Richard Guimond (French pronunciation:[ʁiʃaʁɡimɔ̃]; born 7 December 1951), professionally known as Richard Darbois (pronounced[ʁiʃaʁdaʁbwa]), is a Canadian actor who specializes in French dubbing.
In the media, he is also known as the voice-over artist of the radio station NRJ and some brands for advertising.[1]
Early life
Richard Darbois is the son of comedian Olivier Guimond and singer Jeanne-d'Arc Charlebois.[2]
In 1955, his parents separated and his mother left for a career in Europe, accompanied by her children, where she took the artist name of Jeanne Darbois, a surname that her children would adopt.[3]
Career
In the 1970s, at the start of his acting career, Richard Darbois appeared in several soft erotic films, then in pornographic films; however, he was dubbed in the latter for the hard shots.[4] He then turned to dubbing, where he professionalized. Within the post-synchronization, Richard Darbois is distinguished by a very recognizable voice, of which he is able to modify the bass as well as the treble (though his normal voice is still very deep, even cavernous).
He also modulates his voice according to the actors he doubles; he retains his normal voice for Harrison Ford (who also has a very deep voice), while giving a much less serious voice to Richard Gere and Jeff Goldblum and even less serious to Bill Murray. Danny Glover, on the other hand, has the same voice as Harrison Ford, but with a slight black African-American accent. Darbois also kept his normal voice for Richard Chamberlain, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Ironside and Keith Richards, who played Edward Teague in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
Darbois currently lives in Guadeloupe with his wife, with whom he has a son. However, he continues to record announcements for NRJ Radio, and the firm has set up a studio for him there.[7]
