British star of stage and screen, born August 15, 1935, Dale's screen credits include the
Carry On films, and the role of Dr. Terminus in
Pete's Dragon. According to the
IMDB, Dale is also credited as the
lyricist for the
title song of the 1966 movie
Georgy Girl--which is surely one of the most annoyingly
catchy tunes ever written.
More recently, Dale has been the voice of the unabridged audiobook readings of the American editions of the Harry Potter series. Dale's readings are more akin to one-man show performances than simple readings, as he creates a unique voice for each one of the 127 characters seen thus far (through book 4, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), some of which may seem slightly over the top or exaggerated. (By comparison, actor/novelist Stephen Fry's readings of the British editions are far more reserved, and preferred by many Potter fans.)
Jim Dale has his own website at http://www.jim-dale.com and an audio interview with him may be found by using the search box at http://www.npr.org.