Olan Evart Soule (February 28, 1909 – February 1, 1994) was an American actor, who had professional credits in nearly 7,000 radio shows and commercials, appearances in 200 television series and

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

s, and in over 60 films. Soule's voice work on television included his 15-year role (1968–1983) as

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

on several animated series that were either devoted to or involving the fictional " Dark Knight" superhero.

Early life

Born in 1909 in La Harpe, Illinois, to Elbert and Ann Williams Soule (descendants of three ''

Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, ...

'' passengers), Olan left Illinois at the age of seven and arrived in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moine ...

, where he lived until he was seventeen. He then launched his theatrical career by joining Jack Brooks' tent show in Sabula, Jackson County, Iowa.Dunning, John. ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio''. Oxford University Press, 1998;

Career

Radio

After leaving the tent show, Soule appeared on stage in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

for seven years before moving to radio in 1933, including a stint on '' Chandu the Magician'' (1935–36). On radio he performed for eleven years in the daytime soap opera '' Bachelor's Children''. Beginning in 1943, he played lead male characters on radio's famed '' The First Nighter Program'' for nine years. Listeners of ''First Nighter'' who met Soule in person were often surprised, since his slight 135-pound frame did not seem to match the voices he gave to his characters. From 1941 on, Soule had the role of L. William Kelly, SS-11, the second in command of the Secret Squadron on the ''

Captain Midnight ''Captain Midnight'' (later rebranded on television as ''Jet Jackson, Flying Commando'') is a U.S. adventure franchise first broadcast as a radio serial from 1938 to 1949. The character's popularity throughout the 1940s and into the mid-1950s e ...

'' radio adventure serial. When ''

'' became a television series in the 1950s, Soule was known as SQ-3, behind

himself and Ichabod Mudd "with two D's". He also had a regular part on Lee Hansen's 1970s and 1980s science fiction radio drama '' Alien Worlds''.

Television and films

Concluding his nine-year run on ''First Nighter'', Soule moved to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

, where he appeared in films and television shows, building a reputation as a reliable

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

. Soule said "Because of my build and glasses, I've mostly played lab technicians, newscasters and railroad clerks." He appeared as Mr. Krull, a boarding house resident in ''

The Day The Earth Stood Still ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'' (a.k.a. ''Farewell to the Master'' and ''Journey to the World'') is a 1951 American science fiction film from 20th Century Fox, produced by Julian Blaustein and directed by Robert Wise. It stars Michael Re ...

''. He also acted in many

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

: '' The Donald O'Connor Show'' (as a semi-regular), ''

'' (as scientist Aristotle "Tut" Jones), '' I Love Lucy'', several appearances as a hotel clerk and choir director John Masters on ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American sitcom, situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in colo ...

'', and a semi-regular role as real-life LAPD

criminalist Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and criminal p ...

Ray Pinker on the original TV and radio version of '' Dragnet'', and as the slightly renamed but essentially identical LAPD criminalist Ray Murray on the 1967 revival version. He played many different television roles in

Jack Webb John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sgt. Joe Friday in the ''Dragnet'' franchise, which he created. He was a ...

's Mark VII Productions including ''Dragnet'', ''

Adam-12 ''Adam-12'' is an American television police procedural crime drama television series created by Robert A. Cinader and Jack Webb. The series follows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Pete Malloy and Jim Reed as they patrol the st ...

'', ''

Emergency! ''Emergency!'' is an American action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing the two short-lived situa ...

'' and '' Project U.F.O.''. In between the two ''Dragnet'' gigs, he had a similar semi-regular role on another

LAPD The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

-based TV series, '' The New Breed'', as an unnamed "lab technician." He also made six appearances on '' Perry Mason'', mostly as a court clerk, but also as a bank employee and water company official. He made at least two appearances on ''

Petticoat Junction ''Petticoat Junction'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and ...

''. In both, the 1967 episode "Shoplifter at the Shady Rest" and the 1968 episode "Mae's Helping Hand", he played Mr. Benson. In addition, he appeared several times as the clerk of the Carlton Hotel, the San Francisco residence of the character Paladin, in the TV series, '' Have Gun - Will Travel''. The list of Soule's supporting and starring roles is long. Some include ''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', was a half-hour television situation comedy broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts i ...

'', ''

The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th century American comedy. He played one role throughout his radio and televis ...

'', '' I Love Lucy'', ''

The Danny Thomas Show ''The Danny Thomas Show'' (titled ''Make Room for Daddy'' for its first three seasons) is an American sitcom that ran from 1953 to 1957 on ABC and from 1957 to 1964 on CBS. Starring Danny Thomas as a successful night club entertainer, the show ...

