- “It's got a charm all of its own.”
- ― Michael Angelis on Thomas & Friends[1]
Nicolas Michael Angelis (29 April 1944 – 30 May 2020) was a British actor, who was best known for his 21-year stint as a Thomas & Friends narrator, being the longest holder of the role in the English dub. He narrated the third through sixteenth series for the UK. He also recorded six American episodes on the New Friends for Thomas and Other Adventures DVD, and the first six Railway Stories CDs, as well as other miscellaneous merchandise and promos.
Biography
Angelis appeared in many British television programmes, such as The Liver Birds, Reilly: Ace of Spies, Minder, Sweet Medicine, A & E, Merseybeat, A Touch of Frost, Boys from the Blackstuff, Midsomer Murders, The Bill, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, I Woke Up One Morning, George and Mildred, Z Cars and Good Cop.
He had an older brother, Paul Angelis, and was married to Helen Worth, an actor in the long-running soap Coronation Street, from 1991 until 2001. He later married model Jennifer Khalastchi.
Incidentally, Paul provided the voice of Ringo Starr, the previous narrator of Thomas & Friends in the UK and US, in the Beatles' animated film "Yellow Submarine".
Angelis was originally cast James and Percy in Thomas and the Magic Railroad, but was later replaced by Susan Roman and Linda Ballantyne respectively because the American test audience thought that he made the characters sound, "too old".
Angelis also starred in various television adverts, including Stones Bitter, the Post Office, McDonald's, Kellogg's Rice Krispies and Think Road Safety Campaigns.
Angelis also narrated John Peel's autobiography, Margrave of the Marshes, on BBC Radio 4 in 2005, later released by AudioGO. In 2006 he starred in the film, "Fated", set in his hometown of Liverpool, as well as in episodes of "Midsomer Murders" and "The Bill" in 2007.
In September 2011, he participated in the BBC Radio 4 programme The Reunion talking with other cast members about his roles in the landmark 1980's drama series Boys from the Blackstuff.
Angelis died of a heart attack in his home at the age of 76 on 30 May 2020.[2]
Voices
UK
- Thomas (Railway Adventures only)
- Harold (Railway Adventures only)
- Sir Topham Hatt (Railway Adventures only)
UK/US
- Dilly (Donald's Duck)
- James (Thomas and the Magic Railroad; original workprints only)
- Percy (Thomas and the Magic Railroad; original workprints only)
- Splatter and Dodge (Thomas and the Magic Railroad; original workprints only)
- Troublesome Trucks (eighth-twelfth series)
Filmography
Film
Television
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Trivia
- Some redubbed episodes from foreign dubs of the television series credit Michael Angelis.
- In addition to his initial roles as James and Percy, Angelis can also be heard in the leaked workprint for Thomas and the Magic Railroad performing temp voiceovers for Splatter and Dodge alongside their also cut-voice actor Patrick Breen.
- Angelis and George Carlin were the last narrators to narrate Railway Series-based episodes until Mark Moraghan, as there were no more adaptations until 2015's The Adventure Begins. He was also the last UK narrator to narrate said adaptations for the model era, with George Carlin being the last one doing so in the US.
- Angelis is also the only narrator to narrate for both the Thomas & Friends television series and The Railway Series.
- He was not credited in the intro for any fifth series episodes for unknown reasons.
- Michael Angelis attended the Blue Carpet UK premiere event for Hero of the Rails on 26th September 2009.
- Because the third series was broadcast with George Carlin's narration on Channel 2 as part of Shining Time Station, New Zealand audiences did not get to hear Michael Angelis' narration until 1997, nearly six years after the UK and nearly five years after Australia.
- Michael Angelis was the only narrator for an English dub of the CGI series to not have voiced any characters.
Gallery
References