| Jim French | |
| Birth Date: | 23 September 1928 |
| Birth Place: | Pasadena, California |
| Occupation: | Radio presenter, voice actor |
| Years Active: | 1959–2017 |
| Death Place: | Seattle, Washington |
| Spouse: | Patricia Anne Soule (m. 1950–2017) |
James Rowley French (September 23, 1928 – December 20, 2017) was an American radio presenter, voice actor, writer and producer who wrote and produced over 803 radio programs and provided the voice of Father Grigori in the 2004 video game Half-Life 2, as well as several other roles in Valve titles such as William "Bill" Overbeck in the Left 4 Dead franchise and the Elder Titan in Dota 2.[1] [2] [3]
French became morning DJ on KIRO (AM) in Seattle in 1959.[4] He later began production of Imagination Theatre, which in 2003 moved to KIXI[5] His syndicated programs are now broadcast on over 120 stations in the U.S. and Canada, and are also heard on the XM Satellite Radio system all over North America.[6]
He made an appearance on NBC's Pandora's Clock (1996) in the role of an Army non-com. He provided the voice for the Scientist in Gunman Chronicles, Father Grigori in Half-Life 2, the Fisherman in , Bill in the games Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2 and (as a cameo in the opening cutscene to one of the missions), and Elder Titan in Dota 2.
In late January 2017, it was formally announced via the Imagination Theatre Facebook page that, due to age and health issues, Jim French and his family would be closing down their production company, Jim French Productions, and discontinuing all broadcasts of Imagination Theatre at the end of March 2017. French died on December 20, 2017, at age 89. He was predeceased by his wife Pat, who had died earlier the same year.[7] [8] [9] Imagination Theatre is now produced by Aural Vision, LLC.[10]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Gunman Chronicles | The Scientist | ||
| 2004 | Half-Life 2 | Father Grigori | [11] | |
| 2005 | The Fisherman | |||
| 2008 | Left 4 Dead | William "Bill" Overbeck | ||
| 2009 | Left 4 Dead 2 | |||
| 2011 | ||||
| 2013 | Dota 2 | Elder Titan |