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Shane Rimmer

Shane Rimmer

16 films on Best Blurays10 in 4K5 in HD1 in SD

Shane Rimmer photo

Shane Rimmer was a Canadian actor, voice actor and screenwriter, known for providing the voice of Scott Tracy in the British television series Thunderbirds. He has mostly performed in supporting roles, frequently in films and television series filmed in the United Kingdom, having relocated to England in the late 1950s. His appearances include roles in such widely-known films as Dr. Strangelove (1964), Rollerball (1975), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Gandhi (1982), Out of Africa (1985) and Crusoe (1989). More recently he has appeared in Spy Game (2001), and Batman Begins (2005). In the earlier years of his career, there were several uncredited performances, among others for films such as You Only Live Twice (1967), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Star Wars (1977) and Superman II (1980). With the exception of recurring featured cast members he has appeared in more James Bond films than any other actor. Rimmer has a long association with Gerry Anderson. Thunderbirds fans may recognize him as the voice actor behind the character Scott Tracy. He drafted the plotline for the penultimate episode, "Ricochet", which was later turned into a script by Tony Barwick. He also wrote scripts and provided uncredited voices for Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Joe 90 and The Secret Service, has made appearances in episodes of Anderson's live-action UFO and The Protectors, has and provided voices for Space: 1999 and has guest-starred in the episode "Space Brain". In later years he starred in the unscreened pilot Space Police (later made into a series with other actors and titled Space Precinct) and provided the voice for Anderson's stop-motion gumshoe Dick Spanner, P.I.. Rimmer and fellow Anderson actor Ed Bishop often joked about how often their professional paths crossed and termed themselves "Rent-a-Yanks". They appeared together as NASA operatives in the opening of You Only Live Twice and as USN sailors in The Bedford Incident as well as touring together in live stage shows, including "Death of a Salesman" in the 1990s. He also appeared in Doctor Who in 1966, and in Coronation Street as two different characters: Joe Donnelli (1968–1970), who held Stan Ogden hostage in No. 5 before committing suicide, and Malcolm Reid (1988), father of Audrey Roberts' son Stephen. He has made many guest appearances in British television series for ITV, including in Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected, and ITC's The Persuaders!. In 1989 Rimmer was reunited with former Gerry Anderson actors Ed Bishop and Matt Zimmerman in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's A Study In Scarlet. Rimmer and Bishop also appeared in the BBC drama-documentary Hiroshima completed not long after Bishop's death in 2005. Note: His official website and travel record on the Immigration & Travel section of Ancestry give his year of birth as 1929. Description above from the Wikipedia article Shane Rimmer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Biography from Wikipedia via TMDB

Supporting role · Director: Norman Jewison

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray

Small role · Director: Sydney Pollack

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Excellent new transfer. Except for periodic blocking in highlights, which isn’t too obvious in motion, this is a strong disc. I’d suggest blue as there’s only Atmos sound and the most recent Blu-ray from 2013 was also from a new master and isn’t too bad.

Audio Notes:

Atmos mix is very bad with many new sound effects added. The old 5.1 is probably derived from the 6-track, with surrounds minimally upmixed. DVD has the 6-track as 4.1, but with more muffled EQ.

Small role · Director: Gavin Millar

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Sources: lddb.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

Japan Tohokushinsha Home Video LaserDisc [K88L-5085]

Audio Notes:

Japan Tohokushinsha Home Video LaserDisc [K88L-5085] possibly?

Small role · Director: Tony Scott

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Small role · Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray 

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the Sony release without the filtering; Comparison between Sony and Criterion.

Best Audio:

Mono: 1994 LaserDisc (marginally, unfiltered) or Criterion 4K Blu-ray (filtered)
5.1 Remix: Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Small role · Director: Tim Burton

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray

Small role · Director: Tony Scott

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal Blu-ray

TV series

Small role

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive DVD

Small role · Director: Lewis Gilbert

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Small role · Director: Lewis Gilbert

Best English-Friendly & Video:

MGM Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Original 4-Track Mix: MGM 1990 LaserDisc

General release mono mix: CBS Fox VHS Hi-Fi but time compressed
5.1 remix of 4-track mix: MGM Blu-ray (a lossless version of the remix from the Ultimate Edition DVD)

Audio Notes:

The 5.1 track on the earlier THX LD/DVD and SE DVDs is not the same as the later remix, and appears to be more faithful the original mix (likely a simple upmix). The UE DVD remix has a lot more surround activity.

Small role · Director: Richard Attenborough

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray Steelbook

Best Video:

2025 Sony Steelbook

Video Notes:

2025 Sony Steelbook > 2020 Columbia Classics boxset.

Best Audio:

1994 Columbia LaserDisc

Small role · Director: Warren Beatty

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2020 Paramount Blu-ray

Small role · Director: Christopher Nolan

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

WB 4K Blu-ray has Excessive DNR

Small role · Director: Guy Hamilton

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

MGM 1990/1993 LaserDisc

Small role · Director: George Lucas

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

OG: "4K77" or "D+77" on high seas.

Special Edition: "4K97_IV" or "D+97_IV" on high seas.

Upcoming Release:

2027 Original Trilogy restoration/50th anniversary rerelease clips leaked plus release confirmed

Best Audio:

OG: LaserDisc audio is the best option for the Dolby Stereo mixes (and usually included in fan restorations). There are 16mm/TV rips of the mono mixes.

Special Edition: Cinema DTS or 1997 LaserDisc for the Special Edition.

Small role · Director: Richard Donner

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Theatrical: WB 4K Blu-ray (2025 re-release)
Expanded and TV cuts: 2017 Warner Bros Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Theatrical: WB 4K Blu-ray (2025 re-release fixed a glitch in the previous discs)
Expanded and TV cuts: 2017 Warner Bros Blu-ray

Best Audio:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

(2025 re-release includes lossless 5.1 and better 2.0 compared to previous editions)

Additional Info:

The 70mm mix in 5.1 was lossy on the 4K 2018 pressing, missing from the 2023 pressing for some reason, and then put back on the 2025 pressing in lossless.

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