Jim French (radio host)

For other people named James French, see James French (disambiguation).

James Rowley French (September 23, 1928 – December 20, 2017)^[1] was an American radio host, voice actor, writer and producer. French wrote and produced over 803 radio programs, including for Imagination Theatre. He was the morning DJ on the Seattle radio station KIRO from 1959 to 1971, and again from 1980 to 1994.^[2][3][4][5]

Jim French
French in 1959
Born	(1928-09-23)September 23, 1928 Pasadena, California
Died	December 20, 2017(2017-12-20) (aged 89) Seattle, Washington
Occupation(s)	Radio presenter, voice actor
Years active	1959–2017
Spouse	Patricia Anne Soule (m. 1950–2017)

As a voice actor, French was known for his work in video games by Valve, including Half-Life 2 (2004), Left 4 Dead (2008), and Dota 2 (2013).^[6]

Life and career

French became morning DJ on KIRO (AM) in Seattle in 1959.^[7] He later began production of Imagination Theatre, which in 2003 moved to KIXI^[8] His syndicated programs are now broadcast on over 120 stations in the U.S. and Canada, and are also heard on the XM Satellite Radio system all over North America.^[9]

He made an appearance on NBC's Pandora's Clock (1996) in the role of an Army non-com. He provided the voice for the Scientist in Gunman Chronicles, Father Grigori in Half-Life 2, the Fisherman in Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, Bill in the games Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2 and Payday: The Heist (as a cameo in the opening cutscene to one of the missions), and Elder Titan in Dota 2.

In late January 2017, it was formally announced via the Imagination Theatre Facebook page that, due to age and health issues, Jim French and his family would be closing down their production company, Jim French Productions, and discontinuing all broadcasts of Imagination Theatre at the end of March 2017. French died on December 20, 2017, at age 89. He was predeceased by his wife Pat, who had died earlier the same year.^[10][11][1] Imagination Theatre is now produced by Aural Vision, LLC.^[12]

Filmography

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	Gunman Chronicles	The Scientist
2004	Half-Life 2	Father Grigori	[13]
2005	Half-Life 2: Lost Coast	The Fisherman
2008	Left 4 Dead	William "Bill" Overbeck	[13]
2009	Left 4 Dead 2
2011	Payday: The Heist
2013	Dota 2	Elder Titan

See also

• Imagination Theatre