Best narrator for documentaries

[Bossy Monkey]

Mainly referring to the ones made for TV, but if you have a jones for somebody else, I'll listen. For instance, I put on Moore; though he doesn't have the most mellifluous voice, he does an outstanding job on the voiceovers for his films.

For some reason it causes me great amusement that the narrators on space documentaries are almost always from Star Trek. Shatner does an especially outstanding job, by the way. Of the non-Trek space narrators, John Hurt also gets the odd gig, probably because of Alien.

I know there are a lot of outstanding voice artists who do only narration, but I don't know their names and I'm betting that DUers are even less likely to know them (me being a meganerd and all). If you do know some, feel free to chirp up, though.

If you feel strongly about somebody, yell and jump up and down (or, I don't know, post below) and I'll add them if I don't do the more sensible thing and go the hell to sleep.

Threw in Attenborough since I worship him as a god; I have a shrewd notion I don't need to worry about being buried in seconding notions.

First edit: John Goodman replaced by Peter Coyote

Edit 2: Nimoy bites the dust due to advancing speech impediment, replaced by Sarandon

Edit 3: Sorry Michael Dorn; bad night for non-captains from Trek. (Heck, Frakes didn't even make the original poll.) Replaced by Will Lyman from Frontline.

[Ladyhawk]

1. I had to go with Attenborough because I love nature documentaries.

I love all documentaries, but nature does it for me. :)

I think I'm going to start using Netflix and order massive amounts of documentaries. :) I don't have cable or DISH. I haven't turned on a TV since September. I wonder if mine still works. ;)

[Esra Star]

23. Andrew Sachs.... other wise known as....

Manuel from "Fawlty Towers".

[Jilly Beans]

2. Why all guys? Susan Sarandon is an excellent narrator.

She's narrated many documentaries.

[imenja]

3. Who is the Frontline guy?

He's very good.

[Bossy Monkey]

17. Will Lyman, per the Internets. Added nt

[MrSlayer]

4. Harry Kalas

He's done narration of NFL films since the great John Facenda died. He's also the head play by play guy for the Philadelphia Phillies.

[punpirate]

5. One of the people I've been hearing...

... more and more frequently and does very well, particularly with smaller political documentaries, is Peter Coyote.

[electricmonk]

11. Beat me to it, but good choice.

Got distracted while typing my post out. :hi:

[SoCalDem]

6. Linda Hunt...

She has a very distinctive voice and often does voice-overs and narration

[pres2032]

7. Martin Sheen is good too

[Mojambo]

8. I heard Alan Alda doing one the other day

Very impressive.

[Bossy Monkey]

15. Alda hosted and participated in a science series on PBS for a while

Maybe he still does. It was kind of gee whiz stuff (not a criticism), but I couldn't so much call it narration. Haven't heard him do much else; nice friendly voice though, of course.

[electricmonk]

9. Peter Coyote

I've seen a few environmental and political documentaries that he's done. His voice really draws you into the story.

[NYCGirl]

38. I think Peter Coyote sounds a lot like Henry Fonda.

I LOVE Peter Coyote (fine actor, too).

[bridgit]

10. richard kiley

[saltpoint]

12. If only Buddy Hackett were still with us...

Seriously, I like Robert Redford's voice in documentary films.

[Robeson]

13. Michael Wood....

...the voice of many, many excellent documentaries...

[Bossy Monkey]

16. We must be soul brothers. Before Wood, there was a guy working

more or less the same side of the street named David Drew doing a show called Footsteps or Footsteps of Man depending what side of the Atlantic you were on. Got me hooked on archaeology for years. Apparently he's been writing books more recently: http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/4836-0/author-David-Drew.htm

[Radical Activist]

14. David McCullough

For his great work on Ken Burns' Civil War documentary and a few others.

[WoodrowFan]

24. that's my vote

he has a great voice. he also did Seabiscuit.

[bertha katzenengel]

32. Hear, hear.

He quit doing "The American Experience" series. Bummer.

[SaveElmer]

37. Ditto...the best!!!

Also an excellent historian and writer!

[malmapus]

18. C'mon Terry Jones for sure!

I loved the few he has done "Medieval Lives", "The Crusades" come to me off the top of my head

[KitchenWitch]

19. Tom Hanks

He narrated "From the Earth to the Moon"

[Catchawave]

25. Agree about Hanks....

Have never forgotten his narration of Passport to the Universe at the Hayden Plantarium in NYC.

[Guy_Montag]

20. I agree with you about David Attenborough,

I grew up with The Trials of Life & the Living Planet. He's done some great stuff sine then. I too, worship him as a god.

[Hatalles]

21. Ben Kingsley is good.

[Chomskyite]

22. For me

Henry Rollins, who voiceovers on VH1's Behind the Music all the time.

[nytemare]

26. Has Morgan Freeman done any?

Or am I really just thinking of Shawshank and Million Dollar Baby?

[Chomskyite]

35. Played Frederic Douglass in The Civil War

. . . and his point-of-view was used to narrate Lincoln's decision to begin using black troops (eventually 180,000) to save the country during the last couple years.

[_TJ_]

27. Bernard Hill is good nt

[lpbk2713]

28. Huh? .... No Alexander Scourby?

The dean of all documentary narrators.

[nuxvomica]

30. Scourby was the best

You can listen to his reading of the Bible here:
http://www.audio-bible.com

I also liked Jacob Bronowski (The Ascent of Man) who had an intrusive "W" that, surprisingly, wasn't annoying.

[BigMcLargehuge]

29. Don Wescott

used to do Nova, now does some other stuff, less for PBS.

[Zenlitened]

31. Stacey Keach. - n/t

[DS1]

33. Martin Sheen

[BikeWriter]

34. Lorne Green, but he's been gone for years.

[terrya]

36. Sam Waterston is a decent narrator.

[GalleryGod]

39. Liev Shreiber(sp?)

Mr. HBO Sports Documentary!:popcorn: :applause: :applause:

[miss_kitty]

40. He does a lot of Nova narration too

and he was in all the Scream movies.

[AntiCoup2K4]

41. No "Troy McClure" option?

[bif]

42. Jason Robards

He did one on the 1939 World's Fair for PBS and I thought he was outstanding.

[Magrittes Pipe]

43. If I don't say Attenborough, I'll wake up missing something.

Something very dear to me. :(