Francis Lax

You know, sometimes I amaze myself!

Francis Lax (April 16, 1930 - March 13, 2013) was a French actor, very well known voice from 70s and 80s.

In addition to his numerous roles in theater and TV series, he was also very active in dubbing.

He has voiced an impressive list of characters and actors, being the most regular French voice of Tom Selleck (including in Magnum, P.I.), Harrison Ford in several films including the Star Wars trilogy and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, David Soul in Starsky and Hutch, Gene Hackman in the Superman films, Dwight Schultz in The A-Team, Sancho in The Mysterious Cities of Gold, several Smurfs in the eponymous series and that hippie in Scooby-Doo. Bumblebee sounded like him, actually.

Similarly, his interpretation of Optimus Prime may sound like "Howling Mad" Murdock imitating Peter Cullen.

In March 2013, he passed away aged 82, following a long fight against an illness.

Voice roles

The Transformers

Main roles

• Optimus Prime
• Bumblebee
• Ironhide
• Jazz
• Brainstorm
• Broadside
• Cerebros
• Chromedome
• Defensor
• Drag Strip
• Headstrong
• Highbrow
• Hun-Gurrr
• Junkyard
• Perceptor
• Predaking
• Various Quintessons
• Razorclaw
• Scamper
• Scavenger
• Scamper
• Silverbolt
• Sinnertwin
• Skuxxoid
• Spoilsport
• Superion
• Various Sweeps
• Wreck-Gar
• Zarak

Occasional substitutions

• Air Raid (Aerial Assault)
• Apeface (The Rebirth, Part 1)
• Blurr (The Rebirth, Part 1)
• Bombshell (The Insecticon Syndrome)
• Bonecrusher (Carnage in C-Minor)
• Chip Chase (The Autobot Run and Megatron's Master Plan episodes)
• Cliffjumper (S.O.S. Dinobots)
• Crosshairs (The Rebirth, Part 1)
• Cyclonus (Surprise Party and Webworld)
• Dirge (The Golden Lagoon)
• Frenzy (Countdown to Extinction)
• Goldbug (The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2)
• Grimlock (Madman's Paradise)
• Groove (B.O.T.)
• Hardhead (The Rebirth, Part 2, second voice)
• Hoist (Hoist Goes Hollywood and Aerial Assault)
• Hook (Heavy Metal War and City of Steel)
• Hot Rod (The Rebirth, Part 2)
• Hound (Attack of the Autobots)
• Inferno (The Gambler)
• Kickback (Traitor)
• Long Haul (The Golden Lagoon)
• Menasor (Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1)
• Metroplex (The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1)
• Mindwipe (The Rebirth, Part 2, first voice)
• Mixmaster (City of Steel)
• Motormaster (Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4)
• Narrator (Autobot Spike, Atlantis, Arise!, Five Faces of Darkness episodes, Starscream's Ghost, Madman's Paradise and The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2)
• Onslaught (Surprise Party and The Rebirth, Part 3)
• Prowl (Autobot Spike)
• Red Alert (The Revenge of Bruticus)
• Rodimus Prime (Five Faces of Darkness episodes and The Rebirth, Part 2)
• Rumble (Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1)
• Scattershot (The Rebirth, Part 1)
• Scavenger (City of Steel and Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1)
• Scourge (Starscream's Ghost)
• Shrapnel (The Revenge of Bruticus)
• Sideswipe (S.O.S. Dinobots, Autobot Spike and The Revenge of Bruticus)
• Skywarp (City of Steel and The Immobilizer)
• Sludge (Webworld)
• Soundwave (City of Steel and The Insecticon Syndrome)
• Streetwise (The Revenge of Bruticus)
• Tantrum (Chaos)
• Thundercracker (Microbots)
• Trailbreaker (The Immobilizer)
• Triggerhappy (The Rebirth, Part 2)
• Vortex (Aerial Assault)
• Warpath (Hoist Goes Hollywood)
• Wheelie (Chaos)
• Wildrider (Masquerade)
• Windcharger (S.O.S. Dinobots)

Incidentals

• Doctor Frankenstein (Autobot Spike)
• Barbarians (Dinobot Island episodes)
• Professor Greene (Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1)
• Wigend of Blackthorn (A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court)
• Aetheling the Red (A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court)
• Winston (Make Tracks)
• Jim Geddis (Make Tracks)
• Robodoctor (The Secret of Omega Supreme)
• Lord Gyconi (The Gambler)
• Mok (Sea Change)
• Oktober Guard One (Prime Target)
• Poplock (Auto-Bop)
• Prima (Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4)
• Guardian Prime (Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4)
• Sharkticons (The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1)

As you noticed, the European French dub of The Transformers was pretty casual about maintaining voice actor continuity across episodes.

Notes

• As one of only two actors to be present from the beginning to the end of the series, Francis Lax holds the sad record of making Optimus Prime and Bumblebee the only main characters to keep the same voice throughout the entire series (if we don't count the late-dubbed episode and The Movie).
• Francis Lax loved to add off-screen "Absolument!" (Absolutely!) in his dubs. In a few episodes, Optimus Prime adds some "Absolutely!" when Megatron repeats something.
• Probably in a clumsy effort to get close to Peter Cullen, Francis Lax uses a "pirate-like" voice for most of his robot characters in the series (Bumblebee being the exception, talking with Francis' most cartoonish voice ever). The only times he uses his normal voice (aside from a few human characters) is in War Dawn, for the character of Orion Pax.
• Francis Lax was most likely the "funny guy" of the group. Indeed, he is most often the one who deviates from the original text to add jokes, funny phrases in crowds or even humiliate Spike.

External links

• Wikipedia entry (French)
• Francis Lax on the IMDb
• Allociné page (French)
• Wiki Doublage page (French)
• Planète jeunesse page (French)