Douglas Rain
Douglas Rain
Douglas Rain | |
|---|---|
 Rain in 1968 | |
| Born | Douglas James Rain March 13, 1928 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Died | November 11, 2018 (aged 90) Stratford, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater | University of Manitoba Banff School of Fine Arts Bristol Old Vic Theatre School |
| Occupation | Actor, voice actor |
| Known for | Voice of HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) |
| Spouse(s) | Lois Shaw Martha Henry |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Dora Mavor Moore Award |
Douglas James Rain (March 13, 1928 – November 11, 2018) was a Canadian actor and narrator. Although primarily a stage actor, he provided the voice of the HAL 9000 computer for the film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and its sequel 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984).
Early life[edit]
Douglas Rain was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the son of Mary, a nurse, and James Rain, a rail yard switchman. His parents were from Glasgow, Scotland.[1]
Career[edit]
He graduated with a B.A. from the University of Manitoba in 1950,[2] then studied acting at the Banff School of Fine Arts in Banff, Alberta and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol, England. He was a founding member of the Stratford Festival of Canada in 1953 and was associated with it as a stage actor until 1998.[3]
He performed in a wide variety of theatrical roles, such as a production of Henry V staged in Stratford, Ontario, that was adapted for television in 1966.[4][5] In 1972, Rain was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Dramatic) for his performance in Vivat! Vivat Regina![6]
Voice of the HAL 9000 computer[edit]
Stanley Kubrick cast Rain as the voice of the HAL 9000 computer for the film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) after hearing his narration of a short documentary titled Universe and later chose him as "the creepy voice of HAL".[7] In the film, his voice was also sometimes processed with an electronic device called the Eltro information rate changer.
Rain reprised his role for the sequel 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984). He also briefly parodied this role in Woody Allen's film Sleeper and a sketch on Second City Television in which Merv Griffin (Rick Moranis) takes his eponymous talk show into outer space.[8]
Death[edit]
Rain died on November 11, 2018, at the age of 90 at St. Mary's Memorial Hospital in St. Marys, Ontario of natural causes.[9][10] He left three children and a grandchild behind.[11]
Filmography[edit]
- Oedipus Rex (1957) — Messenger
- Just Mary (1960, TV series) — voice
- The Night They Killed Joe Howe (1960, TV drama, co-starring Austin Willis and James Doohan) — Joseph Howe
- Universe (1960, short film)[12] — Narrator
- One Plus One (1961) — segment "The Divorcee"
- William Lyon Mackenzie: A Friend to His Country (1961, short) — William Lyon Mackenzie
- Robert Baldwin: A Matter of Principle (1961, short) — William Lyon Mackenzie
- The Other Man (1963, TV miniseries) — David Henderson
- Twelfth Night (1964, TV movie)
- Fields of Sacrifice (1964) — Narrator
- Henry V (1966, TV movie) — Henry V
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) — voice of HAL 9000[6]
- Talking to a Stranger (1971, TV miniseries) — Alan
- Sleeper (1973) — voice of Evil Computer / Various Robot Butlers
- The Man Who Skied Down Everest (1974) — Narrator
- One Canadian: The Political Memoirs of the Rt. Hon. John G. Diefenbaker (1976, TV miniseries, voice)
- SCTV (1982, "The Merv Griffin Show") — voice of HAL 9000
- 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984) — voice of HAL 9000
- Love and Larceny (1985, TV movie) — Ashton Fletcher
- The Russian-German War (1995, video documentary) — Narrator
References[edit]
- ^ "Douglas Rain, Stratford actor who voiced HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey, dies at 90". The Globe and Mail. November 12, 2018.
- ^ "University of Manitoba: Archives & Special Collections". University of Manitoba. December 8, 2018.
- ^ Pulver, Andrew (November 12, 2018). "Douglas Rain, voice of HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey, dies aged 90". The Guardian. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- ^ "Rain, Douglas". Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- ^ "Douglas Rain acting credits". Stratford Festival Archives. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
- ^ a b "Voice of 2001: A Space Odyssey's Hal dies". BBC News. November 12, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- ^ Johnson, Alex (November 12, 2018). "Douglas Rain, the creepy voice of HAL in '2001,' dies at 90". NBC News. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- ^ "Programs: Merv Griffin Show". SCTV Guide.
- ^ Gray, Andy. "Stratford Festival Founder Dies". Mystratfordnow.com. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- ^ "Douglas Rain, Voice of HAL 9000 in '2001: A Space Odyssey,' Dies at 90". The Hollywood Reporter. November 11, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- ^ "Voice actor HAL 9000 has passed away". Techwarrant.com. November 12, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- ^ Ohayon, Albert. "The 1960s: An Explosion of Creativity". NFB.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
External links[edit]
- Douglas Rain at IMDb
- Douglas Rain at the Internet Broadway Database
- Douglas Rain at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
| General | |
|---|---|
| National libraries | |
| Other | |
- 1928 births
- 2018 deaths
- 20th-century Canadian male actors
- Male actors from Winnipeg
- Canadian people of Scottish descent
- University of Manitoba alumni
- Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
- Canadian male film actors
- Canadian male stage actors
- Canadian male television actors
- Canadian male voice actors
- Dora Mavor Moore Award winners
- Canadian male Shakespearean actors
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