Vic Perrin
Encyclopedia
Vic Perrin was an American actor
and voice artist. He is best remembered as the "Control Voice" in the original version of the TV series The Outer Limits
(1963 – 1965).
During the 1940s and 1950s, Perrin was a regular performer on old-time radio
, appearing in many shows. He was a regular guest star on the radio version of Gunsmoke
and wrote at least one script for that show.
One of his first TV roles was in a 1953 episode of Adventures of Superman
entitled "The Golden Vulture", where he played a hapless sailor on board a freighter run by a self-styled pirate. One of his greatest voiceovers and a true legacy, he is the voice used on the AED Automatic External Defibrillator used all over the nation to save lives.
Vic Perrin played minor character roles on numerous TV series in the 1950s and 1960s including Dragnet
, Gunsmoke
, Have Gun — Will Travel, The Untouchables
, and Mission: Impossible
. He was a regular voice-over in the original Jonny Quest
cartoon series (as the voice of Dr. Zin and other villains). He voiced the villain, The Gimmick, in an episode of Blue Falcon.
He played a voyeuristic serial killer
in the 1966 made-for-TV movie Dragnet, which served as a pilot episode for the color version of the TV series. He also guest-starred on a 1981 episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
entitled "The Guardians". Perrin was in The Twilight Zone
episode entitled "People Are Alike All Over
" with Roddy McDowall
.
Perrin also had voice-over and character roles in three classic Star Trek
episodes. During the first season, he voiced the Metron in "Arena", where Kirk fought the Gorn. He was also the head man on a planet of pacifists who would not trade dilithium crystals, in "Mirror, Mirror", and the voice of Nomad in "The Changeling", both second season episodes. To the legions of fans of the Super Friends
series, Perrin's voice is well known as the voice of villain, Sinestro
, an arch-nemesis of Green Lantern
.
Perrin was believed to be the original narrator of Walt Disney World's Spaceship Earth at Epcot from when it originally opened in 1982 until 1986, but this is not known for sure.
He continued to do voice-overs and to play character roles until a few years before his death.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and voice artist. He is best remembered as the "Control Voice" in the original version of the TV series The Outer Limits
The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)
The Outer Limits is an American television series that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1965. The series is similar in style to the earlier The Twilight Zone, but with a greater emphasis on science fiction, rather than fantasy stories...
(1963 – 1965).
During the 1940s and 1950s, Perrin was a regular performer on old-time radio
Old-time radio
Old-Time Radio and the Golden Age of Radio refer to a period of radio programming in the United States lasting from the proliferation of radio broadcasting in the early 1920s until television's replacement of radio as the primary home entertainment medium in the 1950s...
, appearing in many shows. He was a regular guest star on the radio version of Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
and wrote at least one script for that show.
One of his first TV roles was in a 1953 episode of Adventures of Superman
Adventures of Superman (TV series)
Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The show is the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California...
entitled "The Golden Vulture", where he played a hapless sailor on board a freighter run by a self-styled pirate. One of his greatest voiceovers and a true legacy, he is the voice used on the AED Automatic External Defibrillator used all over the nation to save lives.
Vic Perrin played minor character roles on numerous TV series in the 1950s and 1960s including Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
, Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, Have Gun — Will Travel, The Untouchables
The Untouchables (1959 TV series)
The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized the experiences of Eliot Ness, a real-life Prohibition agent, as he fought crime in Chicago during the 1930s with the help of a...
, and Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
. He was a regular voice-over in the original Jonny Quest
Jonny Quest (TV series)
Jonny Quest – often casually referred to as The Adventures of Jonny Quest – is an American science fiction/adventure animated television series about a boy who accompanies his father on extraordinary adventures...
cartoon series (as the voice of Dr. Zin and other villains). He voiced the villain, The Gimmick, in an episode of Blue Falcon.
He played a voyeuristic serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
in the 1966 made-for-TV movie Dragnet, which served as a pilot episode for the color version of the TV series. He also guest-starred on a 1981 episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired....
entitled "The Guardians". Perrin was in The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
episode entitled "People Are Alike All Over
People Are Alike All Over
"People Are Alike All Over" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Background:This episode was based on Paul W. Fairman's Brothers Beyond the Void, published in the March 1952 issue of Fantastic Adventures and also included in August Derleth's 1953 anthology...
" with Roddy McDowall
Roddy McDowall
Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude "Roddy" McDowall was an English actor and photographer. His film roles included Cornelius and Caesar in the Planet of the Apes film series...
.
Perrin also had voice-over and character roles in three classic Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episodes. During the first season, he voiced the Metron in "Arena", where Kirk fought the Gorn. He was also the head man on a planet of pacifists who would not trade dilithium crystals, in "Mirror, Mirror", and the voice of Nomad in "The Changeling", both second season episodes. To the legions of fans of the Super Friends
Super Friends
Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1986 on ABC as part of its Saturday morning cartoon lineup...
series, Perrin's voice is well known as the voice of villain, Sinestro
Sinestro
Thaal Sinestro is a fictional character, an alien supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, Sinestro is the former mentor of Hal Jordan and the arch-nemesis of the entire Green Lantern Corps. Sinestro first appears in Green Lantern #7 . In 2009, Sinestro was...
, an arch-nemesis of Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
.
Perrin was believed to be the original narrator of Walt Disney World's Spaceship Earth at Epcot from when it originally opened in 1982 until 1986, but this is not known for sure.
He continued to do voice-overs and to play character roles until a few years before his death.
External links
- Vic Perrin picture
- Vic Perrin at Findagrave.com
