John Rafter Lee Explained

John Rafter Lee
Birth Place:	England

John Rafter Lee is an English actor, narrator, playwright and producer.

Biography

Lee was born in England with Irish ancestry. His father worked as a carpenter and other men in his family were blacksmiths, brick layers and plumbers. Lee himself has worked in agriculture, picking fruit, which he considers much more difficult than voice acting.

Career

Lee has narrated hundreds of audiobooks.^[1] "His trademark rich, smooth voice with its hint of a growl turns the word into a seduction", according to AudioFile.^[1] He has won numerous Audie Awards and AudioFile Earphones Awards, and he was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile in 2009.^[1]

In film, he portrayed the mysterious Trevor Goodchild in Peter Chung's Æon Flux. Other voice credits include Meier Link in both and Vampire Hunter D, Pavlo Zaitsev in episode 16 of , Jason Wynn in HBO's Spawn animated series, and Aristotle in Reign: The Conqueror. John also had a role as a voice actor playing Cid Bunansa in the video game Final Fantasy XII.

Lee was also the producer and screenwriter for the 2001 film Breathing Hard, in which he played the character John Duggan. His Æon Flux co-star Denise Poirier plays his wife Carol.

He has written the plays Blood and Milk, Hitler's Head, Passchendaele, Clean Souls and Frankincense. He has adapted into English Schiller's Don Carlos, Racine's Britannicus and Grabbe's Jest, Satire, Irony and Deeper Significance. Passchendaele received its first production at the New York Fringe Festival in August 2010.

His latest film, which he wrote and co-produced, is Forfeit, which received its premier at the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. He is currently writing a film to be shot in his hometown, Birmingham, England.

Awards and honors

AudioFile named Lee a Golden Voice narrator.^[2]

Awards

Year	Title	Award	Result	Ref.
2003	(2002) by Robert Newcomb	Audie Award for Science Fiction	Finalist	^[3]
2004	(2004) by Daniel Silva	Earphone Award	Winner	^[4]
2006	by Sam Enthoven	Listen Up Award for Teens	Winner	^[5]
	Cloud Atlas (2004) by David Mitchell	Audie Award for Literary Fiction or Classics	Finalist	^[6]
	by John Banville	Listen Up Award for Fiction	Winner
2008	Dreaming Void by Peter Hamilton	Listen Up Award for Science Fiction/Fantasy	Finalist	^[7]
	by Sławomir Rawicz	Audie Award for Solo Narration - Male	Finalist	^[8]
	Poe's Children: The New Horror, edited by Peter Straus	Listen Up Award for Full Cast/Multiple Voices	Finalist
	(2007) by Georgina Harding	Earphone Award	Winner	^[9]
	White Fang / Call of the Wild (1906) by Jack London	Audie Award for Classics	Finalist
	(2008) by Aravind Adiga	Earphone Award	Winner	^[10]
		Listen Up Award for Fiction	Finalist
2009	(1846) by Alexandre Dumas	Earphone Award	Winner	^[11]
		Audie Award for Classic	Finalist	^[12]
		Audie Award for Solo Narration - Male	Winner
	(2008) by Aravind Adiga	Audie Award for Literary Fiction	Finalist
		Audie Award for Solo Narration - Male	Finalist
2010	Operation Mincemeat by Ben Macintyre	Listen Up Award for Nonfiction	Winner	^[13]
	(1999) by Anne Baker	Audie Award for Thriller or Suspense	Finalist	^[14]
2011	Fall of Giants (2010) by Ken Follett	Audie Award for Fiction	Finalist	^[15]
	This Body of Death by Elizabeth George	Audie Award for Mystery	Finalist
	(1859) by Wilkie Collins	Audie Award for Classic	Winner
2012	Double Cross by Ben Macintyre	Listen Up Award for Nonfiction	Finalist	^[16]
2013	Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker	Audie Award for Classic	Finalist	^[17]
		Audie Award for Distinguished Achievement in Production	Winner
		Audie Award for Multi-Voiced Performance	Winner	^[18]
	by Thich Nhat Hanh	Listen Up Award for Nonfiction	Finalist	^[19]
2014	by Ben Macintyre	Listen Up Award for Nonfiction	Winner	^[20]
2015	by Ben Macintyre	Audie Award for History or Biography	Finalist	^[21]
2016	Sweetland (2015) by Michael Crummey	Audie Award for Literary Fiction or Classics	Finalist	^[22]
2018	Darkest Hour (2017) by Anthony McCarten	Earphone Award	Winner	^[23]
	Spellmonger, Book 1 by Terry Mancour	Audie Award for Fantasy	Finalist	^[24]
2019	Darkest Hour (2017) by Anthony McCarten	Audie Award for History or Biography	Winner	^[25] ^[26]
2020	Lovely War (2019) by Julie Berry	Audie Award for Young Adult Title	Finalist	^[27]
	(2020) by Erik Larson	Earphone Award	Winner	^[28]
2022	(1924) by Agatha Christie	Audie Award for Mystery	Finalist	^[29]

