Tag: Geico

Who Are The Recurring Actors On TV Commercials?

We all watch commercials. Recently there have been a bunch with recurring characters. I was interested in seeing who played whom. And here they are.

We all watch commercials. You can’t avoid them (you can’t DVR users… you just can’t). Recently there have been a bunch with recurring characters. I was interested in seeing who played whom. And here they are…

Flo: Stephanie Courtney

She is a comedienne and member of the Groundlings, an LA based improv group. Wikipedia says, “It takes an hour for Flo’s hair to be prepared, and another hour for her makeup to be applied.” Removing beauty doesn’t come easy!


The World’s Greatest Spokesperson in the World (Nationwide): Bob Wiltfong

I have already written how this series of commercials is like chalk on a blackboard to me. Bob Wiltfong is a comedian and alum of The Daily Show, though I don’t remember him. His IMDB entry lists few credits like playing Executive #1 on a 30 Rock episode. I’m guessing his income really spiked in 2010.

Have I mentioned how annoying I find this character? Good.


Verizon Test Guy: Paul Marcarelli

These commercials aren’t currently running, but since he’s from North Haven it only seemed fair to mention him. In April the NY Times reported him selling his 2-bedroom apartment in Greenwich Village for $1.255 million. Things can’t be too bad.

He’d better not have an iPhone!


GEICO boss: Brian Carney

Brian Carney is Art Carney’s son! I really don’t think I need to add anything beyond that… not that I could. He has a sparse IMDB entry and no Wikipedia listing. I’ve read a few news stories that say he does mostly voice work. For sure he has a distinctive voice.


GEICO Gecko: Jake Wood

Jake Wood is a British actor who has worked steadily including nearly 500 episodes of the EastEnders. He’s unrecognizable here… except by voice. I guess he’s more recognizable than Brian Carney.

Don LaFontaine–The Deepest Throated Guy Is Dead

Aside from being the preeminent voice in the movie trailer industry…Don has also been the voice of Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, CBS, NBC ABC, Fox and UPN, in addition to TNT, TBS and the Cartoon Network.

Just got this from my friend Rick:

Voiceover Master Don LaFontaine died Monday afternoon 9/1/08 at 2:10 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 68. Don’s agent, Vanessa Gilbert, tells Entertainment Tonight that he passed away following complications from Pneumothorax, the presence of air or gas in the pleural cavity, the result of a collapsed lung. The official cause of death has not yet been released.

Over the past 25 years, LaFontaine cemented his position as the “King of Voice-overs.” Aside from being the preeminent voice in the movie trailer industry…Don has also been the voice of Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, CBS, NBC ABC, Fox and UPN, in addition to TNT, TBS and the Cartoon Network. By conservative estimates, he has voiced hundreds of thousands of television and radio spots, including commercials for Chevrolet, Pontiac, Ford, Budweiser, McDonalds, Coke, and many other corporate sponsors. He recently parodied himself on a series of national television commercials for Geico. At last count, he has worked on nearly 5000 films, including appearances as the in-show announcer for the Screen Actors Guild and Academy Awards. Based on contracts signed, he has the distinction of being perhaps the single busiest actor in the history of SAG.

Don was an active supporter of AFTRA & SAG, giving of his time, opening his home, lending his experience & stature to the AFTRA Promo Announcers Caucus, as well as generously giving his advice & help to his fellow voice-over artists, in addition to the many causes & friends he helped over the years.

Don is survived by his wife Singer/Actress Nita Whitaker, and three children, Christine, Skye and Elyse.

Don was the deep throated guy on the GEICO commercials and the voice of nearly everything.

An earlier email from Don himself was ominous, because the condition that killed him was probably brought on by a medical error.

This required an exploratory surgery called a Media Stenoscopy, which was performed At Cedars Sinai Hospital in late November of ’07. The biopsy ultimately proved negative for any tumor, but there was a spot on the lung that still needed to be checked. Unfortunately, sometime during the operation, one of my lungs was nicked, and I developed Pneumothorax, which basically means that the lung collapsed, releasing all the air into my upper body, causing a condition called Subcutaneous Emphysema –

Which blew me up like a balloon from the ribs up to my eyebrows