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Vic Perrin

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Vic Perrin
Born
Victor Herbert Perrin

(1916-04-26)April 26, 1916
Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedJuly 4, 1989(1989-07-04) (aged 73)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison
Occupation(s)Television and voice actor
Years active1943–1989
Spouses
Evelyn Held
​
​
(m. 1963; died 1972)​
Rita Singer
​
​
(m. 1977; div. 1979)​
​
​
(m. 1979)​
Children1

Victor Herbert Perrin (April 26, 1916 – July 4, 1989)[1] was an American radio, film, and television actor, perhaps best remembered for providing the "Control Voice" in the original version of the television series The Outer Limits (1963–1965).[2] He was also a radio scriptwriter as well as a narrator in feature films and for special entertainment and educational projects, such as the original Spaceship Earth and Universe of Energy rides at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.[3]

Early years

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Perrin was born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, the elder of two sons of Kathryn (née Mittlesteadt) and Milton A. Perrin, who was a traveling salesman.[4][5][6] In 1940, after graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the late 1930s, Vic moved to California.[7]

Career

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Radio

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During the 1940s and 1950s, Perrin was a regular performer on many commercial radio programs. In 1941 he became a staff announcer for NBC, staying there for several years before moving to ABC and becoming chief announcer at the Blue Network.[8][1] His first credited role came in 1943, when he served as the announcer for "The Last Will and Testament Of Tom Smith", a radio episode of Free World Theatre, which was produced and directed by Arch Oboler.[9] He narrated too "A Star With Two Names", part of the segment "Behind The Scenes Hollywood Story" of The Hollywood Music Hall radio program. At the same time, he joined Charles Laughton's theatrical repertory group.[citation needed]

Perrin was also a regular guest star on the radio version of Gunsmoke, and he wrote or co-wrote five scripts for that popular Western series between 1959 and 1961.[citation needed] Perrin was a series regular as well on the anthology radio drama Family Theatre, played Ross Farnsworth on One Man's Family, and was featured as cavalry trooper Sergeant Gorse in Fort Laramie in 1956. He performed too as several characters in Escape, Pete Kelly's Blues, Dragnet, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, and Have Gun – Will Travel.[9] In an uncredited role, he also impersonated Clyde Beatty on The Clyde Beatty Show.[9]

Television

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One of Perrin's first television roles was in "The Golden Vulture", a 1953 episode of the Adventures of Superman.[10] He would go on to appear in 16 installments of Dragnet,[11][12] as well as the pilot for the 1967 revival of the series.[13] He appeared in episodes of Gunsmoke, Maverick, The Big Valley, and Mission: Impossible.[11] He played characters in a variety of other series, including Peter Gunn, Black Saddle, Have Gun – Will Travel, Mackenzie's Raiders, The Untouchables, Going My Way, Perry Mason, Adam-12, The F.B.I., and Mannix.[citation needed]

Perrin served as the Control Voice, the narrator of The Outer Limits,[11] and provided voices for characters in episodes of Star Trek, as well as appearing in one episode.[11][14] He also appeared in two episodes of The Twilight Zone.[14][15] He also guest-starred in "The Guardians", a 1981 episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.[citation needed]