"Best of" lists

Year	Title	List	Ref.
2004	by Daniel Silva	AudioFile Best of Mystery & Suspense
	White Fang / Call of the Wild (1906) by Jack London	AudioFile Best of Classics
2007	Midnight over Sanctaphrax by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell	ALSC Notable Children's Recordings	^[30]
2008	by Sam Enthoven	Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults	^[31]
	(2007) by Georgina Harding	AudioFile Best of Fiction
	(2008) by Aravind Adiga	AudioFile Best of Fiction
2009	(1846) by Alexandre Dumas	AudioFile Best of Classics
2010	(2010) by Henry Porter	AudioFile Best of Mystery & Suspense
	(2010) by Susan Wise Bauer	AudioFile Best of History & Historical Fiction
	(1999) by Anne Baker	AudioFile Best of Mystery & Suspense
	(2010) by Elizabeth Kostova	AudioFile Best of Fiction
2013	The Redeemer (2013) by Jo Nesbø	AudioFile Best of Mystery & Suspense
2015	(2014) by Peter F. Hamilton	Booklist Editors' Choice Audio for Adults	^[32]
		Booklist's Top 10 Adult SF/Fantasy/Horror on Audio	^[33]
	Sweetland (2015) by Michael Crummey	AudioFile Best of Fiction
2016	(1949) by Joseph Campbell	AudioFile Best of Nonfiction & Culture
2017	Prussian Blue (2017) by Philip Kerr	Booklist's Audio Stars for Adults	^[34]
		Booklist Editors' Choice Audio for Adults	^[35]
		Booklist's Top 10 Crime Fiction Audiobooks	^[36]
	The Thirst (2017) by Jo Nesbø with Neil Smith (trans.)	AudioFile Best of Mystery & Suspense
2020	Lovely War (2019) by Julie Berry	Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults	^[37]
	(2020) by Erik Larson	AudioFile Best of History & Biography

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992	Small Kill	Hit Man
1998	Todd McFarlane's Spawn 2	Jason Wynn	Voice
1999	Todd McFarlane's Spawn 3: The Ultimate Battle	Jason Wynn
1999	George Lucas in Love	Ranter	Short
1999	Princess Mononoke		Voice
2000		Meier Link	Voice
2001	Breathing Hard	John Duggan	Also writer and producer
2003	Jules Verne & Walt Disney: Explorers of Imagination	Narrator	Documentary
2007	Forfeit		Writer and producer

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	Æon Flux		Voice, 10 episodes
1997–1999	Todd McFarlane's Spawn		Voice, 17 episodes
2000	Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki		Voice, Episode: "Here Comes Jurai"
2003			Voice, 4 episodes
2003		Renya Yagyu	Voice
2003–2004		Kusunoki, Zaitsef, Security Guard, Yaku Humimari (voices)	Voice, 4 episodes

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	Vampire Hunter D	Meier Link	^[38]
2000
2006	Final Fantasy XII

