FRANCIS MATTHEWS CASEY KASEM

Fans on both sides of the pond mourned the passing of two prominent voice actors last weekend. Francis Matthews (1927-2014), the voice of Captain Scarlet, passed away on June 14th. He was a familiar face to British fans, appearing in many classics over the years, including The Avengers, Interpol Calling, International Detective, Dracula Prince of Darkness, Rasputin the Mad Monk, The Saint, Crossplot, and Paul Temple. Matthews was best remembered for bringing Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Captain Scarlet to life. Until Scarlet, the Anderson shows had typically used Americanized accents to help sell to overseas markets. Apparently Matthews impressed the producers with his Cary Grant impression, and was cast in 1966. The Cary Grant sound of his voice not only brought a classic air to the series, it opened the doors for a British vibe in the Anderson shows that followed. Hearing that he died over the weekend, many of our agents from England said they had lost the voice of their childhood. Images below from The Avengers and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. Related posts: Capt Scarlet & The Prisoner, Capt Scarlet Set Design. 

Ironically, another prominent voice actor passed away the next day on June 15th. Many American fans mourned the loss of Casey Kasem (1932-2014). Kasem voiced Robin and other characters in the Batman cartoon universe on and off between 1968 and 1985. He also defined the iconic role of Shaggy in the Scooby-Doo cartoons from 1969 to 2009. He lent his talents to many other programs, including Hawaii Five-O, Ironside, Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew, Charlie's Angels, Battle of the Planets, and The Transformers. Kasem was best known to music fans as the founder and radio host of the American Top 40. 

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