Redd Pepper
Encyclopedia
Redd Pepper is a voice actor notable for his work providing theatrical trailers
for movies such as Amistad
, The Blair Witch Project
, Men in Black
and Boogie Nights
. His vocal style is similar to that of Don LaFontaine
.
Born in Barbados, Pepper moved to London
when he was young with his six sisters and three brothers. He attended Sedghill Secondary School in South East London. His first job was at a McDonalds restaurant after which he spent six months as a fireman
and then became a train driver on the London Underground
.
It was in 1996 that a television executive passenger on one of his trains offered him his card and asked him to call him. After providing numerous voiceovers for TV channels and adverts, he began doing movie trailers
with his first being Space Jam
in 1996. He also voiced Mike Leroi/Shadow Man in the video game Shadow Man
.
He came to prominence following his voice-over work for Armageddon and Independence Day
when he was mistaken for Hollywood voice artist Don LaFontaine
.
Asked if he missed being a Tube driver, he responded "Listen, I make £3,000 to £4,000 per movie trailer. What do you think?"
He is also a stage actor, having appeared in an Edinburgh Festival
production of Jeffrey Archer's Prison Diaries
.
Recent work includes a long-standing relationship with the Chris Moyles
Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 1
, where Pepper provides idents and voiceovers for various segments of the show. On the 24th December 2010, he was in a celebrity version of BBC's Eggheads show.
Trailer (film)
A trailer or preview is an advertisement or a commercial for a feature film that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema. The term "trailer" comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a feature film screening. That practice did not last long, because patrons tended to leave the...
for movies such as Amistad
Amistad
"Amistad" is a Spanish noun meaning "friendship". It may refer to:Ships* Amistad/Amitie, an 18th century schooner that transported Acadians from France to Louisiana....
, The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur...
, Men in Black
Men in Black (film)
Men in Black is a 1997 science fiction comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith and Vincent D'Onofrio. The film was based on the Men in Black comic book series by Lowell Cunningham, originally published by Marvel Comics. The film featured the creature effects...
and Boogie Nights
Boogie Nights
Boogie Nights is a 1997 drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley, the script focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornographic films, and chronicles his rise and fall from the Golden Age of Porn of the 1970s...
. His vocal style is similar to that of Don LaFontaine
Don LaFontaine
Donald Leroy "Don" LaFontaine was an American voiceover artist famous for recording more than 5,000 film trailers and hundreds of thousands of television advertisements, network promotions, and video game trailers. His nicknames included "Thunder Throat" and "The Voice of God"...
.
Born in Barbados, Pepper moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
when he was young with his six sisters and three brothers. He attended Sedghill Secondary School in South East London. His first job was at a McDonalds restaurant after which he spent six months as a fireman
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
and then became a train driver on the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
.
- He got bored very easily, and to spice things up, he used to stop the train between stations, turn off the lights and start talking on the loudspeaker system. "I used to say stuff like: 'This is your driver speaking... or is it?' in a really spooky voice"
It was in 1996 that a television executive passenger on one of his trains offered him his card and asked him to call him. After providing numerous voiceovers for TV channels and adverts, he began doing movie trailers
Trailer (film)
A trailer or preview is an advertisement or a commercial for a feature film that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema. The term "trailer" comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a feature film screening. That practice did not last long, because patrons tended to leave the...
with his first being Space Jam
Space Jam
Aside from Jordan, a number of NBA players and coaches appeared in the film. Larry Bird portrays a friend of Jordan who joins him for a game of golf. When the Monstars steal the NBA players' talent, they invade a game between the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks, causing the Knicks' Patrick...
in 1996. He also voiced Mike Leroi/Shadow Man in the video game Shadow Man
Shadow Man (video game)
Shadow Man is a video game developed by Acclaim Studios Teesside and published by Acclaim Entertainment. It was designed by Guy Miller and Simon Phipps and is loosely based on the Shadowman comic book series published by Valiant Comics. The game was released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64,...
.
He came to prominence following his voice-over work for Armageddon and Independence Day
Independence Day (film)
Independence Day is a 1996 science fiction film about an alien invasion of Earth, focusing on a disparate group of individuals and families as they converge in the Nevada desert and, along with the rest of the human population, participate in a last-chance counterattack on July 4 – the same...
when he was mistaken for Hollywood voice artist Don LaFontaine
Don LaFontaine
Donald Leroy "Don" LaFontaine was an American voiceover artist famous for recording more than 5,000 film trailers and hundreds of thousands of television advertisements, network promotions, and video game trailers. His nicknames included "Thunder Throat" and "The Voice of God"...
.
Asked if he missed being a Tube driver, he responded "Listen, I make £3,000 to £4,000 per movie trailer. What do you think?"
He is also a stage actor, having appeared in an Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
production of Jeffrey Archer's Prison Diaries
A Prison Diary
A Prison Diary is a series of three books of diaries written by Jeffrey Archer during his time in prisons following his convictions for perjury and perverting the course of justice.Each volume is named after the parts of Dante's The Divine Comedy...
.
Recent work includes a long-standing relationship with the Chris Moyles
Chris Moyles
Christopher David Moyles is an English radio and television presenter and author, who currently presents The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 and Chris Moyles' Quiz Night on Channel 4....
Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, where Pepper provides idents and voiceovers for various segments of the show. On the 24th December 2010, he was in a celebrity version of BBC's Eggheads show.
External links
- artist profile from the British Film InstituteBritish Film InstituteThe British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
- artist profile from IMDB
- artist profile from Harvey Voices