References

1. Web site: Spotlight on John Lee . . 2017 . April 11, 2018.
2. Web site: AudioFile Magazine Spotlight on Narrator John Lee . 2022-10-02 . AudioFile Magazine . en.
3. Web site: 2003 Audie Awards . 2022-10-02 . 1 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220901162320/https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2003-audies . dead .
4. Web site: A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva Read by John Lee Audiobook Review . 2022-10-02 . AudioFile Magazine . en.
5. Web site: Howell . Kevin . Maughan . Shannon . January 1, 2007 . The 2006 Listen-Up Awards . 2022-10-02 . Publishers Weekly. en.
6. Web site: 2006 Audie Awards® . 2022-10-02 . . 31 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220831175007/https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2006-audies . dead .
7. Web site: Howell . Kevin . January 5, 2009 . The Listen Up Awards: The Best Audios of 2008 . 2022-10-02 . Publishers Weekly. en.
8. Web site: 2008 Audie Awards® . 2022-10-02 . . 26 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220826031715/https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2008-audies . dead .
9. Web site: The Solitude of Thomas Cave by Georgina Harding Read by John Lee Audiobook Review . 2022-10-02 . AudioFile Magazine . en.
10. Web site: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga Read by John Lee Audiobook Review . 2022-10-02 . AudioFile Magazine . en.
11. Web site: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Read by John Lee Audiobook Review . 2022-10-02 . AudioFile Magazine . en.
12. Web site: 2009 Audie Awards® . 2022-10-02 . . 30 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201030154954/https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2009-audies . dead .
13. Web site: Sehgal . Parul . January 3, 2011 . The 2010 Listen-Up Awards . 2022-10-02 . Publishers Weekly. en.
14. Web site: 2010 Audie Awards® . 2022-10-02 . . 26 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220826031716/https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2010-audies . dead .
15. Web site: 2011 Audie Awards® . 2022-10-02 . . 22 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220922015807/https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2011-audies . dead .
16. Web site: Boretz . Adam . January 4, 2013 . The 2012 Listen-Up Awards . 2022-10-02 . Publishers Weekly. en.
17. Web site: 2013 Audie Awards® . 2022-10-02 . . 20 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220920173322/https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2013-audies . dead .
18. Web site: Boretz . Adam . May 31, 2013 . BEA 2013: Audible Takes Top Audie Awards . 2022-10-02 . Publishers Weekly. en.
19. Web site: Boretz . Adam . January 3, 2014 . The 2013 Listen-Up Awards . 2022-10-02 . Publishers Weekly. en.
20. Web site: Coreno . Annie . January 30, 2015 . The 2014 Listen-Up Awards: The Best Audiobooks of the Year . 2022-10-02 . Publishers Weekly. en.
21. Web site: 2015 Audie Awards® . 2022-10-02 . . 29 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220829201037/https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2015-winners-circle . dead .
22. Web site: 2016 Audie Awards® . 2022-10-02 . . 23 June 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160623223709/https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2016-winners-circle . dead .
23. Web site: Darkest Hour by Anthony McCarten Read by John Lee Audiobook Review . 2022-10-02 . AudioFile Magazine . en.
24. Web site: 2018 Audie Awards® . 2022-10-02 . . 30 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201230160940/https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2018-audies . dead .
25. Web site: 2019 Audie Awards® . 2022-10-02 . . 31 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210831145117/https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2019-audies-1 . dead .
26. Web site: Maher . John . March 5, 2019 . Adeyemi, Turpin Win Top Award at 2019 Audies . 2022-10-02 . Publishers Weekly. en.
27. Web site: 2020 Audie Awards® . 2022-10-02 . . 3 February 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200203150625/https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2020-audies . dead .
28. Web site: The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson Read by John Lee Erik Larson Note Audiobook Review . 2022-10-02 . AudioFile Magazine . en.
29. Web site: 2022 Audie Awards® . 2022-10-02 . . 6 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221006112915/https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2022-audies . dead .
30. Web site: 1999-11-30 . 2007 Notable Children's Recordings . 2022-10-03 . Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) . en.
31. Web site: 2008-01-16 . 2008 Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults . 2022-10-03 . Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) . en.
32. Web site: 2016-01-01 . Booklist Editors' Choice: Audio for Adults, 2015 . 2022-10-02 . Booklist.
33. Web site: Saricks . Joyce . August 2017 . Top 10 Adult SF/Fantasy/Horror on Audio . 2022-10-02 . Booklist.
34. Web site: Saricks . Joyce . 2018-02-28 . Audio Stars for Adults: 2017 . 2022-10-02 . Booklist.
35. Web site: 2018-01-01 . Booklist Editors' Choice: Audio for Adults, 2017 . 2022-10-02 . Booklist.
36. Web site: Smith . Candace . 2018-05-01 . Top 10 Crime Fiction Audiobooks: 2018 . 2022-10-02 . Booklist.
37. Web site: NGILBERT . 2020-01-06 . 2020 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults . 2022-10-03 . Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) . en.
38. Web site: John Rafter Lee (visual voices guide) . Behind The Voice Actors . 24 April 2021. . A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information..