The actor Jim Dale found another late success in America as the audio voice of Harry Potter. He hass recorded all the books in the series (Stephen Fry does it in the UK) and is in Guinness World Records for creating the voices of 134 characters in one book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. He says: “Whether I like it or not I will be remembered for these recordings. Why not? How lovely to be remembered as the voice of Harry Potter.” He says it takes an hour to record twenty pages, and an average of ten days to complete. Born in Rothwell, Northamptonshire, he won a talent show, and later appeared in 11 Carry On films. He starred on Broadway in Barnum where he did all his own stunts. He was disappointed not to get the part in the London transfer, which went to Michael Crawford. This year he returned to Broadway in the Brecht-Weill musical The Threepenny Opera, which closed in June after 77 performances. He says: “Not knowing what I’m doing next is an absolute freedom for me to do what I want.” He lives in New York with his second wife, but returns often to London where he visits his grandchildren. Jim Dale is 71 today.
RGT
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