While many teams have come and gone through “Hard Knocks,” only one voice has remained a constant.
If the dulcet, velvety tones of the “Hard Knocks” narrator sounds familiar to you, it’s because maybe you’ve watched “Ray Donovan,” the “Scream” movies or — *shudder* — “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”
That’s because award-winning actor and frequent “Outstanding Narrator” nominee Liev Schreiber is the voice behind all of HBO’s training camp documentaries, and has been since the show first aired in 2001.
Schreiber has been partnered with HBO and the series for every season of the show, except in 2017, when another famous actor took the microphone. There was a good reason for the replacement, too.
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Here’s what you need to know about Schreiber’s long-running relationship with the network and the show.
Who is the ‘Hard Knocks’ narrator?
Critically acclaimed actor (and owner of one of the best voices in Hollywood) Liev Schreiber has been the narrator for “Hard Knocks” for all but one season of the show since 2001.
There’s only one season that Schreiber didn’t narrate, which was in 2017. Instead, award-winning actor Paul Rudd took the microphone for the Chiefs’ edition of “Hard Knocks.” Rudd is a lifelong Chiefs fan.
In a 2017 interview with Dan Patrick, Schreiber weighed in on why he enjoys doing the voiceover work for the show:
“I love that aspect of my work, I love the shows that they (HBO) do,” Schreiber said then. “The writing is really everything. When you get someone that does that right, it’s magic. I think in the great tradition of John Facenda and NFL Films, they were writing this really dramatic stuff. I think that kind of juxtaposition of athleticism and poetry is really fantastic.”
If you didn’t recognize Schreiber’s voice, don’t worry: He says that many people don’t realize that he’s the voice behind the show.
MORE: ‘Hard Knocks’ history — How teams have played after starring on show
Schreiber has earned many Primetime Emmy nominations for “Outstanding Narrator” through his career, though not for his work on HBO’s behind-the-scenes training camp series.
He’s earned nominations for the following series: “Muhammad Ali: Only One,” “UConn: The March to Madness,” “24/7” and “The Many Lives of Nick Buoniconti.”
In 2022, Schreiber has some competition for Best Voice — that’s being challenged by Lions head coach Dan Campbell himself.
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