Alexander Scourby
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Alexander Scourby (November 13, 1913 – February 22, 1985) was an American actor and voice actor noted for his deep and resonant voice. He is particularly remembered for his landmark recording of the entire King James Version of the Bible, which has been released in numerous editions.
He was born in Brooklyn to Greek immigrant parents. He studied journalism briefly at West Virginia University at Morgantown and became interested in campus theater. He started as a Shakespearean actor in the 1930s (his Broadway debut was as the Player King in Hamlet; he appeared in four productions of the play over the years, playing a different role in each), and was active in radio drama in the 1940s. From the 1950's onward he became known as the narrator of documentaries such as the theatrical film version of Victory at Sea (1954), and remained much in demand into the 1980s, notably on National Geographic specials and finally the series of CBS medical specials entitled The Body Human. He also hosted the PBS series Live from the Met for a time. Among his lesser known works, the independent 1977 documentary, Hell Gate: The Watery Grave was a favorite. His last narrating assignment was the documentary Toscanini: The Maestro, in 1985.
He was married to stage and soap opera actress Lori March, with whom he appeared in 1956's Ransom! and in the 1970s on The Secret Storm. They had one daughter, Alexandra. Scourby later created the role of Nigel Fargate on the ABC soap opera All My Children. He made many other appearances on television as well.
Usually cast as a smooth villain in the movies, perhaps his most memorable film role was as Lagana, the head mobster, in Fritz Lang's The Big Heat.Other parts included Rita Hayworth's duplicitous neighbor and escort in Affair in Trinidad, and the sadistic island governor in The Devil at 4 O'Clock. Scourby died in Newtown, Connecticut at the age of 71.
Contents |
[edit] Bible Recordings
[edit] History and legal disputes
Scourby was the first person to make a complete recording of the Bible.[1] He originally narrated the King James Version for The American Foundation For The Blind over four years, finishing in 1944. Their original goal was to produce a clean, clear recording for visually impaired listeners. The American Bible Society distributed it as The Talking Bible, a set of 169 records with a running time of 84.5 hours.[2] This recording was eventually released to the general public in 1966 and became a best-seller.[3] It is now part of the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.[4]
Scourby rerecorded the Old Testament in 1972 and the New Testament in 1974 for the Episcopal Radio and TV Foundation. The actor agreed for a reduced fee of $15,000 if the proceeds from sales would be used only for non-profit purposes; the recordings were to be distributed primarily to the blind and physically handicapped. When tapes appeared on the general market as the "Authorized Alexander Scourby's Latest Narration," he sued. A 1990 court ruling[5] posthumously awarded the rights to the 1970s recordings to Scourby. The verdict forced the Foundation, which was not officially part of the Episcopal Church, into bankruptcy. Eventually these recordings were acquired by Word, Inc., then Thomas Nelson Publishers.[6]
Copyright to at least one of Scourby's Bible recordings is now held by a small Ft. Lauderdale company called Litchfield Associates.[7] Hendrickson Publishers issued a licensed, DRM-free set of MP3 files containing in the entire KJV in 2003.[8] It lists Littlefield as the rightsholder with 1991 as copyright date.
[edit] Holy Quran Recording
He also recorded the entire Yusuf Ali English translation of the Holy Quran.
[edit] Scourby and Religion
Although Scourby made voice recordings of over 500 different books, he considered the Bible to be his most important. He describes why in the following letter.
| “ | ...it is the one book that has the power to inspire, encourage, comfort and change the life of the person who hears it. I know this because during the many years since I narrated the Bible, numerous people have written thanking me for creating such a beautiful reading. I have been greatly humbled and moved by the many letters I have received from people around the world telling me how God used the Bible narrations to change their lives and the lives of their loved ones, encourage them in their hour of need, and even healed them as they listened to the Words of Life. | „ |
While the audience for his Bible recordings tend to be conservative Protestants, Scourby himself had no religious affiliation. However, he was baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church and married in an Episcopal church.[9]
