Alan Bleviss

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Alan David Bleviss (August 6, 1941 – December 30, 2017) was a Canadian-born voice actor who moved to the United States in 1976. By 1991 he was considered one of the top names in the business, and his voice acting career lasted nearly four decades. He grew up in Edmonton, where his father owned theaters and a cigar store, and studied at the University of Alberta and the National Theatre School of Canada. He lived in the New York City area during the height of his career and died at his home in New York City.

Bleviss did voice work for coming attraction trailers for hundreds of Hollywood films, especially Miramax titles. His corporate clients included American Express, AT&T, Canada Dry, Enterprise Rent-a-Car and Kodak. He also worked on political campaigns for the National Abortion Rights Action League and for Democrats, including Michael Dukakis in 1988. He won six Clio awards, including an early 1971 Heinz Tomato Juice ad that used a celery stick to show the product’s thickness.

In 1992 he developed a nerve condition that caused partial paralysis and damaged his voice. He stopped working for about 20 years, but therapy helped him regain professional use of his voice. He served on the board of the National Theatre School of Canada and funded scholarships and a student theatre facility at the University of Alberta. He collected Civil War tokens and, in 2009, auctioned 500 items from his collection, described as one of the most extensive holdings ever assembled. He inspired a tuna and avocado sandwich called “The Edmonton” at Shopsin’s in Manhattan.