Greg Stebner

Greg Stebner is a voiceover specialist whose work includes any number of documentaries. I know his voice mostly from programs centered on World War II. In these programs, Stebner's voice creates a sense of foreboding as he describes the dark days just before and early on in the war, when Nazi Germany, Italy and Japan appeared as if they would overrun the globe. Even in narrating the triumph of the Allies, Stebner evokes somberness, as if mindful of the 50 million who died before hostilities were concluded.

I assumed the coloration of his voice was a function of the subject matter. However, I just watched a 2005 documentary on Boston's massive, fifteen-year-long construction project, the Big Dig, and to my surprise, Stebner's narration had the same foreboding tone, even though the Big Dig has been something of a triumph (though a costly one). I can only assume that his voice naturally carries a certain amount of tension. It's a fascinating quality.