He may have had a long and illustrious career in films, TV and radio, but it is fair to say Patrick Poivey, who has died in France at the age of 72, was not a familiar face to most people either in his home country or abroad.
However, as soon as he opened his mouth, Poivey became Bruce Willis, and occasionally Tom Cruise, Kyle MacLachlan, Charlie Sheen and Spike Lee, not to mention the scruffy mutt in the French version of Disney’s Lady and the Tramp.
French filmgoers prefer their movies dubbed rather than subtitled, meaning the voiceover artists are quickly associated with the international stars for whom they speak French.
Anxious not to be totally eclipsed, they even have their own annual celebration, the Voix d’Etoiles (Voice of the Stars) festival, complete with prizes.
And so, when Poivey’s death was announced on Wednesday by one of the radio stations he worked for, the tributes for his work poured in.
Poivey began his career in the theatre in the 1970s before moving into dubbing. Although he was cast in a number of full-length and short French films and appeared in TV series and on the radio, he was best known for his voiceover work.
His voice became associated with Willis after the American actor rose to fame in the 1980s TV series Moonlighting, and Poivey went on to dub Willis in all the Die Hard films.
Poivey also dubbed Cruise’s early films, including The Colour of Money, Mission Impossible and Rain Man, as well as Don Johnson in Miami Vice, Mickey Rourke in Rusty James and 9½ Weeks, and MacLachlan in Twin Peaks and Sex and the City. He was also the voice of Adam Carrington in the hit TV series Dynasty.
“Bruce Willis has lost his voice. Patrick Poivey has gone,” wrote Yohan Roblin, a French sports journalist, on Twitter. “He was immediately recognisable as that voice, which accompanied my childhood.”