Perrin did extensive voice work in animation. He voiced multiple characters on the Hanna-Barbera animated television series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! Those characters include the Ape Man, Carl the Stuntman, Pietro, the Puppet Master, Dr. Najib, the Snow Ghost, Mr. Leech, Yeti, Fu Lan Chi, among others. Perrin was the voices of The Phantom Racer, Junkyard Watchman, Ken Rogers, Anthos and John Thomas on The Scooby-Doo Show. Perrin was also the voices of Mr. McDabble, Mr. Kronos and the Minotaur on The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show. He also provided the voice of Dr. Zin, the main antagonist on Jonny Quest along with voicing Roberts, Search Plane Pilot, Junior, Frogman Leader, Miguel, Kronick, Professor Ericson and others on the series. Perrin voiced Creature King and Lurker on Space Ghost. Perrin voiced Mekkor and the Captain of the Sky Pirates on The Herculoids. Perrin voiced Number One, the Ruthless Ringmaster and others on Birdman and the Galaxy Trio. Perrin voiced Red Ghost, Silver Surfer, Professor Gamma and The Demon on Fantastic Four (1967 TV series). He was the voice of Hawkman on Filmation's The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure and Aquaman (TV series). Perrin voiced Sinestro, who is the nemesis of the Green Lantern, along with voicing Dr. Starns, Turkish Engineer, Brain Creature, Professor Reed and Frankenstein's Monster on Challenge of the Superfriends. He voiced Namor and Caesar Cicero on Spider-Man (1981 TV series). He voiced Thor, Zerona's Soldier and Black Knight on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. He provided additional voices on The New Fantastic Four, Spider-Woman and The Incredible Hulk (1982 TV series). Perrin voiced Ming the Merciless on the 1982 television film Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All produced by Filmation. Perrin voiced Teetor on the 1984 animated musical film Gallavants produced by Marvel Productions. In 1986, Perrin reprised his voice role as Dr. Zin on The New Adventures of Jonny Quest. Other Hanna-Barbera shows Perrin provided additional voices on are the live-action and animated fantasy television series The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as Castway Charlie, Centaur, Doorgah, High Priest, Rabbit and Chief, Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch! as Professor Neilsen Rockabuilt, Inch High, Private Eye; These Are the Days; Clue Club; Jabberjaw; Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels as Mummy, Brackish and Professor Pryce; Jana of the Jungle; Super Friends (1980 TV series) as Sailor; The Smurfs; and The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible.[citation needed]

Other voice work

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For many years Perrin narrated dozens of science and educational short films for educational filmmaking pioneer Sy Wexler and continued to do voice-overs and to play character roles until a short time before his death.[7]

Perrin was active in off-camera work in television commercials, prompting one newspaper article to include the comment "Vic Perrin is one actor who makes more money when he's not seen on camera than when he is."[16] He was also the original voice narrator for Disney's Epcot Center attraction: Spaceship Earth in Orlando, Florida. Vic Perrin also narrated two movies in the original Epcot Center Universe of Energy pavilion: "Kinetic Energy" and "Energy Creation Story".

Personal life and death

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He was first married to Evelyn Held on March 10, 1963. Evelyn died in 1972 and they had no children. He married for a second time to Rita Singer in 1977 and had a son, George. He also had a stepson, Steven, from Rita's previous marriage. Perrin and Rita divorced in January 1979, but remarried in September of the same year.[8][17]

Perrin died of cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center[18] in Los Angeles, California, July 4, 1989, aged 73.[5][7]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1947 Magic Town Elevator Starter Uncredited
1950 Outrage Andy
1952 Don't Bother to Knock Elevator Operator Uncredited
1952 The Iron Mistress Gambling House Attendant Uncredited
1953 The System Little Harry Goubenek
1953 Julius Caesar Hoodlum Uncredited
1953 The Twonky TV Salesman Uncredited
1953 Forever Female Scenic Designer
1954 Riding Shotgun Bar-M Rider with Lynching Rope
1954 Dragnet Deputy D.A. Adolph Alexander
1954 Black Tuesday Dr. Hart
1959 City of Fear Radio Announcer Uncredited
1960 Spartacus Narrator Uncredited
1962 Gorath Voice
1963 Heavenly Bodies! Narrator Uncredited
1963 Wall of Noise Louie the Brain Uncredited

1964-1965 "Jonny Quest" Dr. Zin" 4 episodes

1965 Joy in the Morning Law Professor Uncredited
1966 The Singing Nun Farmer in Accident with Sister Ann Uncredited
1966 One Million Years B.C. Narrator Uncredited
1966 The Bubble Taxi Driver
1968 Vixen! Narrator Voice, Uncredited
1968 Bullitt Voice, Uncredited
1970 Airport Crabby Man Uncredited
1970 Zig Zag Fingerprint Expert Uncredited
1972 Gargoyles Gargoyle Leader Uncredited Voice
1973 The Deadly Trackers Voice, Uncredited
1974 The Take Radio Announcer Uncredited
1974 The Klansman Hector
1975 The Hindenburg Travel Agency's Representative Uncredited
1977 Black Oak Conspiracy Mr. Finch
1979 Heidi in the Mountains Grandfather / The Doctor / Postman English version, Voice
1984 Gallavants Teetor Voice

Television (selected)

