Don Lafontaine Biography
Donald LaFontaine was a renowned American voice actor who recorded more than 5,000 film trailers and hundreds of thousands of television advertisements, network promotions, and video game trailers. Lafontaine will be remembered for his career as a voice actor who brought a big impact to the entertainment industry.
10 Facts About Don Lafontaine
- Name: Donald Leroy Lafontaine
- Age at time of death: 68 years
- Died on: September 1, 2008
- Height: Average
- Weight: Moderate
- Nationality: American
- Marital Status: Married to Nita Whitaker
- Occupation: Voice Actor
- Famous for: Commercials for GEICO insurance and the Mega Millions lottery game
- Net worth: $2 Million
Don Lafontaine Age and Birthday
Lafontaine was 68 years old at the time of his death, he was born Donald Leroy LaFontaine on August 26, 1940, in Duluth, Minnesota, United States of America. He celebrated his birthday on August 26, every year, and his birth sign was Virgo.
Don Lafontaine Date of Death
Lafontaine died on September 1, 2008 (aged 68) in Los Angeles, California. We send our deep condolence to the family and friends. May his soul continue resting in power. R.I.P. Voice Guru.
Don Lafontaine Education
Lafontaine was a highly educated and qualified person. After graduating from Duluth Central High School in 1958, he joined the United States Army and worked as a recording engineer for the Army Band and Chorus.
Don Lafontaine Family
LaFontaine was born on August 26, 1940, in Duluth, Minnesota, to Alfred LaFontaine(father) and Ruby LaFontaine(mother). Our efforts to find out more about his family came to no avail as no such information is publicly available. Thus, the identity of Lafontaine’s parents is still unclear. It is also not known if he had any siblings. We will update this section once this information is available.
Don Lafontaine Wife
LaFontaine is survived by his wife, actress and singer Nita Whitaker, and three children, Christine, Skye, and Elyse. Don was earlier married to Joan Studva, the couple married in 1967 and separated in 1988.
Don Lafontaine Nita Whitaker
Singer Nita Whitaker grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, the youngest of four children. Her father, Green Whitaker, was a singer with the Spiritual Jubilee vocal group. In her youth, she formed a gospel group with her two sisters, the Whitaker Sisters.
She studied classical voice while attending Northeast Louisiana University, from which she graduated with a B.S. degree in nursing. She won the title of Miss Louisiana in 1984. Moving to Los Angeles, where she married session singer LaFontaine and became the mother of two daughters, she won the Star Search TV amateur contest for 13 consecutive weeks, making her one of the show’s grand champions.
She was a member of the vocal group Next Millennium, which got as far as an Atlantic Records contract and an unreleased album before breaking up. Her performance on the demonstration recording of “I, Who Have Nothing” for Whitney Houston led to a brief appearance in the 1992 film The Bodyguard.
She made other minor film and television appearances while enjoying more prominent roles in stage musicals such as touring companies of Sweeney Todd and Ragtime, as well as a Broadway-bound show based on the songs of Gamble & Huff, Me and Mrs. Jones, in which she starred as Mrs. Jones, and which premiered in Philadelphia in 2001. Whitaker recorded a self-titled debut album in 1994 and followed it with One Voice, released in 2001.
Don Lafontaine Children
Lafontaine and his wife Nita Whitaker have three children namely; Christine, Skye, and Elyse.
Don Lafontaine Net Worth
Lafontaine has an estimated net worth of $80 Million dollars as of 2022. This includes his assets, money, and income. His primary source of income was his career as a voice actor. Through his various sources of income, he had been able to accumulate a good fortune but prefered to lead a modest lifestyle.
Don Lafontaine Measurements and Facts
Here are some interesting facts and body measurements you should know about Lafontaine.
Don Lafontaine Wiki
- Full Names: Donald Leroy LaFontaine
- Popular As: Don Lafontaine
- Gender: Male
- Occupation / Profession: Voice Actor
- Nationality: American
- Race / Ethnicity: White
- Religion: Christian
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
Don Lafontaine Birthday
- Zodiac Sign: Virgo
- Date of Birth: August 26, 1940
- Place of Birth: Duluth, Minnesota
- Date of Death: September 1, 2008 (aged 68)
- Place of Death: Los Angeles, California
- Birthday: August 26
Don Lafontaine Body Measurements
- Body Measurements: Not Known
- Height / How Tall?: Not Known
- Weight: Not Known
- Eye Color: Blue
- Hair Color: Brown
- Shoe Size: Not Known
Don Lafontaine Family and Relationship
- Father (Dad): Alfred LaFontaine
- Mother: Ruby LaFontaine
- Siblings (Brothers and Sisters): Not Known
- Marital Status: Was Married
- Wife/Spouse: Was Married to Nita Whitaker
- Dating / Girlfriend: Not Applicable
- Children: Three (Christine, Skye, and Elyse)
Don Lafontaine Net Worth and Salary
- Net Worth: $80 Million as of 2022
- Salary: Under Review
Don Lafontaine Voice Actor
LaFontaine proceeded to work as a recording engineer after discharge and started working at the National Recording Studios in New York City, where, in 1962, he had the chance to work with producer Floyd Peterson on radio spots for Dr. Strangelove.
Peterson included many of LaFontaine’s ideas for the spots and, in 1963, they went into business together producing advertising, particularly for the movie industry. LaFontaine declared that this company first came up with many of the famous movie trailer catchphrases, including his own future signature phrase, “in a world…”
While working on the 1964 western Gunfighters of Casa Grande, LaFontaine had to fill in for an unavailable voice actor in order to have something to present to MGM. After MGM bought the spots, LaFontaine started a career as a voiceover artist.
