barrett<br />Ruth Francis
|children=3
}}
'''Harold Douglas''' (born '''Harold Cone'''; September 1, 1924 – March 7, 2014) was an American [[voice actor]] best known for performing thousands of voice-overs for [[movie trailers]], [[television commercial]]s, and stage plays over the course of a six-decade career.<ref name=WashingtonPost>Bernstein, Adam (March 12, 2014). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/conversations/social_slideshows/hal-douglas-famed-voice-over-artist-dies-at-89/2014/03/12/79c57e0a-a9f4-11e3-8599-ce7295b6851c_story.html "Hal Douglas, famed voice-over artist, dies at 89"]. ''[[The Washington Post]]''.</ref>

==Early life==
Harold "Hal" Douglas was born Harold Cone in [[Stamford, Connecticut]], on September 1, 1924, the son of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, Samuel and Miriam Levenson Cone. Douglas and his brother Edwin were primarily raised by their grandparents Sarah and Tevya Levenson after their mother died when Douglas was only nine.<ref name=WashingtonPost/><ref name=NewYorkTimes>Vitello, Paul (March 13, 2014). [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/13/movies/hal-douglas-89-superstar-of-movie-trailer-narrators-dies.html "Hal Douglas, 89, Superstar of Movie Trailer Narrators, Dies"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> He served in [[World War II]], and attended the [[University of Miami]] in [[Florida]] as a drama major.<ref name=WashingtonPost/>

==Career==
Douglas began a career in radio in the 1950s. By the 1960s, he had become a producer for several prominent advertising agencies in [[New York City]]. He finally moved into doing [[voice-overs]] for commercials, promos, and trailers by the early 1970s, and would continue doing so until his retirement in 2010.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}}

Because many of his trailers have begun with the words "In a world", there is controversy over whether his voice has immortalized them. ([[Don LaFontaine]] claimed to have actually created the catchphrase.){{citation needed|date=March 2014}} In addition, Douglas has been the promotional voice for [[The WB]], [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[A&E (TV channel)|A&E]], ''[[Disney's Halloween Treat]]'', ''[[A Disney Halloween (1983 special)|A Disney Halloween]]'', [[Disney Channel]]'s "Vault Disney" (1997–2002), and [[History (U.S. TV channel)|The History Channel]].{{citation needed|date=March 2014}}

He did the voiceover narration for the 1997 [[Detroit Red Wings]], the 1994 and 1995 [[Houston Rockets]] and the 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1997 [[Chicago Bulls]] championship documentaries. He also did voiceover narrations of other NBA documentaries of the 1990s. {{citation needed|date=March 2014}}

Because he recorded so many trailers through the years, he was sometimes mistaken for [[Don LaFontaine]].{{citation needed|date=March 2014}} He can be seen [[parodying]] himself in the trailer for ''[[Comedian (film)|Comedian]]'', a documentary that features [[Jerry Seinfeld]].<ref name=WashingtonPost/>

Douglas provided narration for the trailer for the novel ''All the Talk Is Dead'' by Michael Ebner.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}}

Unlike most movie trailer announcers, Douglas lived in [[Northern Virginia]] and his agent was based in [[New York City]] instead of [[Los Angeles]].{{citation needed|date=March 2014}} Hal Douglas was described by a [[Miramax]] publicist as "perhaps the most recognizable trailer voice in the business".{{citation needed|date=March 2014}}

Douglas's voice briefly appears in the skit ''[[5 Men and a Limo]]'', featuring other notable voiceover recording artists, such as [[Don LaFontaine]], John Leader, [[Nick Tate]], Al Chalk, and [[Mark Elliot (voice-over artist)|Mark Elliot]]. As the skit was filmed in California, and as Douglas was primarily based in the East Coast, he was unable to make a physical appearance, and only is heard in a brief recording.

==Personal life and death==
Douglas married Lois Barrett. They had two sons. He later married Ruth Francis around 1971. They had one daughter.<ref name=WashingtonPost/>

In 1988 Douglas moved from [[Pawling (town), New York|Pawling, New York]], to a 40-acre farm in [[Lovettsville, Virginia]], where he pursued organic gardening and his wife took up competitive horse riding. He had a small recording studio built there that allowed him to do his work at home, sometimes in pajamas.<ref name=WashingtonPost/> Douglas died at his home on March 7, 2014, of [[pancreatic cancer]], at the age of 89.<ref name=NewYorkTimes/><ref name=WashingtonPost/><ref>[[Evanier, Mark]] (March 8, 2014). [http://www.newsfromme.com/2014/03/08/hal-douglas-r-i-p/ "Hal Douglas, R.I.P."] News From Me.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0235069|name=Hal Douglas}}
* [http://voicechasers.com/database/showactor.php?actorid=5236 Hal Douglas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106225957/http://voicechasers.com/ |date=2009-01-06 }} at [http://voicechasers.com Voice Chasers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106225957/http://voicechasers.com/ |date=2009-01-06 }}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Hal}}
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:Radio and television announcers]]
[[Category:University of Miami alumni]]
[[Category:Male actors from Stamford, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Virginia]]
[[Category:Levites]]
[[Category:Jewish American military personnel]]
[[Category:People from Pawling, New York]]
[[Category:People from Lovettsville, Virginia]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]