Peter Thomas
Peter Thomas (June 28, 1924 – April 30, 2016) was an American announcer and narrator of television programs, including Nova, Forensic Files and Medical Detectives.
Peter Thomas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 28, 1924 |
| Died | April 30, 2016[1] (aged 91) Naples, Florida, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Narrator |
| Known for | Documentary and advertisement voice-over work |
| Spouse(s) | Stella (Barrineau) Thomas (m. 1946–2014, her death) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Dr. John D. Thomas Sibyl (Addenbrooke) Thomas |
Early life
Thomas was born in Pensacola, Florida,[2] to Dr. John D. Thomas and Sibyl Addenbrooke. He had two younger brothers, John and David.
Thomas began his career at fourteen as an announcer on a local radio show.[3] The station could not pay him due to his age, so they arranged for the sponsor, Piper Aircraft, to give him flying lessons in a Piper Cub.
After World War II started, Thomas left The Stony Brook School and volunteered for the United States Army in 1943. He served with the First Infantry Division in five major campaigns.[4] This included the Battle of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge.[4] He was issued a Battle star for each of the five campaigns. He was also awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the French Croix de guerre.[4]
Career
Thomas received many awards for his work. He said that one of his best was the Oscar won by a documentary he narrated, One Survivor Remembers. That documentary, produced by HBO, talks about the personal experience of Gerda Weissman Klein, who was imprisoned at the Nordhausen Concentration Camp when she was a teenager. Thomas' unit helped free the prisoners at Nordhausen. Klein and Thomas met during the making of the documentary, and again at its premiere. Thomas also participated in an HBO movie on the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, in which he fought with the 1st Infantry Division (United States). Thomas was also the narrator for a show that ran on The Discovery Channel in 1993 that was called How the West was Lost. Thomas was the narrator for the two-hour Nova episode entitled D-Day's Sunken Secrets,[5] broadcast May 28, 2014, just before the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings; he participated in the original D-Day landing on Omaha Beach.
Personal life
Thomas was married to Stella (Barrineau) Thomas until her 2014 death, and lived in Naples, Florida. He was involved in work with veterans, having served on the board of the National D-Day Memorial Foundation and in other similar roles.
He worked out of his home for recording studios all across the country. Also he continued narrating at recording studios in New York City, where he worked for most of his career. Prior to pursuing narration full-time, he was a New York anchor for CBS News.
Death
Thomas died on April 30, 2016 of natural causes at the age of 91.
References
- ↑ Batlle, Maryann. "Famed voice-over icon Peter Thomas dies at 91". naplesnews.com. Naples Daily News. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ↑ Miguel-Navarro, Tracy X. (September 8, 2007). "Now hear this: Voice-over artist Peter Thomas adding to his list of honors". Naples Daily News. http://www.naplesnews.com/news/local/now-hear-this-voice-over-artist-peter-thomas-adding-to-his-list-of-honors-ep-403534878-345180222.html. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ↑ Moon, Troy (January 26, 2015). "Pensacola narrator honored in Collier County". Pensacola News Journal. http://www.pnj.com/story/news/2015/01/26/pensacola-narrator-honored-collier-county/22349585/. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "PETER THOMAS (BORN 1924)". Florida Stories of Service. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (May 27, 2014). "70 Years After the Date, Still So Much to Recall". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/28/arts/television/documentaries-on-d-day-on-pbs-and-the-smithsonian.html. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
Other websites
- Peter Thomas on IMDb
- Peter Thomas Tribute - from truTV's Forensic Files.
- We owe our freedom to GIs who fought Archived 2008-12-18 at the Wayback Machine by Peter Thomas, veteran of Hurtgen Forest and Battle of the bulge