'', '' Dennis the Menace'', '' The Tab Hunter Show'', ''

The Real McCoys ''The Real McCoys'' is an American situation comedy starring Walter Brennan, Richard Crenna, and Kathleen Nolan. Co-produced by Danny Thomas's Marterto Productions in association with Walter Brennan and Irving Pincus's Westgate Compan ...

'',

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor, backwoods family f ...

'', Mister Ed'', ''

City Detective ''City Detective'' is a half-hour syndicated crime drama starring Rod Cameron as Bart Grant, a tough 1950s New York City police lieutenant. The show's title was a bit of a misnomer, as Grant fought crime "from Mexico to the Mojave Desert to Ne ...

'', '' Behind Closed Doors'', ''

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: ' ...

'', '' Harrigan and Son'', ''

Hennesey ''Hennesey'' is an American military comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from 1959 to 1962, starring Jackie Cooper and Abby Dalton. Cooper played a United States Navy physician, Lt. Charles W. "Chick" Hennesey, with Abby Dalt ...

'', ''

State Trooper State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdicti ...

'', ''

One Step Beyond One Step Beyond may refer to: Music * ''One Step Beyond'' (Dungeon album) or the title song, 2004 * ''One Step Beyond'' (Jackie McLean album), 1963 * '' One Step Beyond...'', an album by Madness, or the title song (see below), 1979 * ''One Step ...

'', '' The Restless Gun'', '' The Rebel'', '' Wanted: Dead or Alive'', ''

My Favorite Martian ''My Favorite Martian'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 29, 1963, to May 1, 1966, for 107 episodes. The show stars Ray Walston as "Uncle Martin" (the Martian) and Bill Bixby as Tim O'Hara. The first two seasons, totalin ...

'', ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'', ''

The Untouchables Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to: American history * Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness * ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley * ''The U ...

'', ''

Bewitched ''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typ ...

'', ''

Pete and Gladys ''Pete and Gladys'' is an American sitcom television series starring Harry Morgan and Cara Williams that aired on CBS on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time for two seasons, beginning on September 19, 1960. The last episode was ...

'', ''

The Addams Family ''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over ...

'', ''

The Munsters ''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom depicting the home life of a family of benign monsters. The series starred Fred Gwynne as Frankenstein's monsterEpisodes referring to the fact that Herman is Frankenstein's monster include #55, "Just Anoth ...

'', ''

Johnny Ringo John Peters Ringo (May 3, 1850 – July 13, 1882), known as Johnny Ringo, was an American Old West outlaw loosely associated with the Cochise County Cowboys in frontier boomtown Tombstone, Arizona Territory. He took part in the Mason County ...

'', '' Rawhide'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'', ''

Happy Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia. Sin ...

'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'', ''

The Jean Arthur Show ''The Jean Arthur Show'' is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS from September 12 to December 5, 1966. The series was sponsored by General Foods. Cast *Jean Arthur as Patricia, a lawyer who works alongside her son Paul * Ron Harper a ...

'', '' Laramie'', ''

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was con ...

'', '' Mission: Impossible'', ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin ...

'', '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', ''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tatto ...

'', ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books is a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adolescence in the American Midwest (Wisconsin, Kansas, ...

'', ''

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

'' and ''

Simon & Simon ''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who oper ...

''. He was the only actor who performed on both the ''

'' radio and television shows.

Batman

Soule is remembered by many for providing the voice of

in several animated series. He first performed as the Caped Crusader on the 1968

Filmation Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and ...

-produced ''

The Batman/Superman Hour ''The Batman/Superman Hour'' is a Filmation animated series that was broadcast on CBS from 1968 to 1969. Premiering on September 14, 1968, this 60-minute program featured new adventures of the DC Comics superheroes Batman, Robin and Batgirl alon ...

''. He reprised his role as Batman on ''

The New Scooby-Doo Movies ''The New Scooby-Doo Movies'' is an American animated mystery comedy television series produced by Hanna-Barbera for CBS. It is the second animated television series in the studio's '' Scooby-Doo'' franchise, and follows the first incarnation, ' ...

'', ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000 ...

'' (1970), ''

Super Friends ''Super Friends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1985 on ABC as part of its Saturday-morning cartoon lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was based on the Justice League of ...

