Paul Soles
Paul Soles | |
---|---|
Born | Paul Robert Soles August 11, 1930 |
Died | May 26, 2021 Toronto, Ontario, Canada | (aged 90)
Occupation(s) | Actor, television personality |
Years active | 1953–2021 |
Paul Robert Soles (August 11, 1930 – May 26, 2021) was a Canadian character actor, voice artist and television personality. He voiced the title character in Spider-Man (1967), and portrayed Hermey in the 1964 television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer; Soles was one of the last surviving participants of the special's voice cast.
Soles first screen appearance was on CFPL in 1953, and he continued to perform over 60 years later, performing as of 2016 in the comedy web series My 90-Year-Old Roommate on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's online comedy channel, CBC Comedy.[1][2]
Early life
Soles was born in Toronto, the son of Lillian (Goodfellow) and Arthur L. Soles. His family were Jewish emigrants from Poland and Lithuania.[3] He had two siblings.
Soles is the cousin of Bernard "Bunny" Cowan, and they both worked on the original 1960s Spider-Man animated series and the 1967 children's series Max, the 2000-Year-Old Mouse.[1][4]
Career
Acting roles
Soles was the voice of Hermey the misfit elf in Rankin/Bass'
Soles won a 2006
Voice work
Soles also did voices on various animated television shows and films such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Rocket Robin Hood, The Smokey Bear Show, The Little Brown Burro, King of the Beasts, The Marvel Super Heroes, the original Spider-Man cartoon, The Trolls and the Christmas Express, Take Me Up to the Ball Game, Willy McBean and His Magic Machine, Festival of Family Classics, JoJo's Circus, The Reluctant Dragon & Mr. Toad Show, Noah's Animals, Iron Man, The King Kong Show, and Spider-Woman.
Soles was also the narrator of The Wonderful Stories of Professor Kitzel, the voice of The Commissioner in the 2005 animated television series Funpak and has also supplied the voice of Dr. Reboux in the 2005 animated film version of the Johanna Spyri novel Heidi.
Soles also voiced the
In 2011, Soles started voicing the recurring character Maxwell Finnwich on Detentionaire and he voiced a character, Barnabas Dinklelot, in the 2017-2018 animated series, Mysticons.[9]
Television hosting
He was the host of the short-lived CBC Television late-night comedy talk show Canada After Dark, and co-hosted the public affairs show Take 30 for 18 seasons with hosts such as Anna Cameron and Adrienne Clarkson. He also hosted the CFPL television game show Take Your Choice for one year in the early 1960s.[6]
Documentary producer
Paul Soles was also a producer of documentaries while he was an on-air talent at CFPL-TV in London, Ontario. He worked on a series called, The World Around Us, and travelled with film crews in Great Britain in the early 1960s, filming many aspects of British life. He even got on a soap-box in Hyde Park in London to speak his mind. Soles has worked with people like Dennis Goulden (a long-time documentarian who still produces television specials in the States) and Jim Plant and Tom Ashwell and Jon Boynton.
Death
Soles died of natural causes in his sleep at his home in Toronto, Ontario, on May 26, 2021, at the age of 90.[10][11]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1965 | Willy McBean and His Magic Machine | Pablo the Monkey, King Ferdinand (voice) | |
1981 | Ticket to Heaven | Morley | |
1983 | The Magic Show | Manny | |
The Gunrunner
|
Leobman | ||
1984 | Just the Way You Are | Arthur Berlanger | |
1987 | The Last Straw | [citation needed] | |
1988 | Family Reunion | Morris | |
1990 | Falling Over Backwards | Harvey | |
1991 | A Star for Two | [citation needed] | |
1992 | Beethoven Lives Upstairs | Mr. Schindler | |
1993 | The Lotus Eaters | Tobias Spittle | |
1994 | Trial by Jury | Mr. Kriegsberg, Juror | |
1998 | Shadow Builder | Mr. Butterman | |
1999 | Teen Knight | Mr. Percy, Perceval | |
Hidden Agenda | Wilhelm Engelmann | ||
The Five Senses | Mr. Bernstein | ||
2001 | The Score | Danny | |
2004 | Siblings | Grandpa | |
2005 | Heidi | Doctor Reboux (voice) | |
2006 | My First Wedding | Harry | |
2008 | Adoration | Passenger, Professor On-Line | |
The Incredible Hulk | Stanley | ||
2016 | The Second Time Around | Marvin | Final film role |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1964 | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer | Hermey (voice) | Stop-motion TV special |
1966 | Charlie Had One But He Didn't Like It, So He Gave It To Us | Himself | |
1967–1970 | Spider-Man | Dr. Curtis Conner , Prison guard, Thug #2 (voice)
|
|
1967–1992 | Max, the 2000-Year-Old Mouse | Max (voice) | |
1979 | Spider-Woman | Peter Parker / Spider-Man | Guest star; 2 episodes |
References
- ^ a b Wise, Wyndham. "Soles, Paul". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
- ^ Reid, Regan (5 April 2016). "CBC orders 10 episodes of My 90-Year-Old Roommate for Punchline". Playback. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
- ^ Ahearn, Victoria (31 May 2021). "Actor Paul Soles, who voiced lead role in 1960s animated Spider-Man series, dies at 90". The Globe and Mail.
- ISBN 978-1-55002-659-7.
- ^ "Paul Soles (profile)". Northern Stars. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- ^ London Free Press. Archived from the originalon 14 December 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- ^ "CBC web series score wins as Canadian Screen Awards celebrate all things digital". CBC News. 10 March 2017.
- ^ "The Colours of My Father: A Portrait of Sam Borenstein". National Film Board of Canada. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012.
- ^ "Paul Soles". Behind the Voice Actors. 14 November 2020. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ComicBook.com. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
- ^ "Paul SOLES Obituary (1930-2021) - Toronto, ON - The Globe and Mail". Legacy.com.
External links
- Paul Soles at IMDb
- Entry at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
- Paul Soles discography at Discogs