The hidden voices behind the stars Published duration 17 March 2017

While living in Berlin, photographer Jorn Tomter found a large number of films in the cinema were dubbed into German. Fascinated, he began to track down the men and women who provide the voices for Hollywood's biggest stars.

image copyright Jørn Tomter image caption Arne Elsholtz is known for providing the voiceover for Bill Murray films

Audiences get used to certain voices, and many actors spend their time dedicated to specific stars, becoming household names.

However, Tomter observes that their voices are often wildly different from the actors', saying: "I know for sure that the German voice of Samuel L Jackson is far from the original."

image copyright Jørn Tomter image caption Luise Helm provides the voice for Scarlett Johansson

Dubbing became popularised after World War Two, as America subsidised the German industry in order to create a market for Hollywood films. Now, Germany has one of the biggest voiceover industries in Europe.

image copyright Jørn Tomter image caption The German voice for both Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Garner is provided by Claudia Urbschat-Mingues

image copyright Jørn Tomter image caption Engelbert von Nordhausen is the unlikely voice of Samuel L Jackson

While doing the dubbing, the actors don't just have to attempt to lip sync German to the actor's mouths, they also have to mimic their inflection.

This can be made even harder as, sometimes, in order to prevent piracy, the production company allows the actors to see only a black screen with holes cut out to show the actor's mouth.

image copyright Jørn Tomter image caption Martin Kessler provides the German voice for Nicolas Cage

image copyright Jørn Tomter image caption The voice for Brad Pitt, Kiefer Sutherland and Sean Penn is provided by Tobias Meister

Tomter deliberately attempted to create a cinematic depiction of his subjects, giving them the screen time they usually never achieve while hidden behind the celebrities.

Shown inside their homes, Tomter says: "Some of the subjects really got into the acting bit while I was photographing them, and I could see their passion coming through."

image copyright Jørn Tomter image caption Marie Bierstedt is the voice of Kirsten Dunst in Germany

image copyright Jørn Tomter image caption Seen at home is Norman Matt, known for his dubbing of Paul Rudd