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{{Infobox person
| name = Olan Soule
| image = OlansouleOlan Soule in One Step Beyond (Earthquake).jpg
| caption = Soule in the TV series ''[[:en:Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond|One Step Beyond]]'', episode ''Earthquake'', 1961
| birth_name = OlanAlan Evart Soule {{cn|date=June 2023}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1909|2|28|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[La Harpe, Illinois]], US
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| years_active = 1926–1991
| spouse = Norma Elizabeth Miller (m. 1929-1992; her death)
| children = 12 (Jo Ann and Jon)<ref>https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-02-04-mn-18941-story.html </ref>
}}
 
'''Olan Evart Soule''' (February 28, 1909{{Citation needed |date=May 2023}} &ndash; February 1, 1994) was an American actor, who had professional credits in nearly 7,000 radio shows and commercials, appearances in 200 television series and [[television film]]s, and in over 60 films.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/05/obituaries/olan-soule-84-big-voiced-actor-who-played-thousands-of-roles.html "Olan Soule,"] 84, Big-Voiced Actor Who Played Thousands of Roles," ''New York Times'', February 5, 1994. Retrieved April 21, 2017.</ref> Soule's voice work on television included his 15-year role (1968&ndash;1983) as [[Batman]] on several animated series that were either devoted to or involving the fictional "[[Dark Knight (nickname)|Dark Knight]]" superhero.{{Citation needed |date=April 2021}}
 
==Early life==
Born in 1909 as Alan Evart Soule in [[La Harpe, Illinois]], to Elbert and Ann (Williams) Soule (descendants of three ''[[Mayflower]]'' passengers), Olanhe left Illinois at the age of seven and arrived in [[Des Moines, Iowa]], where he lived until he was seventeen. He then launched his theatrical career by joining Jack Brooks' tent show in [[Sabula, Iowa|Sabula, Jackson County, Iowa]].<ref name=Olan>Dunning, John. ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio''. Oxford University Press, 1998; {{ISBN|0-19-507678-8}}</ref>
 
==Career==
{{Moresources|section|date=June 2023}}
===Radio===
After leaving the tent show, Soule appeared on stage in [[Chicago]] for seven years before moving to radio in 1933, including a stint on ''[[Chandu the Magician (radio)|Chandu the Magician]]'' (1935–36). On radio he performed for eleven years in the daytime soap opera ''[[Bachelor's Children]]''.
 
Beginning in 1943, he played lead male characters on radio's famed ''[[The First Nighter Program]]'' for nine years. Listeners of ''First Nighter'' who met Soule in person were often surprised, since his slight 135-pound frame did not seem to match the voices he gave to his characters. From 1941 on, Soule had the role of L. William Kelly, SS-11, the second in command of the Secret Squadron on the ''[[Captain Midnight]]'' radio adventure serial.<ref name="Olan"/>
 
When ''[[Captain Midnight]]'' became a television series in the 1950s, Soule was known as SQ-3, behind [[Captain Midnight]] himself and Ichabod Mudd "with two D's". He also had a regular part on [[Lee Hansen]]'s 1970s and 1980s science fiction radio drama ''[[Alien Worlds (radio)|Alien Worlds]]''.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}}
 
===Television and films===
Concluding his nine-year run on ''First Nighter'', Soule moved to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], where he appeared in films and television shows, building a reputation as a reliable [[character actor]]. Soule said "Because of my build and glasses, I've mostly played lab technicians, newscasters and railroad clerks."<ref>[https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1994-02-04-9402040099-story.html "Olan Soule, 84, Actor Known for Different Voices", ''Los Angeles Times'', February 4, 1994]</ref>
He played a telegraph operator in "Wanted: Dead or Alive" S2 E7 "The Empty Cell" which aired 10/16/1959.
 
He appeared as Mr. Krull, a boarding house resident in ''[[The Day The Earth Stood Still]]''. He also acted in many [[television series]]: ''[[The Donald O'Connor Show]]'' (as a semi-regular), ''[[Captain Midnight]]'' (as scientist Aristotle "Tut" Jones), ''[[I Love Lucy]]'', several appearances as a hotel clerk and choir director John Masters on ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'', and a semi-regular role as real-life LAPD [[criminalist]] Ray Pinker on the original TV and radio version of ''[[Dragnet (franchise)|Dragnet]]'', and as the slightly renamed but essentially identical LAPD criminalist Ray Murray on the 1967 revival version. He played many different television roles in [[Jack Webb]]'s [[Mark VII Productions]] including ''Dragnet'', ''[[Adam-12]]'', ''[[Emergency!]]'' and ''[[Project U.F.O.]]''.
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In between the two ''Dragnet'' gigs, he had a similar semi-regular role on another [[LAPD]]-based TV series, ''[[The New Breed (TV series)|The New Breed]]'', as an unnamed "lab technician." He also made six appearances on ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'', mostly as a court clerk, but also as a bank employee and water company official. He made at least two appearances on ''[[Petticoat Junction]]''. In both, the 1967 episode "Shoplifter at the Shady Rest" and the 1968 episode "Mae's Helping Hand", he played Mr. Benson. In addition, he appeared several times as the clerk of the Carlton Hotel, the San Francisco residence of the character Paladin, in the TV series, ''[[Have Gun - Will Travel]]''.
 
