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From Thunderbirds to Pterodactyls: The Autobiography of Shane Rimmer
Shane Rimmer's voice is familiar to millions from his role as Scott Tracy, the pilot of Thunderbird 1, but there are many other facets to his remarkable career. Equally at home in Star Wars or Out of Africa , Shane's talents as a character actor have been called upon by some of the film industry's leading directors.
This wry and refreshingly frank autobiography sheds new light on some of the best-loved films and television series ever made, as well as revealing what life is really like for a jobbing actor in the sometimes less than glamorous world of showbusiness.
This wry and refreshingly frank autobiography sheds new light on some of the best-loved films and television series ever made, as well as revealing what life is really like for a jobbing actor in the sometimes less than glamorous world of showbusiness.
- GenresBiography
240 pages, Hardcover
First published February 14, 2012
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 19, 2023
Shane Rimmer was a Candian born actor, screen writer and entertainer who made a name for himself in the UK from the 60's onwards. A great character actor, with a very distinctive voice, he appeared in countless movies and TV shows. He was probably best known for being the voice of Scott Tracy in Thunderbirds.
Less of an autobiography and more a collection of reminiscences from his more memorable roles. I listened to the audio book which he narrated himself.
Less of an autobiography and more a collection of reminiscences from his more memorable roles. I listened to the audio book which he narrated himself.
April 1, 2015
Shane Rimmer is a recognisable face and voice that has been a staple of film, television and theatre for over half a century. Starting with his appearance in Dr Strangelove he skips back and forth through his career with a bevy of anecdotes about his career and the people and places he has encountered. Tantalisingly brief in places I'd love to know more!
November 14, 2017
An enjoyable memoir! The audio book version is a delight. One wishes for more details as it is too short. Its a shame more character actors don't publish books like this one.
January 19, 2026
Listened to the audiobook read by the man himself. One of the most recognisable voices in film and tv which confess to knowing Shane more by sound that sight… there are many a film where I hear his iconic accent and dramatic delivery and can’t help my brain screaming ‘it’s Scott Tracy!’ Then spot Shane in yet another bit-part. This delivery style however was to the detriment of enjoying the biography as every line was delivered with great intensity.
This is highly recommended reading for fans of his voice work in Thunderbirds and other Gerry Andersson productions as he is a regular lead / voice / cameo throughout the career and tells of many times the phone would ring and it would be Gerry or Sylvia on the phone asking him to come back for another role. One aspect I didn’t know (to my shame) was that he was also a prolific script writer and came up with quote a few stories and scripts for episodes of Captain Scarlet, Joe 90 and The Secret Service along with being a bit of a sounding board for GA.
Shane would be an excellent choice of answer on a round of Pointless as the amount of films he has appeared in are spectacular… many of which I hadn’t even noticed. From dodgy b-movies to modern Hollywood blockbusters, Shane is there… doing everything from being a variation on a pilot (his most frequently requested role) to a data analyst feeding a couple of lines to various James Bonds! He even appeared in Nolan’s Batman Begins, where his son was working and Nolan recognised the surname and demanded (thanks to being a huge Thunderbirds fan) that Shane should be in the film.
Herein lies the problem though, as he has been in a lot of productions, but with small parts meaning his time on set(s) was relative minor and find that most of his anecdotes are sadly short. They focus on the phone call, interview and maybe a couple of pages on the day or two filming he was involved in and leave you wanting a lot more. His family don’t get too much of a mention other than key life events and their responses to if they’re around when he gets a casting call and when he went through a few medical emergencies.
His tellings on the (lack of) health and safety provided some great insights with stories of nearly drowning and breaking his back.
Great reading for GA fans in particular, but ultimately it leaves you wanting more details. Additionally, thanks his dry and to-the-point writing style means that his collection of rather short anecdotes are’t given the embelshiment you would expect by the typical ‘actor type’.
This is highly recommended reading for fans of his voice work in Thunderbirds and other Gerry Andersson productions as he is a regular lead / voice / cameo throughout the career and tells of many times the phone would ring and it would be Gerry or Sylvia on the phone asking him to come back for another role. One aspect I didn’t know (to my shame) was that he was also a prolific script writer and came up with quote a few stories and scripts for episodes of Captain Scarlet, Joe 90 and The Secret Service along with being a bit of a sounding board for GA.
Shane would be an excellent choice of answer on a round of Pointless as the amount of films he has appeared in are spectacular… many of which I hadn’t even noticed. From dodgy b-movies to modern Hollywood blockbusters, Shane is there… doing everything from being a variation on a pilot (his most frequently requested role) to a data analyst feeding a couple of lines to various James Bonds! He even appeared in Nolan’s Batman Begins, where his son was working and Nolan recognised the surname and demanded (thanks to being a huge Thunderbirds fan) that Shane should be in the film.
Herein lies the problem though, as he has been in a lot of productions, but with small parts meaning his time on set(s) was relative minor and find that most of his anecdotes are sadly short. They focus on the phone call, interview and maybe a couple of pages on the day or two filming he was involved in and leave you wanting a lot more. His family don’t get too much of a mention other than key life events and their responses to if they’re around when he gets a casting call and when he went through a few medical emergencies.
His tellings on the (lack of) health and safety provided some great insights with stories of nearly drowning and breaking his back.
Great reading for GA fans in particular, but ultimately it leaves you wanting more details. Additionally, thanks his dry and to-the-point writing style means that his collection of rather short anecdotes are’t given the embelshiment you would expect by the typical ‘actor type’.
January 13, 2025
I had the pleasure of meeting the author Shane Rimmer at Comic con in Birmingham, 2013 (I think)? Lovely gentleman who very kindly signed my book for me and posed for photos. This book was a great insight to his life’s work and talent. I never knew he had starred in so much film and TV. As a die hard Thunderbirds fan whole life, he will always be Scott Tracy to me.
January 15, 2025
Not so much an autobiography as a collection of anecdotes, but well worth a read
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews