Swamp People is one of the most popular reality shows on TV and folks often wonder who does the southern-tinged narrating that sets the table for all the action. His name is Pat Duke and the professional voice-actor sure has an impressive resume of work.
Duke’s presence on the show is just as important as its better-known stars like Troy Landry, Glenn Guist and Bruce Mitchell. During almost any given episode you’ll hear more of Duke talking than any of the cast members. He sets the table well and helps make Swamp People the entertaining look into its character’s fascinating way of life that it is.
Here’s Pat’s “about me” section via his official website:
Pat Duke was born to perform, growing up in the music business in Nashville, Tennessee. A successful studio singer, musician, and Emmy Award winning composer, Pat was drawn to the music scene in Chicago where he sang thousands of commercials and performed on stage and in the studio with the likes of Celine Dion, Michael Bolton, Gladys Knight, and Josh Groban. His unique speaking voice caught the ear of a Chicago talent agent. He was immediately signed and subsequently cast as the long-time Voice of Miller Lite. From that point on, his Voice Acting career really took off. Pat has performed on over 10,000 national commercials.
Yes! I knew I recognized that voice from somewhere else and it’s from about a gagillion beer ads. Here’s an example from a reel that the man put together called, simply enough, “Pat Duke Loves Beer.”
I don’t know about you but I just had my 6-pack mind blown. I bet if I hung out with Pat that I’d have to have a cold one from all the subliminal memories in my brain.
Pat’s also made a name for himself (or his voice anyways) in the gaming community with a list of credits that include, “HALO: Reach”, Colonel Urban Holland, “Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic”, Captain, multiple characters, “World of Warcraft: Cataclysm”, Lord Rhyolith, “Arcania: Gothic 4”, Thorus, multiple characters, “Jimmy Johnson Racing”, Hank Husky Varner and “Sacred 2: Fallen Angel”, The Inquisitor.
Don’t just take my word on Duke’s relevance to the show. Check out what Swamp People’s Executive Producer Brian Catalina has to say about his skills:
Casting the voice-over artist for Swamp People was challenging. We listened to hundreds of reads and then discovered Pat Duke. Pat’s reads are so powerful and spot-on, he has become a key “character” in our series and an important reason why Swamp People has become a break-out hit for History Channel. Pat’s skills extend beyond the command of his remarkable voice— he is a consummate professional who is easy to work with, breathes life into our words, and makes every session fun. I’m his biggest fan!
Here’s one more reel put together by Mr. Duke consisting of his varying TV narrations including Swamp People. It’s a great example of the range he can cover including distinctive approaches, directions and accents:
You can keep up with the voice of Swamp People (and a bunch of other things obviously — see below) via his Twitter feed here. Once again via his official site, here are just some of the listed credits for one very busy guy:
Animation and Film
THOR, Frost Giant Sentry
Happy Feet Two, Penguin Voices
A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas, Giant Snowman
Secret Mountain Fort Awesome, Cartoon Network Series, The Fart, multiple characters
(2012 Annie Award, 2012 Annecy International Film Festival Award)
Finding Paradiso, Anime, multiple characters
Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln”, multiple voices
Narration
History Channel, “Swamp People”
Tennis Channel, “The Grand Slam Events”
National Geographic, “Rock Stars”
NatGeo, “Wild Alaska”
ESPN, “NASCAR Memories”
Discovery Channel, “Junkyard Dogs”
CMT, “Prankville”
Other Major Ad Campaigns
Obama 2008, Miller Genuine Draft, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Heinz Ketchup, Keebler, Raisin Bran, Pop Tarts, Apple Jacks, Chex Snack Mix, Cheezits, Sears, B. F. Goodrich, Prell, All State, Radio Shack, Kraft Cheese, Budweiser, Midas, Hefty, Cheer, White Castle, Buick, Burger King, 7 Eleven