The list of Soule's supporting and starring roles is long. Some include ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'', ''[[The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]'', ''[[The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show]]'', ''[[The Jack Benny Program]]'', ''[[I Love Lucy]]'', ''[[The Danny Thomas Show]]'', ''[[Dennis the Menace (1959 TV series)|Dennis the Menace]]'', ''[[The Tab Hunter Show]]'', ''[[The Real McCoys]]'', ''[[The Beverly Hillbillies]]'', ''[[Mister Ed]]'', ''[[City Detective (TV series)|City Detective]]'', ''[[Behind Closed Doors (1958 TV series)|Behind Closed Doors]]'', ''[[Dante (TV series)|Dante]]'', ''[[Harrigan and Son]]'', ''[[Hennesey]]'', ''[[State Trooper (TV series)|State Trooper]]'', ''[[Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond|One Step Beyond]]'', ''[[The Restless Gun]]'', ''[[The Rebel (American TV series)|The Rebel]]'', ''[[Wanted: Dead or Alive (TV series)|Wanted: Dead or Alive]]'', ''[[My Favorite Martian]]'', ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'', ''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]'', ''[[Bewitched]]'', ''[[Pete and Gladys]]'', ''[[The Addams Family]]'', ''[[The Munsters]]'', ''[[Johnny Ringo (TV series)|Johnny Ringo]]'', ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]'', ''[[Gunsmoke#Television version|Gunsmoke]]'', ''[[Happy (1960 TV series)|Happy]]'', ''[[Bonanza]]'', ''[[The Jean Arthur Show]]'', ''[[Laramie (TV series)|Laramie]]'', ''[[The Monkees (TV series)|The Monkees]]'', ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]'', ''[[The Six Million Dollar Man]]'', ''[[Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)|Buck Rogers in the 25th Century]]'', ''[[Fantasy Island (1977 TV series)|Fantasy Island]]'', ''[[Little House on the Prairie (TV series)|Little House on the Prairie]]'', ''[[Dallas (1978 TV series)|Dallas]]'' and ''[[Simon & Simon]]''. He was the only actor who performed on both the ''[[Captain Midnight]]'' radio and television shows.<ref name=Soule>{{cite web |url=http://www.playbrass.com/kingspud/sel_by_actor_index_2.php?actor_first=Olan&actor_last=Soule |title=Great Character Actors: Olan Soule |access-date=2012-09-03 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715093045/http://www.playbrass.com/kingspud/sel_by_actor_index_2.php?actor_first=Olan&actor_last=Soule |archive-date=July 15, 2011 }}</ref>
 
===Batman===
Soule is remembered by many for providing the voice of [[Batman]] in several animated series. He first performed as the Caped Crusader on the 1968 [[Filmation]]-produced ''[[The Batman/Superman Hour]]''.<ref>{{cite news|title= Voices in the Knight|work= IGN|url= http://uk.dvd.ign.com/articles/106/1068525p1.html|access-date=2010-08-15}}</ref> He reprised his role as Batman on ''[[The New Scooby-Doo Movies]]'', ''[[Sesame Street]]'' (1970), ''[[Super Friends (1973 TV series)|Super Friends]]'' (1973), ''[[The All-New Super Friends Hour]]'', ''[[Challenge of the Super FriendsSuperfriends]]'', ''[[The World's Greatest Super Friends]]'', and ''[[Super Friends (1980)|Super Friends]]'' (1980). He appeared as a newscaster on the live-action [[Batman (TV series)|''Batman'']] television series (in the episode "The Pharaoh's in a Rut") with his ''Super Friends'' successor, [[Adam West]]. Although Soule eventually gave back the Batman mantle to the man who portrayed him in live-action, he continued to contribute to the ''[[Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show]]'' series, providing the voice of Professor [[Martin Stein]], mentor and [[subconscious]] of fledgling hero [[Firestorm (comics)|Firestorm]].<ref name="Soule"/>
 
===Other voice-over work===
Soule provided the voice of Master Taj in the English-dubbed version of the cult 1973 film ''[[Fantastic Planet]]'' in addition to his work as [[Batman]].
 
