Dick Tufeld

Richard Norton Tufeld (December 11, 1926 – January 22, 2012) was an American actor, announcer, narrator and voice actor from the late 1940s until the early 21st century. He was a well-known presence on television as an announcer, but his most famous role was as the voice of the Robot in the television series Lost in Space.

Dick Tufeld
Born(1926-12-11)December 11, 1926
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 22, 2012(2012-01-22) (aged 85)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeMount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery
Alma materNorthwestern University
OccupationVoice actor
Years active1945–2004
Spouse(s)
Adrienne Tufeld
​
​
(m. 1948; died 2004)​
ChildrenBruce Tufeld

Early life

Born in Los Angeles, California, to a Russian father and a Canadian mother,[1] he spent his childhood in Pasadena, California. Tufeld attended the Northwestern University School of Communication, then known as the university's School of Speech. In 1945, he obtained a job as an engineer at KLAC, a radio station in Los Angeles.[2]

Career

Tufeld's voice career began in radio. He was the announcer on ABC's The Amazing Mr. Malone in early 1950 (before the show moved to New York and NBC); then on Alan Reed's Falstaff's Fables, a five-minute ABC radio program that began in the fall of 1950. From October 25, 1952 to March 19, 1955, Tufeld was the announcer for the entire run of ABC Radio's Space Patrol.

Tufeld moved to television in 1955,[2] working in ABC daytime programming and anchoring The Three Star Final, a 15-minute newscast on KABC-TV, Los Angeles. It debuted on October 3, 1955 at noon (replacing Wrangler Jim), then moved to 11 p.m. on April 2, 1956.

Tufeld was often heard as the announcer on Disney television shows, including the 1957–1959 series Zorro starring future Lost in Space lead Guy Williams. He had periods as the house announcer on two ABC variety series, The Hollywood Palace and The Julie Andrews Hour.

In 1954, he was cast in assorted roles in fifteen episodes of Gene Autry Productions's syndicated television series, Annie Oakley, which starred Gail Davis and Brad Johnson.

Tufeld is perhaps best known as the voice of the B9 Robot in the CBS television series Lost in Space, a role he reprised for the 1998 feature film. He also provided narrations for many other Irwin Allen productions, such as ABC's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and The Time Tunnel, and did voice work for the 1978 animated television series Fantastic Four. He narrated several episodes of Thundarr the Barbarian (1980). He was the main title narrator on the 1979 DePatie-Freleng series, Spider-Woman, as well as the main title announcer on the 1981 Marvel Productions show Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.[3][4]

Personal life, death and legacy

Tufeld was married to Adrienne Tufeld (1948–2004, her death), and commissioned a home by architect Gregory Ain in 1952.[5]

Tufeld died in 2012 of congestive heart failure.[6] His son, Bruce Tufeld, was a talent agent; he died in 2019.[7]

References
  1. Dick Tufeld, Robot Voice in TV's 'Lost in Space,' Dies at 85, The New York Times
  2. Anthony Hayward "Dick Tufeld: Actor who voiced Robbie the Robot in 'Lost in Space'", The Independent, 28 February 2012
  3. Minovitz, Ethan (24 January 2012). "Dick Tufeld, 85, voiced robot on "Lost in Space"". Big Cartoon News. Archived from the original on 2 December 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  4. Variety Staff (24 January 2012). "Dick Tufeld dies at 85, Radio, TV announcer was voice of 'Lost in Space' robot". Variety. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  5. Denzer, Anthony (2008). Gregory Ain: The Modern Home as Social Commentary. Rizzoli Publications. ISBN 978-0-8478-3062-6. Archived from the original on 2008-06-17. Retrieved 2013-07-09.
  6. Noland, Claire (2012-01-25). "Dick Tufeld dies at 85; actor who intoned 'Danger, Will Robinson!'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
  7. Hipes, Patrick (January 16, 2019). "Bruce Tufeld Dies: Hollywood Agent And Manager Was 66". Deadline. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
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