Mark Elliott, a longtime voice actor known for narrating numerous Disney movie trailers and television promos and home video ads, has died, according to multiple reports. He was 81.
The Hollywood Reporter, which was first to report his passing, said Elliott did Disney voiceovers from the late 1970s to early 2000s.
"He was one of a kind … and kind is a great word to describe him," longtime friend Chris Van Dyke told THR. Van Dyke said Elliott died Saturday at a Los Angeles hospital after suffering two heart attacks. Elliott was also reportedly battling Lung Cancer.
"Mark was a true gentleMAN," said fellow voiceover actor Joe Cipriano in a Facebook post. "I’m so sad about Mark’s passing.
Cipriano added two pieces of advice Elliott gave him about the promo business: "never take a vacation and never buy a home based on voice over income."
Deadline reports Elliott was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and worked in various radio markets before becoming a voiceover artist in Los Angeles in 1970. Besides Disney, Elliott also did the trailers for "Smokey and the Bandit," "The Goodbye Girl," "Chariots of Fire" and "All the Right Moves." And in 1983, he voiced the promo for the series finale of "M*A*S*H."
Elliott and Cipriano also played themselves in the 2013 film "In A World" in which a female vocal coach (Lake Bell) tries to make it in the male-dominated world of movie trailer voiceovers.
"Though many fans only knew him as a voice we were fortunate to know him as a person. His talent was only surpassed by his generosity and kindness," Peter Verano, Elliott's rep, told USA TODAY.
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