Decades before Hollywood fame as a voiceover artist, Don LaFontaine showed his ability to display dramatic scenes with his childhood antics in Duluth.
LaFontaine, who did narration for nearly 5,000 movies, died Monday afternoon from heart failure in Los Angeles. He was 68.
In Duluth in the late 1950s and early 60s, LaFontaine and his cousin Bud LaFontaine would fake fights in front of unsuspecting people.
At a wedding in 1960, 20-year-old Don acted like he was beating up his sister, Sandra, before Bud came to Sandra's rescue and broke up the fight.
Joan LaFontaine, Bud's then-girlfriend and future wife, and about 15 people witnessed the gag.
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"At first I was like, 'Oh, my gosh!' " Joan recalled Tuesday. "He was beating her up. I was stunned. Sandra told me it was an act right away. Then, I was totally entertained.
"He was a total showman. His voice was a natural gift."
One time, the LaFontaine's fake fighting prompted one woman to call the police, Bud said Tuesday.
In Hollywood, Don entertained millions with his apocalyptic-sounding voice on movie trailers, including "The Terminator," and "Batman Returns." He worked for every major TV network as well as many corporations. Don often set the scene with his coined phrase, "In a world where ..."
"That was one of his favorite lines," Bud said. "He invented a lot of lines that made a lot of movies successful."
Don explained that phrase to the Associated Press, "We have to very rapidly establish the world we are transporting them to. That's very easily done by saying, 'In a world where ... violence rules.' 'In a world where ... men are slaves and women are the conquerors.' You very rapidly set the scene."
Don recently parodied himself in a Geico insurance commercial in which he is introduced as "that announcer guy from the movies."
Don wrote about the commercial on donlafontaine.com, "There goes any anonymity I might have had."
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Don was born Aug. 26, 1940 in Duluth and graduated from Central High School in 1958. After graduation, Don worked for the Army as a recording engineer. Following his discharge from the military, he moved to New York City and began producing movie trailers, including spots for "Dr. Strangelove." In 1982, he moved to Los Angeles and started doing voiceover work full-time.
"Based on contracts signed, he has the distinction of being perhaps the single busiest actor in the history of the [Screen Actors Guild]," according to donlafontaine.com.
"There won't be another like him," said Bud, who resides in St. Petersburg, Fla. "Others have tried to copy him, but no one can do it."
