Voice of Smaug?

[Durelin]

Since my Jeremy Irons comment is apparently so shocking, I'll at least point out that I'm talking about the nature of his voice and not the characters he is capable of portraying... I don't find his voice strong or striking enough. I don't know what kind of voice acting he is capable of...don't with most of the actors recommended!

[Kent2010]

Originally Posted by Durelin

I don't find his voice strong or striking enough. I don't know what kind of voice acting he is capable of...don't with most of the actors recommended!

Just some of the people from the list who's voices I like for Smaug.

Geoffrey Rush - as Captain Barbossa in PoTC - I think he made this movie even with Johnny Depp, I can't imagine Pirates being that good without Geoffrey Rush.

Jason Isaacs and Tom Wilkinson in The Patriot. I think they both have done better movies, but at least you can get an idea of their voices. I prefer Wilkinson's because as WCH said he's got a range of voices where as Tavington, or Hook, or Lucius Malfoy, Isaacs' voices are almost identitical.

John Noble has been in Fox's TV Show Fringe and he's been getting good reviews. Its an interesting show. Here is a bit and also the promo trailer. The thing about Noble is he can slip in and out of character. At the Fellowship Festival in 2004, Noble would go back and forth from his Denethor voice, griping about Faramir, and then suddenly switch to passionately arguing Faramir's charge as the most emotional scene in the movies.

This is a long one, but in the recent TV version of Pratchett's Colour of Magic, you can hear a lot of different voices. Brian Cox is the narrator. Sean Astin plays Twoflower, also Tim Curry, James Cosmo, Jeremy Irons (the Patrician), and Chris Lee (voice of Death) are in the TV series

I also enjoy Jonathan Pryce (Governor Swann in PoTC), but here's a video of him as Fagin in the musical Oliver.

[Tuor in Gondolin]

I like John Noble. Not only, I think, a voice and acting ability
able to get the nuances of Smaug, but it would also make
up for PJ's trashing of Denethor's character in RoTK.

Paraphrasing Madelaine in one of the children's books series:

I shall have my Ven-ge-ance!