Mark Elliott, the voice in Disney trailers and Star Wars radio spots, died on Saturday, April 3, 2021. He passed after having two heart attacks while also fighting lung cancer. He was 81 years old.
Elliott voiced trailers and promos for Disney for decades, beginning with the voiceover for the rerelease of Cinderella. His voice can be heard in Disney trailers for The Lion King, Aladdin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Hercules, among many others.
Elliott was born John Harrison Frick Jr. on September 24, 1939 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. There, his career began as a radio DJ before he relocated to Los Angeles in 1970. He spent around 20 years working in radio, while also doing voiceover work. Some of his earliest trailers were for Smokey and the Bandit and Chariots of Fire. From there he did the radio voiceover for Star Wars and later he voiced trailers for the Muppets movies.
Stepping in front of the camera, Elliott appeared in the 1997 short film 5 Men and a Limo with four other voice actors. He also played himself in the Lake Bell starring film In a World… about voiceover artists.