Paul Lukather(1926-2014)
- Actor
A distinguished actor, with a highly-respectable veteran status for his
vast array of work across the acting stage, television and quite
notably in voice-over work, Paul Lukather did it all.
After his training in drama school, Paul began his career touring with
the Barter Theatre as MacBeth. Across a time span of 40 years, he made use of his acting knowledge and talents with performances and/or
appearances in numerous projects both in film and television. For most
of the 1960s, '70s and '80s, Paul worked in television and film. It was
not until the late 80s, going into the 1990s, did Paul begin lending
his voice in several projects, beginning with Scooby-Doo: Agence Toutou Risques (1988), and Le tourbillon noir (1991). These were bit
parts, mainly calling for Paul to provide additional voices. His best
known voice-over role was that of Vorador the vampire elder. Paul portrayed this character's voice in the
video game Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (1996), the predecessor which led to the
making of four more video games all classified as part of the "Legacy
of Kain" series. For Paul, he went on to provide the voice of
Vorador for the latter portions of the series, beginning with his
return in Soul Reaver 2 (2001), followed promptly
by Blood Omen 2 (2002), the sequel which was intended to link certain events between the time-traveling story lines.
In 2003, Paul again returned to give one final performance in Legacy of Kain: Defiance (2003). He also provided voice work in the English translation to the Metal Gear Solid video game series, beginning with Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001), and Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (2002), both in which he was the voice of President James Johnson. An enthusiast of the equestrian sport, Paul founded The Brass Ring. This
non-profit organization works as a foundation for the rehabilitation of
the disabled and handicapped. This charitable effort was founded with
the support of his wife, Elizabeth and friend Paul Hughes of the
Tennessee Walking Horse Breeder's Association. This
established and well-respected veteran of the stage, television and
film world, later-turned voice actor spent his remaining time committed to
humanitarian work after giving his last performance in 2008. Six years later, Paul Lukather died on October 9, 2014. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth Burt and their child.