'' (1973), '' The All-New Super Friends Hour'', '' Challenge of the Super Friends'', '' The World's Greatest Super Friends'', and ''

'' (1980). He appeared as a newscaster on the live-action ''Batman'' television series (in the episode "The Pharaoh's in a Rut") with his ''Super Friends'' successor Adam West. Although Soule eventually gave back the Batman mantle to the man who portrayed him in live-action, he continued to contribute to the '' Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show'' series, providing the voice of Professor

Martin Stein Martin Stein is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is commonly associated with, and sometimes is, the superhero Firestorm. Stein has made several appearances in DC-related media, such as the Arrowve ...

, mentor and

subconscious In psychology, the subconscious is the part of the mind that is not currently of focal awareness. Scholarly use of the term The word ''subconscious'' represents an anglicized version of the French ''subconscient'' as coined in 1889 by the psycho ...

of fledgling hero

Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

Other voice-over work

Soule provided the voice of Master Taj in the English-dubbed version of the cult 1973 film ''

Fantastic Planet ''Fantastic Planet'' (french: La Planète sauvage; cs, Divoká planeta, lit. "The Wild Planet") is a 1973 experimental adult animated science fiction film, directed by René Laloux and written by Laloux and Roland Topor, the latter of whom a ...

'' in addition to his work as

Personal life and death

Soule married Norma Elizabeth Miller on September 29, 1929. They had two children and were married for 63 years, until Norma's death on July 1, 1992. His daughter Joann was also an actress, under the name of Sydney Soule. Soule was a 32-degree Mason as well as a member of the Los Angeles Show Business Shrine Club (Al Malikah). On February 1, 1994, Soule died four weeks before his 85th birthday of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, mali ...

Corona, California Corona ( Spanish for "Crown") is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 157,136, up from 152,374 at the 2010 census. The cities of Norco and Riverside lie to the north and no ...

, at the home of his daughter Joann and son-in-law, Dr. David Henriksen. His burial took place at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Un ...

, Los Angeles.

Selected filmography

* '' It's a Great Feeling'' (1949) - Flack (uncredited) * ''

Destination Big House ''Destination Big House'' is a 1950 American crime film directed by George Blair, written by Eric Taylor and starring Dorothy Patrick, Robert Rockwell, Jimmy Lydon, Robert Armstrong, Larry J. Blake and John Harmon. The film was released on ...

'' (1950) - Ralph Newell * ''

Cuban Fireball ''Cuban Fireball'' is a 1951 American musical film directed by William Beaudine and starring Estelita Rodriguez, Warren Douglas and Mimi Aguglia.Gevinson p.241 An employee at a Havana cigar factory discovers that she has been left some lucrative ...

'' (1951) - Jimmy * '' The Atomic City'' (1952) - Mortie Fenton * ''

Francis Joins the WACS ''Francis Joins the WACS'' is a 1954 American black-and-white comedy film from Universal-International, produced by Ted Richmond, directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Donald O'Connor, Julie Adams, ZaSu Pitts, Mamie Van Doren and Chill Wills in tw ...

'' (1954) - Capt. Creavy, Psychiatrist * '' Dragnet'' (1954) - Ray Pinker * ''

Cult of the Cobra ''Cult of the Cobra'' is a 1955 American black-and-white horror film from Universal-International Pictures, produced by Howard Pine, directed by Francis D. Lyon, that stars Faith Domergue, Richard Long, Kathleen Hughes, Marshall Thompson, J ...

'' (1955) - Major Martin Fielding * ''-30-'' (1959) - Vince, the sports editor * '' The Bubble'' (1966) - Watch Repairman * ''

The Destructors "The Destructors" is a 1954 short story written by Graham Greene, first published in ''Picture Post'' and subsequently collected in ''Twenty-One Stories'' later that year.The Seven Minutes'' (1971) - Harvey Underwood * ''

'' (1973) - Master Taj (English version, voice) * '' The Towering Inferno'' (1974) - Johnson * '' The Apple Dumpling Gang'' (1975) - Rube Cluck * '' St. Ives'' (1976) - Station Man * ''

The Shaggy D.A. ''The Shaggy D.A.'' is a 1976 American comedy film and a sequel to '' The Shaggy Dog'' (1959) produced by Walt Disney Productions. It was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Don Tait. As with the first film in the series, it takes some ...

'' (1976) - Bar Patron * ''

Homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

'' (1991) - Crime Scene Technician (final film role)

Selected Television

References

External links

1989 interview with Olan Soule on the radio show ''Those Were the Days''
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Soule, Olan 1909 births 1994 deaths People from Hancock County, Illinois Male actors from Des Moines, Iowa American male film actors American male radio actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male voice actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Deaths from lung cancer in California 20th-century American male actors Western (genre) television actors