Maurice Tarplin (April 1, 1911,

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

– May 12, 1975) was an American novelist and a radio actor best known as the narrator of ''

The Mysterious Traveler ''The Mysterious Traveler'' was an American media franchise created by Robert Arthur, Jr., Robert Arthur and David Kogan. All versions of the franchise focused on suspense and crime fiction, with occasional elements of horror or science fiction. ...

'', employing a voice once described as "eerily sardonic."

Radio

Tarplin was a familiar voice as Dr. Weird on '' The Strange Dr. Weird'' and Inspector Faraday on ''

Boston Blackie Boston Blackie is a fictional character created by author Jack Boyle (1881–1928). Blackie was originally depicted as a jewel thief and safecracker in Boyle's stories, and became a private detective in adaptations for films, radio and televisi ...

''. He was heard on numerous other shows, including '' Valiant Lady'',Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). ''The Big Broadcast: 1920–1950''. The Viking Press. . p. 249. ''

The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by American magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by Gibs ...

'', ''Theater Five'', ''

The March of Time ''The March of Time'' is an American newsreel series sponsored by Time Inc. and shown in movie theaters from 1935 to 1951. It was based on a radio news series broadcast from 1931 to 1945 that was produced by advertising agency Batten, Barton, ...

'' (as Winston Churchill), ''

Gangbusters ''Gang Busters'' is an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered on January 15, 1936 and was broadcast for more 21 years through November 27, 1957. H ...

'' and various soap operas. He played Los Angeles District Attorney Richard Hanley on ''The Guiding Light''. On ''Myrt and Marge'' he played Barnie Belzer, and he was in several episodes of ''Tom Corbett, Space Cadet''. He once voiced

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...

's detective

Hercule Poirot Hercule Poirot (, ) is a fictional Belgian detective created by the English writer Agatha Christie. Poirot is Christie's most famous and longest-running character, appearing in 33 novels, two plays (''Black Coffee (play), Black Coffee'' and '' ...

in the series ''Murder Clinic''.

Writing

Tarplin's novel, ''Seven Casks of Death'', was published in the June 1948 issue of ''Dime Mystery Magazine''.

Television and film

In later years, Tarplin did voiceovers for TV commercials and worked on the English language soundtracks for foreign films.

Personal life

Tarplin was married to Grace Tarplin and had two boys. His first marriage was to Catharine Selby Flygare in 1933. This marriage produced no children and ended during World War II. She died in 2010 at the age of 100.

References

Listen to

''The Strange Dr. Weird'' (28 1944–45 episodes)

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarplin, Maurice American male radio actors 1975 deaths 1911 births 20th-century American male actors