Susan Bennett facts for kids
Susan Alice Bennett was born on July 31, 1949. She is an American voice actress and used to sing backup for famous musicians like Roy Orbison and Burt Bacharach. She is most famous for being the original female American voice of Apple's Siri personal assistant. Siri was first introduced on the iPhone 4S on October 4, 2011. Susan Bennett was the voice of Siri until a new update, iOS 7, came out on September 18, 2013.
Quick facts for kids
Susan Bennett
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Bennett from a Voice of America interview, 2018
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Susan Alice Cameron
July 31, 1949 Burlington, Vermont, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Brown University |
| Occupation | Voice actress, singer |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Known for | Original US voice of Siri |
| Spouse(s) | Rick Hinkle |
Contents
Early Life and Education
Susan Bennett was born in Burlington, Vermont. She went to high school at Clinton Central School in Clinton, New York. In 1967, she started college at Pembroke College. She graduated in 1971 from Brown University after Pembroke College joined with Brown.
In college, