Douglas James Rain (May 9, 1928 – November 11, 2018) was a Canadian actor and narrator. Although primarily a stage actor, he is perhaps best known for his voicing of the HAL 9000 computer in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and its sequel 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984).
Douglas Rain | |
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Born | Douglas James Rain May 9, 1928 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
Died | November 11, 2018 St. Marys, Ontario, Canada | (aged 90)
Alma mater | University of Manitoba Banff School of Fine Arts Old Vic Theatre School |
Occupation(s) | 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 |
Rain was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the son of Mary, a nurse, and James Rain, a rail yard switchman, both from Glasgow, Scotland.[1]
Rain 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] He 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]
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] In the film, his voice was also sometimes processed with an electronic device called the Eltro information rate changer.
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.[10]
Rain was married twice (first to Lois Shaw and then to Martha Henry, who is also an actress on stage, film and television) and had three children and a grandchild. He died on November 11, 2018, at the age of 90 at St. Mary's Memorial Hospital in St. Marys, Ontario of natural causes.[11][12] [13]