Scott Beach
Encyclopedia
Scott Beach was a popular actor
, writer
, and disc jockey
.
in The Right Stuff.
Beach's deep, resonant voice was often heard in films. He once said that director George Lucas
liked his voice and often used him in his films, beginning with THX 1138
. Beach also appeared as Mr. Gordon in American Graffiti
and provided an uncredited stormtrooper voice in Star Wars
.
Along with his acting career, Beach was a natural for radio and was on the staff of KSFO in San Francisco, California
. During a radio broadcast on January 28, 1973, he reported that the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam
had been signed on the previous day in Paris, France. That agreement, also known as the Paris Peace Accords
, ended direct U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War
. Beach concluded his report about the peace agreement by stating, "I fear that the last U.S. soldier to die in Vietnam is still alive". That "fear" became a reality on April 29, 1975. See McMahon and Judge
.
Beach twice served as the narrator in performances of Arthur Honegger's King David with the Masterworks Chorale
of San Mateo, California
, directed by Galen Marshall; he had also narrated other performances of the oratorio in both the original French and the English translation used by the Masterworks Chorale. He was the host of the San Francisco Opera
broadcasts over KKHI
during the early 1970s. Beach also provided the voice of the comic strip cat Garfield
in the character's first television appearance; he was later replaced in that role by Lorenzo Music
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
.
Biography
Born Alvin Scott Beach, he appeared in numerous motion pictures, most notably as a German scientist patterned after Wernher von BraunWernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
in The Right Stuff.
Beach's deep, resonant voice was often heard in films. He once said that director George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
liked his voice and often used him in his films, beginning with THX 1138
THX 1138
THX 1138 is a 1971 science fiction film directed by George Lucas in his directorial debut. The film is based on a screenplay by Lucas and Walter Murch...
. Beach also appeared as Mr. Gordon in American Graffiti
American Graffiti
American Graffiti is a 1973 coming of age film co-written/directed by George Lucas starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and Harrison Ford...
and provided an uncredited stormtrooper voice in Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
.
Along with his acting career, Beach was a natural for radio and was on the staff of KSFO in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. During a radio broadcast on January 28, 1973, he reported that the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam
Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam
The Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam arranged a settlement which ended direct military involvement by the United States and resulted in a temporary ceasefire, the end of the Vietnam War occurring two years later. The agreement was reached at the end of the Paris Peace...
had been signed on the previous day in Paris, France. That agreement, also known as the Paris Peace Accords
Paris Peace Accords
The Paris Peace Accords of 1973 intended to establish peace in Vietnam and an end to the Vietnam War, ended direct U.S. military involvement, and temporarily stopped the fighting between North and South Vietnam...
, ended direct U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Beach concluded his report about the peace agreement by stating, "I fear that the last U.S. soldier to die in Vietnam is still alive". That "fear" became a reality on April 29, 1975. See McMahon and Judge
McMahon and Judge
Charles McMahon and Darwin Lee Judge were the last two United States servicemen killed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The two men, both U.S...
.
Beach twice served as the narrator in performances of Arthur Honegger's King David with the Masterworks Chorale
Masterworks Chorale
Masterworks Chorale is a choral ensemble based in San Mateo, California.-About Masterworks Chorale:Masterworks Chorale is one of the oldest choruses in Northern California. Founded in 1964 by Galen Marshall , and currently conducted by Dr...
of San Mateo, California
San Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
, directed by Galen Marshall; he had also narrated other performances of the oratorio in both the original French and the English translation used by the Masterworks Chorale. He was the host of the San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
broadcasts over KKHI
KKHI (defunct)
*For current station at 95.7 FM in San Francisco, see KGMZKKHI was a classical music station in San Francisco, California operating on both AM and FM .-Profile:...
during the early 1970s. Beach also provided the voice of the comic strip cat Garfield
Garfield (character)
Garfield is a fictional character and the title protagonist from the comic strip Garfield created by Jim Davis.-Personality:Garfield is an anthropomorphic ginger cat. He loves eating , and sleeping. He is teased about being overweight. He is also selfish...
in the character's first television appearance; he was later replaced in that role by Lorenzo Music
Lorenzo Music
Lorenzo Music was an American actor, voice actor, writer, television producer and musician. His best-known roles include voicing the animated cartoon cat Garfield, and Carlton the doorman on the CBS sitcom Rhoda...
.
Film credits
Beach was seen or heard in the following films:- BullittBullittBullitt is a 1968 American police procedural film starring Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Vaughn. It was directed by Peter Yates and distributed by Warner Bros. The story was adapted for the screen by Alan Trustman and Harry Kleiner, based on the 1963 novel Mute Witness by Robert L....
(1968) (uncredited) – Man - THX 1138THX 1138THX 1138 is a 1971 science fiction film directed by George Lucas in his directorial debut. The film is based on a screenplay by Lucas and Walter Murch...
