Don LaFontaine Passes: Who Will Say “In A World…” Now?

Don LaFontaine, “who provided the sonorous voice for more than 5,000 movie trailers”, passed away yesterday after suffering a collapsed lung; in memory of the legendary voiceover artist, a thousand jokes beginning with “In a world…” (LaFontaine’s iconic catchphrase) have since been made.

The mythic origins of LaFontaine’s sultry voice are explored in this short doc, which offers incredible background on the voice actor’s quick rise to success. Fun fact: He writes his own material, making him so much more than just a promotional puppet. Wikipedia has a lengthy rundown of LaFontaine’s credits, of which my personal favorite is the original trailer for The Terminator: he’s selling a new brand of sci-fi action with each syllable, and doing so with the utmost enthusiasm.

He’s also no slouch at comedy. LaFontaine is also featured in this opening skit for the 1997 Key Art Awards, which crammed him and four other legendary voiceover artists into one limo. It’s thanks to that sketch, actually, that people beyond those who produce movie trailers became aware of LaFontaine’s work, and satires of his unique style began to spread, often with LaFontaine involved. But here’s the funny thing about Don LaFontaine: even when he isn’t being serious, I still want to take him seriously. When that voice tells me “In a world…”, well, no matter how ridiculous that world might seem, it’s still a place I want to be.