== Personal life and deathDeath ==
On February 1, 1994, aged 84, Soule died four weeks before his 85th birthday of [[lung cancer]] in [[Corona, California]], at the home of his daughter, Joann, and son-in-law, Dr. David Henriksen.<ref>{{cite news|title=Olan Soule, 84, Big-Voiced Actor Who Played Thousands of Roles|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/05/obituaries/olan-soule-84-big-voiced-actor-who-played-thousands-of-roles.html|access-date=18 February 18, 2014|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 5 February, 1994}}</ref> His burial took place at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]] in [[Hollywood Hills]], Los Angeles.{{Citation needed |date=September 2021}}▼
Soule married Norma Elizabeth Miller on September 29, 1929. They had two children and were married for 63 years, until Norma's death on July 1, 1992. His daughter Joann was also an actress, under the name of Sydney Soule. Soule was a 32-degree Mason as well as a member of the Los Angeles Show Business Shrine Club (Al Malikah).{{Citation needed |date=April 2021}}
 
▲On February 1, 1994, Soule died four weeks before his 85th birthday of [[lung cancer]] in [[Corona, California]], at the home of his daughter Joann and son-in-law, Dr. David Henriksen.<ref>{{cite news|title=Olan Soule, 84, Big-Voiced Actor Who Played Thousands of Roles|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/05/obituaries/olan-soule-84-big-voiced-actor-who-played-thousands-of-roles.html|access-date=18 February 2014|newspaper=The New York Times|date=5 February 1994}}</ref> His burial took place at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]] in [[Hollywood Hills]], Los Angeles.{{Citation needed |date=September 2021}}
 
{{Portal|Biography|Illinois|Iowa|Chicago|Los Angeles|California|Theatre|Radio|Film|Television}}
 
==Selected filmography==
{{Div col}}
* ''[[It's a Great Feeling]]'' (1949) - Flack (uncredited)
* ''[[Destination Big House]]'' (1950) - Ralph Newell
* ''[[Cuban Fireball]]'' (1951) - Jimmy
* ''[[The Atomic City]]'' (1952) - Mortie Fenton
* ''[[Francis Joins the WACS]]'' (1954) - Capt.Captain Creavy, Psychiatrist
* ''[[Dragnet (1954 film)|Dragnet]]'' (1954) - Ray Pinker
* ''[[Cult of the Cobra]]'' (1955) - Major Martin Fielding
* ''[[-30- (film)|-30-]]'' (1959) - Vince, the sports editor
* ''[[The Bubble (1966 film)|The Bubble]]'' (1966) - Watch Repairman
* ''[[The Destructors (film)|The Destructors]]'' (1968) - Mace
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* ''[[The Shaggy D.A.]]'' (1976) - Bar Patron
* ''[[Homicide (1991 film)|Homicide]]'' (1991) - Crime Scene Technician (final film role)
{{div col end}}
 
==Selected Televisiontelevision roles==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|-
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!scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1955
| ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]''
| ▼
| Chemist
| Season 1 Episode 8: "Our Cook's a Treasure"
| ▼
▲|-
| 1956
| ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]''
| Art Dealer
| Season 1 Episode 28: "Portrait of Jocelyn"
▲| -
| 1958
| ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]''
| Stagehand (uncredited)
| Season 3 Episode 39: "Little White Frock"
|-
| 1959
| ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]''
| Bookstore Clerk (uncredited)
| Season 5 Episode 14: "Graduating Class"
|-
| 1959
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| Simon Denton
| Season 3, Episode 8 "To the Victor"
|-
| 1961
| ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]''
| Darlene's Daddy
| Season 7 Episode 2: "Bang! You're Dead"
|-
| 1961
Line 100 ⟶ 116:
| Clerk
| Season 3, Episode 24 "The Long Search"
|-
|1961|| ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]'' || Bartender || S3:E22, "Incident in the Middle of Nowhere"
|-
| 1962
| ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]''
| Brother Fish
| Season 7 Episode 17: "The Faith of Aaron Menefee"
|-
| 1962
| ''[[The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]''
| Bill the Neighbor
| Season 1 Episode 11: "Ride the Nightmare"
|-
| 1963
| ''[[The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]''
| Court Clerk (uncredited)
| Season 1 Episode 15: "The Thirty-First of February"
|-
| 1965
| ''[[My Favorite Martian]]''
| Daniel Farrow
| Season 2, Episode 32 "Martin's Favorite Martian"
|-
| 1965
| ''[[Gunsmoke]]''
| Barber
| Season 11, Episode 14 "The AvengerAvengers"
|-
|1967|| ''[[The Monkees (TV series)|The Monkees]]'' || Waiter || S1:E30, "Monkees in Manhattan"
|-
|1968
| ''[[The Virginian (TV series)]]''
|Sidney Glodder
|saison 7 episode 13 ''(Big Tiny)''
|-
|}
 
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==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.speakingofradio.com/interviews/soule-olan-1989-actor/ 1989 interview with Olan Soule on the radio show ''Those Were the Days''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411073216/http://www.speakingofradio.com/interviews/soule-olan-1989-actor/ |date=2020-04-11 }}
* {{IMDb name|id=0815825}}
* {{Find a Grave|10118}}
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