Paul Soles
Paul Soles | |
|---|---|
| Born | Paul Robert Soles August 11, 1930 |
| Died | May 26, 2021(aged 90) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, television personality |
| Years active | 1953–2021 |
Paul Robert Soles(August 11, 1930 – May 26, 2021) was a Canadiancharacter actor,voice artist and television personality. He voiced the title character inSpider-Man(1967), and portrayed Hermey in the 1964 television specialRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer;Soles was one of the last surviving participants of the special's voice cast.
Soles first screen appearance was onCFPLin 1953, and he continued to perform over 60 years later, performing as of 2016 in the comedy web seriesMy 90-Year-Old Roommateon theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation's online comedy channel, CBC Comedy.[1][2]
Early life
[edit]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 ofBernard "Bunny" Cowan,and they both worked on the original 1960sSpider-Mananimated series and the 1967 children's seriesMax, the 2000-Year-Old Mouse.[1][4]
Career
[edit]Acting roles
[edit]Soles was the voice of Hermey the misfit elf in Rankin/Bass'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeerfrom 1964. He also voiced Marvel superheroSpider-Manand various characters in theoriginal animated television seriesalso from the 1960s, and he played "The Lawbreaker" on the CBC panel quiz showThis Is the Lawin the 1970s, and played Costas Stavros on the Canadiansoap operaRiverdale.In 2001, Soles took over the role ofShylock the Jewin theStratford Festival of Canadaproduction ofThe Merchant of VeniceafterAl Waxman,who was originally scheduled to play the part, died.[5]Soles played Stanley the pizza shop owner inThe Incredible Hulk(2008), and his other film appearances have included roles inTicket to Heaven(1981),Just the Way You Are(1984) andThe Gunrunner(1989) oppositeKevin Costner.He also played Danny, theMontreal Customs Housejanitor in the 2001 crime thrillerThe Score.
Soles won a 2006Gemini Awardfor his role in the television seriesTerminal City,[6]and a 2017Canadian Screen Awardfor Best Performance by an Actor in a Digital Production forMy 90-Year-Old Roommate.[7]On the appointed evening of the awards ceremony, the ever-humble Soles was so overcome with emotion that he had to contain himself more than once on the way to the stage, resulting in another thunderous applause from the audience, before he accepted the trophy and gave his speech.
Voice work
[edit]Soles also did voices on various animated television shows and films such asRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,Rocket Robin Hood,The Smokey Bear Show,The Little Brown Burro,King of the Beasts,The Marvel Super Heroes,the originalSpider-Mancartoon,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,andSpider-Woman.
Soles was also the narrator ofThe Wonderful Stories of Professor Kitzel,the voice of The Commissioner in the 2005 animated television seriesFunpakand has also supplied the voice of Dr. Reboux inthe 2005 animated film versionof theJohanna SpyrinovelHeidi.
Soles also voiced theAcademy Award-nominatedanimated documentaryThe Colours of My Father: A Portrait of Sam Borenstein.[8]
In 2011, Soles started voicing the recurring character Maxwell Finnwich onDetentionaireand he voiced a character, Barnabas Dinklelot, in the 2017-2018 animated series,Mysticons.[9]
Television hosting
[edit]He was the host of the short-livedCBC Televisionlate-night comedy talk showCanada After Dark,and co-hosted the public affairs showTake 30for 18 seasons with hosts such as Anna Cameron andAdrienne Clarkson.He also hosted theCFPL televisiongame showTake Your Choicefor one year in the early 1960s.[6]
Documentary producer
[edit]Paul Soles was also a producer of documentaries while he was an on-air talent atCFPL-TVinLondon, Ontario.He worked on a series called,The World Around Us,and travelled with film crews inGreat Britainin the early 1960s, filming many aspects of British life. He even got on a soap-box inHyde Parkin 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
[edit]Soles died of natural causes in his sleep at his home inToronto,Ontario, on May 26, 2021, at the age of 90.[10][11]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| 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
[edit]| 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 | Peter Parker / Spider-Man,Vulture,Fantastic Fakir,Ox,Vulture,Attendant, Police officer, Guard, Fozwell, Henchman, Mr. Thompson, Bob, Dean Wilkins, Man, Man at control panel, Bomber pilot, Borer, Black Dog One, News reporter,Dr. Irving Caldwell,Tom,Reptilla,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 |
| 1986 | Really Weird Tales | Professor Tistaert | Episode: "I'll Die Loving" |
References
[edit]- ^abWise, Wyndham."Soles, Paul".The Canadian Encyclopedia.Retrieved29 September2016.
- ^Reid, Regan (5 April 2016)."CBC orders 10 episodes of My 90-Year-Old Roommate for Punchline".Playback.Retrieved29 September2016.
- ^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.
- ^Bell, John (2006).Invaders from the North: How Canada Conquered the Comic Book Universe.Dundurn Press. p. 116.ISBN978-1-55002-659-7.
- ^"Paul Soles (profile)".Northern Stars.Archived fromthe originalon 30 November 2010.Retrieved30 May2009.
- ^abBrady, Bill (30 May 2009)."Indefatigable Soles".London Free Press.Archived fromthe originalon 14 December 2019.Retrieved30 May2009.
- ^"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 fromthe originalon 22 February 2012.
- ^"Paul Soles".Behind the Voice Actors.14 November 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 14 November 2020.Retrieved14 November2020.
- ^Perine, Aaron (28 May 2021)."Spider-Man Original Voice Actor Paul Soles Dies at 90".ComicBook.com.Retrieved29 May2021.
- ^"Paul SOLES Obituary (1930-2021) - Toronto, ON - The Globe and Mail".Legacy.com.
External links
[edit]- Paul SolesatIMDb
- Entry at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
- Paul Solesdiscography atDiscogs
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1930 births
- 2021 deaths
- 20th-century Canadian male actors
- 21st-century Canadian male actors
- Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Canadian Screen Award winners
- Canadian male soap opera actors
- Canadian male stage actors
- Canadian male voice actors
- Canadian people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent
- Canadian people of Polish-Jewish descent
- Canadian television talk show hosts
- Jewish Canadian male actors
- Male actors from Toronto