Scott Beach (January 13, 1931 – February 13, 1996) was an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

and DJ, best known for his performance in the 1960s-themed 1973 film ''

American Graffiti ''American Graffiti'' is a 1973 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by George Lucas, produced by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz and Lucas, and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard (billed as Ronny ...

''.

Life and career

Born Alvin Scott Beach, he appeared in numerous motion pictures, most notably as a German scientist patterned after

Wernher von Braun Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun ( , ; 23 March 191216 June 1977) was a German and American aerospace engineer and space architect. He was a member of the Nazi Party and Allgemeine SS, as well as the leading figure in the develop ...

in '' The Right Stuff''. His deep voice was often heard in films. He once said that director George Lucas liked his voice and often used him in his films, beginning with ''

THX 1138 ''THX 1138'' is a 1971 American social science fiction film co-written and directed by George Lucas in his directorial debut. Produced by Francis Ford Coppola and co-written by Walter Murch, the film stars Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasence, wi ...

''. Beach also appeared as Mr. Gordon in ''

'' and provided an uncredited stormtrooper voice in '' Star Wars''. Beach was an early and beloved performer at the original Renaissance Pleasure Faires in Agoura and

Novato, California Novato (Spanish for "Novatus") is a city in Marin County, California, in the North Bay region of the Bay Area. At the 2020 census, Novato had a population of 53,225. History What is now Novato was originally the site of several Coast Miwok ...

, where for many years he portrayed the Lord Mayor of the Shire and was a mentor and an inspiration to many aspiring actors. Along with his acting career, Beach was a natural for radio and was on the staff of

KSFO KSFO (560 AM) is a commercial radio station in San Francisco, California. It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a talk radio format. The station's studios and offices are on Battery Street in the SoMa district of San Francisco, along with f ...

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. During a radio broadcast on January 28, 1973, he reported that the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Viet Nam had been signed on the previous day in

Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

. That agreement, also known as the Paris Peace Accords, ended direct U.S. military involvement in the

Viet Nam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

. Beach concluded his report about the peace agreement by stating, ''"I fear that the last U.S. soldier to die in Vietnam is still alive."'' He was correct; the last American death in Viet Nam was not until April 29, 1975. See McMahon and Judge. Beach twice served as the narrator in performances of

Arthur Honegger Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. A member of Les Six, his best known work is probably ''Antigone'', composed between 1924 and 1927 t ...

's '' King David'' with the

Masterworks Chorale Masterworks Chorale is a choral ensemble based in San Mateo, California. About Masterworks Chorale Masterworks Chorale is one of the oldest choruses in Northern California. Founded in 1964Whitson, Helene. "SFBA Choral Archive: Chorus History." A ...

of San Mateo, California. He also narrated other performances of the oratorio in both the original French and the English translation used by the Masterworks Chorale. He was the host of the

San Francisco Opera San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California. History Gaetano Merola (1923–1953) Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 when h ...

broadcasts over KKHI during the early 1970s.Eyewitness account by Robert E. Nylund, member of Masterworks Chorale, 1970-85. Beach also provided the voice of the comic strip cat ''

Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the title character Garfield the cat, his hum ...

'' in the character's first television appearance in the 1980 anthology special ''The Fantastic Funnies''; he was later replaced in that role by Lorenzo Music.

Personal life

Beach was married to Neva Beach, together they have two children; Dylan (b. 1965 - d. 2008) and Sarah. They both voiced

Charlie Brown Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip '' Peanuts'', syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser," Charlie Brown is one of the great American a ...

and Lucy Van Pelt (respectively) in ''

It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown ''It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown'' is the 15th prime-time animated television special based on Charles M. Schulz's comic strip ''Peanuts''. The subject of the special is Arbor Day, a secular holiday devoted to planting trees. ''It's Arbor Day ...

''.

Death

Beach died on February 13, 1996 at the

California Pacific Medical Center Sutter Health California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) is a general medical/surgical and teaching hospital in San Francisco, California. It was created by a merger of some of the city's longest established hospitals and currently operates three a ...

at the age of 65.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

* * *Photographs of Scott Beach may be found a
Broadcast Legends
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beach, Scott American male voice actors American male film actors Classical music radio presenters Writers from Portland, Oregon Male actors from Portland, Oregon 1931 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American male actors