That Voice ...

[Caya]

I think most of us would agree that Benedict Cumberbatch's mellow baritone is one of the factors that make his portrayal of Sherlock so compelling. But he's not the only actor with a sonorous voice out there, and I thought it might be fun to have a thread for sharing our favourites.

 

Since everybody already knows Alan Rickman , I'll start with someone many of you might not have heard of yet - Brandon Keener, best known for his voice work as Garrus Vakarian in the Mass Effect trilogy.

 

Garrus Vakarian is a Turian warrior and turned out to be such a beloved character that, from the second game onward, a romance option was included in the game. The following scene is from the third game, with a female main char that is in a romance with Garrus, and it showcases his voice nicely:

 

 

(note: This is primarily a fighting game. They're just blowing off steam before a big battle, that's why Shepard is out of armor. And yes, that scene is interactive, not a film. Basically, whenever something appears at the bottom of the pic, you get to choose in-game).

 

So who are your favourite voices out there?

[T.o.b.y]

Ooooooh.... it doesn't have to be just male voices, does it?

 

I have one (a man's) that maybe you as an Austrian might know: Steve Barton (Graf von Krolock in "Tanz der Vampire", the musical from the '90s that played in Vienna). Ever since somebody gave me those CD's, I've been wishing rebirth was possible and I could come back as a male singer with just that voice.

 

But apart from him, I'm afraid I'm boring - Alan Rickman and Benedict Cumberbatch just have the best voices I know. Hmm, Ian McKellen's is nice too. Or Johnny Depp's.

[Caya]

Oh, Steve Barton, may he rest in peace - I must admit I never saw him here (the way they translate the songs into German makes me twitch) but I knew him as Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera. Which, of course, was a hard place to be, next to Michael Crawford's breathtaking performance.

[T.o.b.y]

the way they translate the songs into German makes me twitch

 

Funny, that's usually what I would say, but Tanz der Vampire actually made me realize that German can be made to be beautiful. Was it really translated? I thought the lyrics were German originally... When I heard "Ihr patenter und dezenter resistenter Assistent" the first time, I was enthralled. It was so clever and funny. And I adore Barton singing in German with his American accent.

 

Did you know that in one of his last interviews, he said the music in Tanz der Vampire was "zum sterben schön" (in English: to die for)? He died shortly after that...

[Caya]

That's kinda eerie ,

 

I must admit I stopped paying attention to our local musicals after being subjected to "Ganz NAH ist das Phantom der Oper daaaaa" . Maybe it's time to let old grudges rest .

 

Back on topic, and to feed my obsession with British accents: Anthony Stewart Head. You might know him from Buffy, or Merlin, or that radio Neverwhere version where BC did the Angel, or from many other roles. But he's also just as accomplished a singer as his older brother Murray Head. The following clip is from Buffy's musical episode, and I love his performance:

 

 

[T.o.b.y]

Oh, Buffy was great... I liked watching that, at least for the first few seasons.

 

Sorry to be obnoxious about it, but Tanz der Vampire actually was originally German (at least according to Wikipedia, for all that's worth). They did a Broadway version later and it was a total failure.

 

Anyway, in case anybody wants to know what the heck it is this weird German woman is going on about:

 

 

Sorry that the sound quality isn't all that great.

 

"Ich hüll Dich ein in meinen Schatten" - now, that is romance!

[T.o.b.y]

I'll start with someone many of you might not have heard of yet - Brandon Keener, best known for his voice work as Garrus Vakarian in the Mass Effect trilogy.

 

Hey, thanks for that video! Had heard of the game but never seen any of it. They put a lot of effort into just a little interim sequence. Could almost be out of a regular movie!

 

Does it sound very strange if I say I like his face as well? I think during my next dancing class, I will be giggling a lot for apparently no reason...

[Caya]

Oh, it doesn't sound strange at all - Garrus is alluring in his (literally) alien way . And yeah, Bioware puts a lot of effect into both the visuals and the writing. Their games had me in awe, stitches and even tears at times.

 

What about everyone else? Don't tell me that you're all indifferent to fine voices, cause I don't believe you .

[Carol the Dabbler]

Well, you've already put Rickman off limits. 

