Vic Perrin

Victor Herbert Perrin (April 26, 1916 – July 4, 1989)^[1] was an American radio, film, and television actor, perhaps best remembered for providing the "Control Voice" in the original version of the television series The Outer Limits (1963–1965).^[2] He was also a radio scriptwriter as well as a narrator in feature films and for special entertainment and educational projects, such as the original Spaceship Earth and Universe of Energy rides at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.^[3]

Early years[]

Perrin was born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, the elder of two sons of Kathryn (née Mittlesteadt) and Milton A. Perrin, who was a traveling salesman.^[4][5][6] In 1940, after graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the late 1930s, Vic moved to California.^[7]

Career[]

Radio[]

During the 1940s and 1950s, Perrin was a regular performer on many commercial radio programs. In 1941 he became a staff announcer for NBC, staying there for several years before moving to ABC and becoming chief announcer at the Blue Network.^[8][1] His first credited role came in 1943, when he served as the announcer for "The Last Will and Testament Of Tom Smith", a radio episode of Free World Theatre, which was produced and directed by Arch Oboler.^[9] He narrated too "A Star With Two Names", part of the segment "Behind The Scenes Hollywood Story" of The Hollywood Music Hall radio program. At the same time, he joined Charles Laughton's theatrical repertory group.^{[citation needed]}

Perrin was also a regular guest star on the radio version of Gunsmoke, and he wrote or co-wrote five scripts for that popular Western series between 1959 and 1961.^{[citation needed]} Perrin was a series regular as well on the anthology radio drama Family Theatre, played Ross Farnsworth on One Man's Family, and was featured as cavalry trooper Sergeant Gorse in Fort Laramie in 1956. He performed too as several characters in Escape, Pete Kelly's Blues, Dragnet, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, and Have Gun – Will Travel.^[9] In an uncredited role, he also impersonated Clyde Beatty on The Clyde Beatty Show.^[9]

Television[]

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One of Perrin's first television roles is in "The Golden Vulture", a 1953 episode of the Adventures of Superman.^{[citation needed]} In that episode he portrays a hapless sailor on board a freighter run by a self-styled pirate. He also appears in 16 installments of Dragnet and plays characters in a variety of other series, including Peter Gunn, Black Saddle, Have Gun – Will Travel, Gunsmoke, Mackenzie's Raiders, The Untouchables, Going My Way, Perry Mason, Adam-12, The F.B.I. , Mannix, and Mission: Impossible.^{[citation needed]}

Perrin voiced multiple characters on the Hanna-Barbera animated television series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! Those characters include, The Ape Man, Carl the Stuntman, Pietro, The Puppet Master, Dr. Najib, The Snow Ghost, Mr. Leech, Yeti, Fu Lan Chi among others. Perrin was the voices of The Phantom Racer, Junkyard Watchman, Ken Rogers, Anthos and John Thomas on The Scooby-Doo Show. Perrin was also the voices of Mr. McDabble, Mr. Kronos and The Minotaur on The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show. He also provided the voice of Dr. Zin, the main antagonist on Jonny Quest along with voicing Roberts, Search Plane Pilot, Junior, Frogman Leader, Miguel, Kronick, Professor Ericson and others on the series. Perrin voiced Cyclops on The Marvel Super Heroes. Perrin voiced Creture King and Lurker on Space Ghost. Perrin voiced Mekkor and the Captain of the Sky Pirates on The Herculoids. Perrin voiced Number One, The Ruthless Ringmaster and others on Birdman and the Galaxy Trio. Perrin voiced Red Ghost, Silver Surfer, Professor Gamma and The Demon on Fantastic Four (1967 TV series). Perrin is the voice of Hawkman on Filmations, The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure and Aquaman (TV series) yet another villain, Sinestro, who is the nemesis of the Green Lantern, along with voicing Dr. Starns, Turkish Engineer, Brain Creature, Professor Reed and Frankenstein's Monster on Challenge of the Superfriends. Perrin voiced Namor and Caesar Cicero on Spider-Man (1981 TV series). Perrin provided the voice of Thor, Zerona's Soldier and Black Knight on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends as well as additional voices on The New Fantastic Four, Spider-Woman and The Incredible Hulk (1982 TV series). Perrin voiced Ming the Merciless on the 1982 television film Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All produced by Filmation. Perrin voiced Teetor on the 1984 animated musical film Gallavants produced by Marvel Productions. In 1986 Perrin reprised his voice role as Dr. Zin on The New Adventures of Jonny Quest. Other Hanna-Barbera shows Perrin has provided additional voices on are the live-action and animated fantasy television series The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as Castway Charlie, Centaur, Doorgah, High Priest, Rabbit and Chief, Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch! as Professor Neilsen Rockabuilt, Inch High, Private Eye, These Are the Days, Clue Club, Jabberjaw, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels as Mummy, Brackish and Professor Pryce, Jana of the Jungle, Super Friends (1980 TV series) as Sailor and The Smurfs. In performances in front of the camera, Perrin portrays a voyeuristic serial killer in the 1966 Made-for-TV movie Dragnet, which served as a pilot episode for the color version of the television series, which premiered in 1967. He guest-stars too on "The Guardians", a 1981 episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and he appears in two episodes of The Twilight Zone titled: "People Are Alike All Over" and "Ring-a-Ding Girl".^{[citation needed]}

He has voice and character roles in three classic 1967 Star Trek episodes. In the series' first-season episode "Arena," he is the voice of the Metrons, an alien species. He appears as well in the second-season episode "Mirror, Mirror", portraying the head of the ruling council on Halka, a planet of pacifists. Also in the second season, in the episode "The Changeling", he is the voice of Nomad, a space probe.^{[citation needed]}

Other professional activities[]

For many years Perrin narrated dozens of science and educational short films for educational filmmaking pioneer Sy Wexler and continued to do voice-overs and to play character roles until a short time before his death.^[7]

Perrin was active in off-camera work in television commercials, prompting one newspaper article to include the comment "Vic Perrin is one actor who makes more money when he's not seen on camera than when he is."^[10] He was also the original voice narrator for Disney's Epcot Center attraction: Spaceship Earth in Orlando, Florida. Vic Perrin also narrated two movies in the original Epcot Center Universe of Energy pavilion: "Kinetic Energy" and "Energy Creation Story".

Personal life and death[]

He was first married to Evelyn Held on March 10, 1963. Evelyn died in 1972 and they had no children. He married for a second time to Rita Singer in 1977 and had a son, George. He also had a stepson, Steven, from Rita's previous marriage. Perrin and Rita divorced in January 1979, but remarried soon after in September 1979.^[8][11]

Perrin died of cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center^[12] in Los Angeles, California, July 4, 1989, aged 73.^[5][7]

Filmography[]

 Everett Jones-Victim

References and notes[]

External links[]

• Vic Perrin at IMDb
• Vic Perrin at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• Vic Perrin as the Control Voice on "Outer Limits" on YouTube
• Vic Perrin at Find a Grave
• Vic Perrin profile, Aveleyman.com