Kevin Spacey is one of the best actors around these days. In this appearance on the TV show Inside the Actors Studio hosted by James Lipton, he also reveals a talent for impersonating other actors that goes beyond just mimicking the voice but also extends to gestures, mannerisms, and tics.
Mano Singham
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I remember watching Spacey way back when nobody had ever heard of him. I hadn’t at the time, but the part of his stand up routine doing the impersonations floored me. At the time, I think his Shatner (as Kirk) was my favorite.
Holy Shit!
Since what we hear of our own voices is nothing like what everyone else hears, how do voice imitators do it?
He did a great job as Bobby Darin, despite the age problem.
This is why Verbal was able to fool everyone.
Good question. Maybe they record themselves and listen until they get it right?
You can hear your own voice very much as others hear it. Get two books and hold them in front of your ears perpendicular to your face and pressed, firmly but not too hard, against the sides of your face. What you then hear as you sing or speak now comes from around you and is nowhere nearly as affected by the transmission of sounds through your own sinus cavities and jawbone as it normally is.
It is a bit more accurate than most recording / playback processes. It’s certainly very different from what you’re used to hearing.