 

In Sherlock, my favorite voice is Martin Freeman's.  John doesn't get the flamboyant lines that Sherlock does, but Freeman certainly knows how to put the nuances in.

 

[T.o.b.y]

But... Sherlock's voice is so beautiful!

 

It doesn't really matter what he says, just what that sounds like. I think "The Voice" is the main clue to why women find him attractive. When I first saw him, it was in a dubbed version and I hardly noticed him, being totally focused on Freeman, whom I had seen and liked before in other roles, as Watson. I remember just noticing that this version of Holmes didn't bother me at all (whereas I usually protest loudly against any attempt at impersonating that character). Then I got the DVD and after his first lines, I had neither eyes not ears for anything else...

[Janie]

I love men with deep voice so it's no surprise that I adore Benedict's voice. And Alan Rickman, of course (how predictable ). Other favourites are for example Christopher Lee (how come anyone haven't mentioned him yet?) or Michael C. Hall from Dexter.

[Caya]

Well, you've already put Rickman off limits. 

 

Only because everybody already swoons for him, Carol . I'd love to get new fodder for my audio addiction - like for instance Janie mentioning Michael C. Hall. I've watched a bit of Dexter, but only the dubbed version ... now I know that I need to get my hands on an original version, so thank you .

 

But... Sherlock's voice is so beautiful!

 

It doesn't really matter what he says, just what that sounds like. I think "The Voice" is the main clue to why women find him attractive. When I first saw him, it was in a dubbed version and I hardly noticed him, being totally focused on Freeman, whom I had seen and liked before in other roles, as Watson. I remember just noticing that this version of Holmes didn't bother me at all (whereas I usually protest loudly against any attempt at impersonating that character). Then I got the DVD and after his first lines, I had neither eyes not ears for anything else...

 

Oh, I know what you mean . The German voice they saddled him with is just ... bland. Dunno why they didn't at least use the same guy as in Star Trek, Khan was more bearable in German.

[T.o.b.y]

I didn't see that in German, I stopped going to the movies here long ago... The only dub I was ever happy with was the one of the cartoon I liked to watch as a kid: "Gargoyles". I think my liking for special voices began with Goliath (his English original speaker was very good, too).

[iammoriarty]

I love Sheldon's voice from TBBT. It is amazing how he does it. Perfect.

[Earendil]

Richard Armitage.  Hearing his voice makes me melt into a puddle of goo.

[Janie]

Richard Armitage.  Hearing his voice makes me melt into a puddle of goo.

 

Yes! His voice is great, especially in the "Misty Mountains" song.

[Caya]

Oooh yes. I saw The Hobbit and wondered how I'd managed to miss that actor before. Great voice.

 

And speaking of nice British accents, here's an interview with Ian McKellen & Patrick Stewart:

 

[aely]

Christopher Lee is my #1 for voices, which is why I was so made up he got to be Saruman.

 

Hmmm others... 

Vincent Price

Richard Burton

and Gareth David Lloyd (Ianto Jones).

 

Now the funny thing with GDL is that his 'normal' speaking voice doesn't really do anything for me, but he has an absolutely gorgeous voice when he's narrating - I would quite happily listen to him read the phone book.

[aely]

Gareth David Lloyd narrates The Sin Eaters, a Torchwood audiobook. You can hear it on you tube and see if you agree with me.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET3dhsP1eig

[Liselle]

Well, Jeremy Irons has an amazing voice; seriously, it gives me shivers every time he speaks. But I think one of my absolute favourites (other than Benedict) has to be Gideon Emery, who voiced the character of Balthier in Final Fantasy XII. If you haven't played the game (and I suggest you do; it's brilliant), Balthier is a charming, witty sky pirate, a sort of cross between Jack Sparrow and Han Solo And Gideon Emery's voice is absolutely perfect for him; it's like chocolate for the ears Here's Balthier's first scene if you want to hear him. Oh, and in case you couldn't tell, Balthier is the darker haired guy; not the whiny blonde one. Oh, how I hate you, Vaan...
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYNdRv1EXnY

Also someone I think is deserving of a mention is Ville Valo, the lead singer of the Finnish band HIM. His accent, coupled with that gravelly baritone, just makes me go weak every time I hear it... here's a clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GSkSWydO5s

Plus he's easy on the eyes, which helps too....