He became the head of Kaleidoscope Films Ltd., a movie trailer production company, before starting his own company, Don LaFontaine Associates, in 1976. Shortly thereafter, he was hired by Paramount to do their trailers and was eventually promoted to vice president.
LaFontaine often had jobs at a number of different studios each day. With the advent of ISDN technology, LaFontaine ultimately built a recording studio in his Hollywood Hills home and began doing his work from home.
Don Lafontaine The Voice
LaFontaine lent his unique voice to thousands of movie trailers during his career, traversing every style from every major film studio, including The Cannon Group, for which he voiced one of their logos. For a time, LaFontaine had a near-monopoly on movie trailer voiceovers.
Some important trailers which LaFontaine highlighted in the intro on his official website include Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Shrek, Friday the 13th, Law & Order, and Batman Returns. LaFontaine said in 2007 that his beloved work in a movie trailer was for the biographical film The Elephant Man, though according to a response to the question on his website, he had several trailers which stood out in his mind, and he didn’t like to choose one. Lafontaine also did announce a few WWE Pay Per View events, as well as the “Don’t Try This at Home” bumper.
The prize is “Carl Kasell’s voice on your home answering machine”. LaFontaine did not win the game and offered to record the listener’s answering machine message himself. LaFontaine once declared that he enjoyed recording messages like these because it allowed him to be creative in writing unique messages, and said that he would do so for anyone who contacted him if he had the time. By 2007, he found the requests to be too numerous for him to take on and stopped providing the service.
In 2006, GEICO launched an advertising campaign in which actual customers told their own stories of GEICO experiences, accompanied by a celebrity who helped them make the story interesting. LaFontaine was featured as the celebrity in one of these ads which began airing in August 2006.
Don LaFontaine In a World
In the commercial, he was introduced by the voice-over as “that announcer guy from the movies”, with his name printed on-screen to identify him. He began his telling of the customer’s story with his trademark “In a world…”. LaFontaine credited the spot as life-changing for having exposed his name and face to a significant audience, noting, “There goes any anonymity I might have had…”
Don Lafontaine Voiceover Lab
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation Don LaFontaine (DLF) Voiceover Lab Los Angeles, is a state-of-the-art recording facility that brings together the professionalism and quality of a commercial recording studio and the innovation and educational focus of a classroom environment.
At the DLF Voiceover Lab, SAG-AFTRA members can record voice tracks on demo reels, learn how to use the latest audio recording software, train with top voiceover instructors, and network with peers.
The DLF Voiceover Lab is named in memory of legendary voice actor Don LaFontaine and cultivates a thriving community of voice actors who embody his generous spirit of mentorship and giving back.
The DLF Voiceover Lab is a free facility for SAG-AFTRA members and made possible through gifts, grants, and sponsorships. The Foundation never draws on SAG-AFTRA dues or initiation fees.
Don Lafontaine etCommercial
He is widely known in the film industry, the man whose nicknames included “Thunder Throat” and “The Voice of God”, became known to a wider audience through commercials for GEICO insurance and the Mega Millions lottery game. In 2006, GEICO began an advertising campaign in which actual customers told their own stories of GEICO experiences, accompanied by a celebrity who helped them make the story interesting.
The Government Employees Insurance Company is an American auto insurance company with headquarters in Maryland. It is the second-largest auto insurer in the United States, after State Farm. GEICO is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway that provides coverage for more than 24 million motor vehicles owned by more than 15 million policyholders as of 2017. GEICO writes private passenger automobile insurance in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
The insurance agency sells policies through local agents, called GEICO Field Representatives, over the phone directly to the consumer via licensed insurance agents, and through their website. Its mascot is a gold dust day gecko with a Cockney accent, voiced by English actor Jake Wood. GEICO is well known in popular culture for its advertising, having made numerous commercials intended to entertain viewers.
Don Lafontaine Health and Death
On Friday, August 22, 2008, LaFontaine, a longtime smoker, was at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, with a pulmonary embolism and was reported to be in critical condition the following Tuesday.
His family made a public plea for prayers on Mediabistro. Ten days later, LaFontaine died on September 1, 2008, six days after his 68th birthday, following difficulties from a pneumothorax. He is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
His final television voice-over role was for the Phineas and Ferb episode “The Chronicles of Meap” in which he said in his final line: “In a world… There, I said it. Happy?” The episode also ended with a short tribute to him, although the iTunes, UK, and Spanish versions of the episode omitted the dedication. His final movie trailer voice-over was for Call + Response, a documentary about the global slave trade, for which he donated his talent.
Don Lafontaine Movie Trailer List
- Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story 2005
- Claire Makes it Big 1999
- Plump Fiction 1998
- Santa vs. the Snowman 3D 1997
- The Birdcage 1996
- Pulp Fiction 1994
- A Man Called Sarge 1990
- Scrooged 1988
- Time Walker 1982
- The Making of Star Wars 1977
Frequently Asked Questions About Don Lafontaine
LaFontaine was a renowned American voice actor who recorded more than 5,000 film trailers and hundreds of thousands of television advertisements, network promotions, and video game trailers.
Lafontaine died on September 1, 2008 (aged 68) in Los Angeles, California. We send our deep condolence to the family and friends. May his soul continue resting in power. R.I.P. Voice Guru.
Yes, Lafontaine was married to Nita Whitaker. They got married and together they have three children.
Lafontaine had a net worth of $80 Million dollars as of 2022. This amount has been accrued from his leading roles in the entertainment industry.
Lafontaine died on September 1, 2008 (aged 68) in Los Angeles, California. We send our deep condolence to the family and friends. May his soul continue resting in power. R.I.P. Voice Guru.
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