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Year Title Role Notes
1955–1958 Sergeant Preston of the Yukon Narrator 48 episodes, voice, uncredited
1956 Gunsmoke Hank Springer Episode "No Handcuffs"
1957 Gunsmoke Wilbur Haskins Episode "What The Whiskey Drummer Heard"
1957 Have Gun - Will Travel Rheinhart Episode "Winchester Quarantine"
1958 Wanted Dead or Alive Willie Jo Weems Episode "Fatal Memory"
1960 The Twilight Zone Martian Episode "People Are Alike All Over"
1960 Have Gun - Will Travel Arnold Episode "Show of Force"
1960 Have Gun - Will Travel Storekeeper Frazier Season 3, Episode 21 "The Night the Town Died"
1960 Have Gun - Will Travel Sheriff Cooley Episode "The Campaign of Billy Banjo"
1961 Have Gun - Will Travel Drunk Episode "Everyman"
1963 The Twilight Zone Jim – Trooper Episode "Ring-a-Ding Girl"
1964 Gunsmoke Henry Huckaby Episode "The Promoter"
1963–1965 The Outer Limits Control Voice 49 episodes, voice, uncredited
1966 Dragnet 1966 Don Negler television movie, broadcast 1969
1967 Mannix 1967 Tony - Syndicate Boss Season 1 Episode 2 "Skid Marks on a Dry Run
1967 Star Trek Metron Episode "Arena"; voice, uncredited
1967 Star Trek Nomad Episode "The Changeling", voice
1967 Star Trek Tharn Episode "Mirror, Mirror"
1971 Adam-12 Everett Jones – Victim
1977 Wonder Woman Gorel Episodes "Judgment from Outer Space: Parts 1 & 2"
1979 Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Draconia PA Announcer Episode "Awakening", voice, uncredited
1981 Buck Rogers in the 25th Century First Guardian Episode "The Guardians"
1982 Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All Prince Vultan Television film

References and notes

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  1. ^ a b Cox, Jim (2007). Radio Speakers: Narrators, News Junkies, Sports Jockeys, Tattletales, Tipsters, Toastmasters and Coffee Klatch Couples Who Verbalized the Jargon of the Aural Ether from the 1920s to the 1980s--A Biographical Dictionary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., p. 228: ISBN 978-0-7864-6086-1.
  2. ^ "Vic Perrin, 73, Actor And Announcer, Dies" Archived 2019-04-13 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, July 8, 1989. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  3. ^ "Spaceship Earth" Archived 2019-04-16 at the Wayback Machine, digital copies of 1982 narrations by Vic Perrin, Epcot Discovery Center, The Walt Disney Company, Bay Lake, Florida. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  4. ^ "Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930", Waukesha, Wisconsin, April 10, 1930. Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce. FamilySearch. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  5. ^ a b DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc., p. 215; ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2.
  6. ^ "California Death Index, 1940-1997", Victor Herbert Perrin, July 4, 1989. FamilySearch. Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.
  7. ^ a b c Folkart, Burt A. (July 7, 1989). "Alien-From-Space Narrator on 'Outer Limits': Radio, TV Personality Vic Perrin". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  8. ^ a b "Deaths" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 17, 1989. p. 94. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  9. ^ a b c "Vic Perrin Radio Credits". Old Time Radio Researchers. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  10. ^ Muir, John Kenneth (2008-08-21). The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 566. ISBN 978-0-7864-3755-9.
  11. ^ a b c d Folkart, Burt A. (July 7, 1989). "Alien-From-Space Narrator on 'Outer Limits': Radio, TV Personality Vic Perrin". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  12. ^ Hayde, Michael J. (2001). My Name's Friday: The Unauthorized But True Story of Dragnet and the Films of Jack Webb. Cumberland House Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58182-190-1.
  13. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2022-10-21). From Radio to Television: Programs That Made the Transition, 1929-2021. McFarland. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-4766-4693-0.
  14. ^ a b "Vic Perrin". IMDb. Amazon. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  15. ^ "Vic Perrin – Biography". Turner Classic Movies. WarnerMedia. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  16. ^ "Actor Vic Perrin Benefits More When Not on Camera". Austin Daily Herald. Austin, Minnesota. January 6, 1967. p. 19. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2016 – via Newspaperarchive.com. Open access icon
  17. ^ "Radio and TV Actor Vic Perrin Dies at 73". Orlando Sentinel. July 7, 1989. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  18. ^ "Vic Perrin". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. Bluefield, West Virginia. July 8, 1989. p. 12. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2016 – via Newspaperarchive.com. Open access icon
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