Christopher Ludlow

English, cockney English, North American Southern, Eastern Seaboard, Midwestern, Hawaii'ian Pigeon and I'd have a go at Australian. I can mimic James Earl Jones (especially Vader) and have a knack for making up high energy characters, especially really mean (misunderstood) bosses.

Although it is hardly a traditional training forum, I am the father of three children. My girls have moved out but my youngest, my boy, will be 17 this Spring. I have read to all of them nightly (yes, every night) through the years from The "Berenstain Bears" to the epic "World Without End" by Ken Follet. I will read aloud all the voices, narrating in American English, switching to the Kings English, for the royalty, the soft English for the Monks/Nuns and to a nice earthy cockney-light for the serf's/peasants. Even with my deep voice, I'll try to keep the inflections based on their gender and character. Besides perfecting my bossy "dad-like-commands" and "dad-know-it-allisms", my natural voice is strong and confident, with deep resonance, carried from my belly to my mouth without a hint of nose to impair the stream of "hot air" with which my vocal messages are carried. Paling in contrast to these daily-life things, I discovered "my voice" while joining the community theater at the ripe old age of 28. It was my first play- "Arsenic and Old Lace" and we sold out every performance for 9 weeks at the Hale Center Theater in Salt Lake City, UT. After that, I was in numerous casts learning many things about acting, voice articulation, breathing and warming up. These experiences also gave me confidence. Finally, after nearly 20 years in Restaurant Management, I left the Sheraton Moana Surfrider Hotel to go work for Russ Francis at AM 760. Initially, I worked the board five nights a week, 3pm to midnight. Soon I was asked to update the sports scores, do lead-ins, half time specials, interviews and remotes. I produced three shows; Go Fish! with Mike Buck, Hawai'i Pacific Sports Update, and The Sports Memorabilia Show. I was on-air to support the talent, mixed the intros and arranged for guests. Meanwhile, I did countless voice-overs for the advertisers with KGU and KHNR News radio, producing the spots, mixing the music and adding sound effects. My voice never quite sounded the same, except the deep (dark?) promos for the station. I have some archival tape I can share of those days. Since I was in my mid-thirties while doing radio in Hawai'i, I decided to re-enter college studying Fine Arts at the University of Hawai'i. At UH, I learned much more about acting, voice and voice acting. I had many excellent professors who proved that you can teach an old dog new tricks. I have had some experience writing; having published articles with the Mill Valley Record and the George Williams Register.