Source: TheDrum
Stephen Hawking has passed away at the age of 76 after a long battle with ALS.
On top of his contributions to physics, the scientific community and society at large, Hawkings was a prolific face in popular culture, appearing in a rich tapestry of content ranging from The Simpsons, The Big Bang Theory, Star Trek and Pink Floyd in addition to being the subject of an Oscar-winning biopic.
His family released a statement on Wednesday morning (14 March) confirming his death, noting that “his courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world“.
As a key personality in the science world and beyond, Hawking also fronted many high profile ad campaigns. His synthesised voice was capable of cutting through any roster of commercials.
Below are some of his finest appearances in ad land.
BT
In 1994 Stephen Hawking touted the power of speech and communications for BT, noting that the species’ greatest failures often come from “not talking”.
Specsavers
In 1999, Julian Hanford wrote and directed a piece in which Hawking spoke of the power of vision – and, more specifically, eyesight – for Specsavers.
GoCompare
In the year 2013, GoCompare started to realise that the public loathed its long-last mascot Gio Compario and ran a campaign in which prominent celebs were ‘Saving the Nation’ by running assassination attempts on the troublesome tenor. The work from Dare saw Hawking suck Compario into a black hole.
Intel
Intel stepped forward as the brains behind Hawking’s voice modulator in 2014.
In the creative, Hawking spoke about his 20-year relationship with the brand and how it empowered him to live independently and do the things he loved.
The work ran with the catchy title ‘Keep Hawking Talking’. It was just one of many collaborations between the scientist and the computing brand.
Jaguar F-PACE
In 2016, the enigmatic scientist fulfilled a life-long goal to become a James Bond villain.
He starred in Jaguar’s cinematic creative alongside British baddies Tom Hiddleston, Mark Strong and Sir Ben Kingsley. The spot was directed by Tom Hooper of The King’s Speech fame.
Comic Relief
Hawking also starred in a Comic Relief skit in 2017 in which prominent celebrities all audition to be the next voice of Hawking. Featured was Liam Neeson, Rebel Wilson, Gordon Ramsey and many more.