[Caya]

Oooh yes, Gideon Emery ... I knew his voice from the (otherwise pretty forgettable) Dragon Age sequel, but I didn't know that he did Final Fantasy voicework too, so thank you for the tip! I'm not much into JRPGs but I'm starting to believe that might be a mistake after watching your video link (sidenote: if you want to embed a video directly, just paste the URL in as if it were plain text, the nifty forum software understands it all on its own).

 

Ville Valo was on every radio station round here when Summer WIne was a hit (I'd embed the video, but since it's rather NSFW, have a link instead), not so much since, a real pity if you ask me .

 

And thank you for that Gareth David Lloyd audio, aely! He tends to be overshadowed a bit by John Barrowman in Torchwood (but well who doesn't ) but you're right, he has a nice voice when he brings it to full effect.

[ToniLianne]

One of my favourite voices is also Christopher Lee, I found a recitation of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven by him on youtube at Halloween, it was perfect! I also find John Hurt and Vincent Price's voices pretty iconic too.

 

As for voices that make me go weak at the knees I also am a huge fan of Anthony Head both as an actor, a singer and a person, he is a great and lovely man

My favourite male voice though has got to be Ville Valo who as Liselle mentioned is a singer. I adore both his speaking and singing voice but when he sings really low and growly, it makes me want to melt, and he has a great laugh too, then again so does Anthony Head

[Liselle]

Oooh yes, Gideon Emery ... I knew his voice from the (otherwise pretty forgettable) Dragon Age sequel, but I didn't know that he did Final Fantasy voicework too, so thank you for the tip! I'm not much into JRPGs but I'm starting to believe that might be a mistake after watching your video link

 

 

Yeah, I knew Gideon did a voice for a character in Dragon Age, but I've never played it. But if the character is anything like Balthier, I know I'd love it Him (and Balthier's partner Fran) absolutely stole that game. And then they went and stole the sequel, Revenant Wings, as well. Square Enix were desperately trying to make Vaan the protagonist of both games and Balthier and Fran were just like 'nope'

 

I really love JRPGs; though I have to admit that lately they're going downhill. Everyone went mad about Xenoblade Chronicles but I absolutely hated it, aside from the graphics. The plot and character development were shockingly cliched and unoriginal, and the battle system was horrific But The Last Story, on the other hand, is probably up there with the FF series as one of my all-time favourite games. It was simply beautiful all-round.

 

Anyway, back on topic...

 

 (sidenote: if you want to embed a video directly, just paste the URL in as if it were plain text, the nifty forum software understands it all on its own).

 

Not sure what you mean by plain text; I've been copying and pasting the URL, but do I have to do anything extra to it? Thanks for the tip though

 

Ville Valo was on every radio station round here when Summer WIne was a hit

 

 

Ooooo, I love that song

[sherlockandjohn]

Christopher Plummer! (Sound of Music) Of course, today he's an old gentleman, and I haven't seen him in much recently. He has minor parts in National Treasure and The Lake House. He does have a memorable voice, though.

[Caya]

 

 

Yeah, I knew Gideon did a voice for a character in Dragon Age, but I've never played it. But if the character is anything like Balthier, I know I'd love it Him (and Balthier's partner Fran) absolutely stole that game. And then they went and stole the sequel, Revenant Wings, as well. Square Enix were desperately trying to make Vaan the protagonist of both games and Balthier and Fran were just like 'nope'

 

Some chars were just born to steal the show . Unfortunately, Fenris isn't much like Balthier, at least going by your link and description (though you might love DA I's Zevran), but if you want to see for yourself, here's a fan project that doesn't include any spoilers for DA II (and Mr. Emery even reprised his role for it):

 

 

 

 

 (sidenote: if you want to embed a video directly, just paste the URL in as if it were plain text, the nifty forum software understands it all on its own).

 

Not sure what you mean by plain text; I've been copying and pasting the URL, but do I have to do anything extra to it? Thanks for the tip though

 

 

Just type it out, without any modifications or bbcode. The forum software's intelligent enough to know what to do with it .