Dick Tufeld 'Lost in Space' Robot Voice Actor, Dead at 85
Dick Tufeld, the voice of the robot in "Lost in Space" passed away today at the age of 85.
Tufeld was an American actor, announcer, and narrator, but was perhaps best known for his voice over roles. He was most famously the voice for the robot in "Lost in Space" but also did voice work in other Allen Irwin productions, including "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" and "The Time Tunnel." In 1978 he did voice work for the animated television series "Fantastic Four."
Long-time friend and co-star Bill Mumy remembered Tufeld well on Facebook. "Dick Tufeld was a really cool guy. He's reunited with his wife Adrian now. R.I.P. Dick. You will be missed bigtime," he wrote.
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Mumy also reported to TMZ that Tufeld was a cancer survivor who had suffered from Parkinson's disease. Commenting on the cause of his death Mumy said, "Everything just caught up to him…He lost his wife a few years ago and lost his pep after that."
Mumy, who is an actor and voice-over artist as well, played Will Robinson in the "Lost in Space" television series.
The first words in Allen's "Lost in Space" belong to the voice of Tufeld.
The show begins, "This is the beginning, this is the day, you are watching the unfolding of one of history's great adventures..." Tufeld is also the voice of the first words in the "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" television series. He reads, "This is the Seaview, the most extraordinary submarine in all the seven seas".
Tufeld's role in "Lost in Space" continued to keep him busy all the way up to the 1990's. By that time, the fan base had become so large that he was able to travel the world, going as far as Australia, to talk to fans about the television series. In 1988 when the motion picture for "Lost in Space" was released, Tufeld was again selected to be the voice of the robot.
