Douglas Rain
Biography
Douglas Rain was a Canadian actor who spent most of his career in the theater but became widely known for his vocal performance as the HAL 9000 supercomputer in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he earned a degree at the University of Manitoba in 1950, then trained at the Banff School of Fine Arts and at London's Old Vic Theatre School. He helped found the Stratford Festival of Canada in 1953 and stayed with the company as an actor until 1998, taking on many stage roles; a Stratford, Ontario staging of Henry V was adapted for television in 1966. His work in Vivat! Vivat Regina! earned him a Tony Award nomination in 1972. Kubrick chose him to voice HAL after hearing him narrate the documentary Universe, and he returned to the part in 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984).
90years old at death
- Born Winnipeg
- Died St. Marys
- Star sign: PiscesThe sign runs February 19 to March 20
- Also credited as Douglas James Rain
Movie Career
- Films
- 4
- Career span
- 16 years1968 to 1984
Every film, newest first
- 19842010: The Year We Make ContactIMDb rating 6.7
- 1975The Man Who Skied Down EverestIMDb rating 7.2
- 1973SleeperIMDb rating 7.1
- 19682001: A Space OdysseyIMDb rating 8.3
Genres
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Getting ready for a role
Kubrick cast Rain as HAL 9000's voice for 2001: A Space Odyssey after hearing him narrate a documentary. Rain did all his lines in London, recording with Kubrick across two days in a ten-hour session, and felt it went badly.
Early training
Rain trained as an actor at the Banff School of Fine Arts in Alberta and at the Old Vic Theatre School in London, England, after earning a B.A. from the University of Manitoba in 1950.
Douglas Rain movies on Netflix
Worked with
Douglas Rain shares two films with Keir Dullea, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Keir Dullea's page
Helen Mirren's page
John Lithgow's page
Bob Balaban's page
Diane Keaton's page
Woody Allen's page
All films by Stanley Kubrick
All films by Peter Hyams
Awards
One award and honor.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| Dora Mavor Moore Awards | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.