Douglas Rain
Douglas Rain | |
|---|---|
Rain in 1968 | |
| Born | Douglas James Rain May 9, 1928 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Died | November 11, 2018 (aged 90) St. Marys, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater | University of Manitoba Banff School of Fine Arts Old Vic Theatre School |
| Occupations | 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 (May 9, 1928 – November 11, 2018) was a Canadian actor. Although primarily a stage actor, he is best-known for voicing HAL 9000, the supercomputer in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and its sequel 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984). He co-founded the Stratford Festival, and was nominated for a Tony Award for the Broadway play Vivat! Vivat Regina!.
Early life
Rain was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Scottish parents Mary and James Rain. His father was a rail yard switchman and his mother was a nurse. His parents emigrated to Canada from Glasgow, Scotland.[1]
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 Old Vic Theatre School in London, England.[3][4]
Career
Rain was a founding member of the Stratford Festival of Canada in 1953 and was associated with it as an actor until 1998.[5]
He performed a wide variety of theatrical roles, such as a production of Henry V staged in Stratford, Ontario, that was adapted for television in 1966.[6][7] In 1972, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Dramatic) for his performance in Vivat! Vivat Regina![8]
Voice of the HAL 9000 computer
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".[9] Rain produced all of his lines during the post-production, in a ten hour recording session over two days with Kubrick in London. He did not think the recording session went well, later saying: "If you could have been a ghost at the recording you would have thought it was a load of rubbish."[10] In the film, his voice was sometimes processed with an electronic device called the Eltro information rate changer.[11] In an interview with the New York Times in 2018, Rain said that he had never seen the movie.[10]
Rain reprised the role for the sequel 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984). He also briefly parodied it in a sketch on Second City Television where Merv Griffin (played by Rick Moranis) takes his talk show into outer space.[12]
Personal life and death
Rain was married twice, first to Lois Shaw and then to Martha Henry, who was also an actress on stage, film and television, and had three children and a grandchild. He died of natural causes on November 11, 2018, at the age of 90, at St. Mary's Memorial Hospital in St. Marys, Ontario.[13][14][15]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Christmas in the Market Place | Joey | TV film |
| 1957 | Oedipus Rex | Messenger | |
| 1960 | The Hill | Jesus | |
| 1960 | Universe[16] | Narrator | Short film |
| 1961 | One Plus One | Segment: The Divorcee | |
| 1961 | William Lyon Mackenzie: A Friend to His Country | William Lyon Mackenzie | Short film (documentary) |
| 1961 | Robert Baldwin: A Matter of Principle | William Lyon Mackenzie | Short film (documentary) |
| 1964 | Twelfth Night | TV film | |
| 1964 | Fields of Sacrifice | Narrator | Short film (documentary) |
| 1966 | Henry V | Henry V | TV film |
| 1968 | 2001: A Space Odyssey | HAL 9000[8] | Voice |
| 1973 | Sleeper | Evil Computer, Various Robot Butlers | Voice |
| 1973 | The Russian-German War | Narrator | Documentary |
| 1974 | The Man Who Skied Down Everest | Narrator | Documentary |
| 1984 | 2010: The Year We Make Contact | Hal 9000 | Voice |
| 1985 | Love and Larceny | Ashton Fletcher | TV film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Just Mary | Voice | |
| 1960 | The Night They Killed Joe Howe | Joseph Howe | |
| 1963 | The Other Man | David Henderson | Miniseries |
| 1971 | Talking to a Stranger | voice | Miniseries |
| 1976 | One Canadian: The Political Memoirs of the Rt. Hon. John G. Diefenbaker | Narrator | Documentary |
| 1982 | SCTV | HAL 9000[8] | Voice |
References
- ^ "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. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- ^ "Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia - Rain, Douglas". www.canadiantheatre.com. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
- ^ Smith, Harrison (November 12, 2018). "Douglas Rain, Shakespearean actor who voiced HAL in 'Space Odyssey,' dies at 90". The Washington Post.
- ^ 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 c "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.
- ^ a b Gerry Flahive, "The Story of a Voice: HAL in '2001' Wasn’t Always So Eerily Calm", New York Times, March 30, 2018.
- ^ Langford, Simon (2013). Digital Audio Editing: Correcting and Enhancing Audio in Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, and Studio One. CRC Press. p. 239. ISBN 978-1-134-11130-5.
- ^ "Programs: Merv Griffin Show". SCTV Guide.
- ^ Gray, Andy (November 11, 2018). "Stratford Festival Founder Dies". Mystratfordnow.com. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (November 11, 2018). "Douglas Rain, Voice of HAL 9000 in '2001: A Space Odyssey,' Dies at 90". The Hollywood Reporter. 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
- Douglas Rain at IMDb
- Douglas Rain at the Internet Broadway Database
- Douglas Rain at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archived)