(1971) (voice) – Announcer - One Is a Lonely NumberOne Is a Lonely NumberOne Is a Lonely Number is a 1972 film directed by Mel Stuart and starring Trish Van Devere, Janet Leigh and Melvyn Douglas. The story was written by Rebecca Morris and David Seltzer.-Plot:...
(1972) (as A. Scott Beach) – Amy's Lawyer Frawley King - American GraffitiAmerican GraffitiAmerican Graffiti is a 1973 coming of age film co-written/directed by George Lucas starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and Harrison Ford...
(1973) – Mr. Gordon - The Second Coming of SuzanneThe Second Coming of SuzanneThe Second Coming of Suzanne is a 1974 film directed by Michael Barry. It stars Jared Martin as an obsessed San Francisco indie film maker who hires a beautiful young woman called Suzanne to star as a female Christ in his next film...
(1974) – Reporter - The Grizzly and the TreasureThe Grizzly and the TreasureThe Grizzly and the Treasure is a 1975 film. It is narrated by an elderly man with the accent of an old woodsman or prospector of 19th century gold rushes, much in the same style as early Disney nature specials...
(1975) – Narrator - Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
(1977) (voice) (uncredited) – Stormtrooper - You're the Greatest, Charlie BrownYou're the Greatest, Charlie BrownYou're the Greatest, Charlie Brown is the 18th prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally aired on the CBS network in March 1979, making it the last Peanuts TV special of the 1970s. It has been released to DVD by Warner Home...
(1979) (TV) – Announcer (voice) - She's a Good Skate, Charlie BrownShe's a Good Skate, Charlie BrownShe's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown is the 19th prime-time animated TV specials based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz...
(1980) (TV) – Coach/Announcer (voice) - Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!) (1980) – Waiter/Baron/Driver/Tennis Announcer/English Voice/American Male (voice)
- Chu Chu and the Philly FlashChu Chu and the Philly FlashChu Chu and the Philly Flash is a 1981 comedy film starring Alan Arkin, Carol Burnett, Jack Warden, Ruth Buzzi, and Danny Aiello. It was released in 1981 by 20th Century Fox. Arkin plays a down-his-luck former baseball player and Burnett plays a Carmen Miranda-style performer...
(1981) – Harry - OutOut (film)Out was a short film produced by the United Nations Film Board on the refugee situation in Austria as a result of Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The film was conceived 28 November 1956, filming began on 3 December 1956, and the answer print was screened 4 January 1957....
(1982) – Sailor - Breach of ContractBreach of contractBreach of contract is a legal cause of action in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance....
(1982) - The Right Stuff (1983) – Wernher Von Braun
- To Be or Not to BeTo Be or Not to Be (1983 film)To Be or Not to Be is a 1983 20th Century Fox comedy-drama film directed by Alan Johnson, produced by Mel Brooks with Howard Jeffrey as executive producer and Irene Walzer as associate producer. The screenplay was written by Ronny Graham and Thomas Meehan, based on the original story by Melchior...
(1983) – Narrator - Stand by MeStand by Me (film)Stand by Me is a 1986 American drama film directed by Rob Reiner. Based on the novella The Body by Stephen King, the film takes its title from the Ben E. King song of the same name, which plays over the end credits.-Plot:...
(1986) – Mayor Grundy - Tucker: The Man and His DreamTucker: The Man and His DreamTucker: The Man and His Dream is a 1988 biographical film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Jeff Bridges. The film recounts the story of Preston Tucker and his attempt to produce and market the 1948 Tucker Sedan, which was met with scandal between the "Big Three automobile...
(1988) – Floyd D. Cerf, Banker - "Midnight CallerMidnight CallerMidnight Caller is a dramatic NBC television series created by Richard DiLello, which ran from 1988 to 1991. It was one of the first television series to address the dramatic possibilities of the then-growing phenomenon of talk radio...
– Vinnie Delano (1 episode, 1990) - Mrs. DoubtfireMrs. DoubtfireMrs. Doubtfire is a 1993 American comedy film starring Robin Williams and Sally Field and based on the novel Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine. It was directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup...
(1993) – Judge - Psychic DetectivePsychic detectiveA psychic detective is defined as a person who investigates crimes by using their claimed paranormal psychic abilities. A number of people claim they have psychic abilities that have allowed them to assist police in solving kidnapping and murder cases, or locating a corpse...
(1994) (VG) – Drunk Inmate - Getting Even with DadGetting Even with DadGetting Even With Dad is a 1994 American comedy film starring Macaulay Culkin and Ted Danson.- Plot :The movie is about a dysfunctional father-son relationship. Timmy Gleason is Ray Gleason's estranged son, who tries to blackmail his ex-con father into spending time with him...
(1994) – Wino
External links
- Photographs of Scott Beach may be found at Broadcast Legends.