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1[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/garyowens_cropped.jpg]]
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3Gary Owens (born Gary Bernard Altman; May 10, 1934 – February 12, 2015) was an American disk jockey and voice actor from Mitchell, South Dakota. He was known for his [[PigeonholedVoiceActor deadpan, baritone voice]], his TheComicallySerious roles, his habit of cupping his hand to his ear while announcing[[note]]He did this in homage to early radio announcers, who had to do this to tell how they sounded to the audience. He would often give funny and ridiculous reasons for doing this when asked about it.[[/note]], and his {{Catch Phrase}}s "Beautiful downtown Burbank", "This is Gary Owens, friend of those who want no friends, going places and losing things.", and "Hello, and also hi; but not necessarily in that order." To an extent, another catchphrase was "[[WesternAnimation/SwatKats Bring me chopper backup!]]"
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5He was a gifted punster with a fondness for WordSaladHumor, which his earnest deadpan delivery made even more hilarious. He often threw a PerfectlyCromulentWord into his radio announcing, dropping such phrases as "We'll be back in just a krenellemuffin" and "I'd like to thank my engineer, Wayne Doo, for creebling at the turntables." As a radio DJ, he urged listeners to send in for "yours", [[ExactWords which turned out to be a postcard from him with the word "Yours" written on it]]. Despite his ability to navigate any amount of silliness with a straight face, he was caught at least once in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0fxtJXJzTk a famous example]] of {{Corpsing}}, breaking up into hysterics upon realizing that the sponsor of the ad he was reading was a hemorrhoid cream.
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7His sons Christopher Dane Owens (of "Music/ShineOnMe" [[SoBadItsGood fame]]) and Scott Owens are a movie producer and production manager respectively.
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9He passed away at age 80 from complications involving Type 1 Diabetes, which he had first been diagnosed with at age 8.
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11!Notable Roles
12* ''Film/TheAbominableDrPhibes'': Narrator
13* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'': Narrator (TV pitch pilot only)
14* ''Series/BarnabyJones'': Gary Michaels
15* ''Series/Batman1966'': Radio announcer, T.V. announcer
16* ''Letters To Laugh-In'': Emcee
17* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': 1950's Batman
18* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'': Space Ghost
19* ''WesternAnimation/BobbysWorld'': Captain Squash
20* ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'': Opening narration
21* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainCavemanAndTheTeenAngels'': Narrator
22* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'': Blue Falcon
23* ''WesternAnimation/DinoBoy in the Lost Valley'': Opening narration
24* ''Series/{{Dinosaurs}}'': Narrator (two episodes)
25* ''WesternAnimation/DynomuttDogWonder'': Blue Falcon
26* ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFourTheAnimatedSeries'': Himself
27* ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'': Introductory announcer; various announcers on [[ShowWithinAShow shows within the show]]; himself (in the episode "The Binky Show")
28* ''Series/TheGreenHornet'': Newscaster
29* ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'': Gadget in the first version of the "Gadget in Winterland" pilot[[note]]it was later recorded with Jesse White doing a Don Adams impression and, in syndication, Don Adams himself[[/note]]
30* ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'': Blue Falcon
31* ''WesternAnimation/LaffALympics'': Blue Falcon
32* ''WesternAnimation/MightyOrbots'': Narrator
33* ''Outpatients'' (Comedy album): Co-recorded with Creator/JonathanWinters
34* ''WesternAnimation/ThePerilsOfPenelopePitstop'': The Narrator
35* ''WesternAnimation/{{Pigs Is Pigs|1954}}'': Narrator
36* ''The Prisoner of Second Avenue'': Radio newscaster
37* ''WesternAnimation/RawToonage'': Badly Animated Man
38* ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'': Powdered Toast Man
39* ''WesternAnimation/RogerRamjet'': Roger Ramjet
40* ''Series/RowanAndMartinsLaughIn'': The Announcer
41* ''Series/SesameStreet'': Animated letter of the day and "Secret drawing" segments. Also starred in live action “The Man From Alphabet” segments in the initial pilot episodes, which were unaired.
42* ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhost'': Space Ghost
43* ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhostCoastToCoast'': Himself, appearing under the guise of a Space Ghost replicant in the episode "Warren".
44* ''VideoGame/SpaceQuestIVRogerWilcoAndTheTimeRippers'': Narrator
45* ''VideoGame/SpaceQuestVIRogerWilcoInTheSpinalFrontier'': Narrator
46* ''WesternAnimation/SpaceStars'': Space Ghost
47* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAndHisAmazingFriends'': Narrator
48* ''Series/SquareOneTV'': Dirk Niblick (animated segments)
49* ''WesternAnimation/SwatKats'': [[PlayingAgainstType Commander Ulysses Feral]]
50* ''Series/That70sShow'': Announcer
51* ''WesternAnimation/TwoStupidDogs'': Announcer, Principal Schneider
52* ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'': Alarm Voice, Ominous Voice
53* ''WesternAnimation/YogisSpaceRace'': The Announcer
54* ''WesternAnimation/YogisTreasureHunt'': Narrator

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