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Voice-over king LaFontaine dead at 68

Posted September 3, 2008 13:13:00

Don LaFontaine, who voiced more than 5,000 movie trailers during a career that saw him dubbed "The King of Voiceovers," has died in Los Angeles, his agent confirmed Tuesday. He was 68.

LaFontaine died in the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre on Monday from complications caused by an ongoing lung-related illness after being admitted to the facility in late August.

The voice actor was best known for his catchphrase used on several trailers that began with the words "In a world where..."

Among movies that LaFontaine provided the voice for were "The Elephant Man," "Batman Returns," "The Terminator" and "Dr Strangelove."

As well as his trailer work, LaFontaine is believed to have voiced hundreds of thousands of television and radio spots, including advertisements for Chevrolet, Pontiac, Ford, Budweiser, McDonald's and Coke.

LaFontaine is survived by his wife and three children.

- AFP

Tags: arts-and-entertainment, feature-films, business-economics-and-finance, industry, film-industry, human-interest, people, united-states

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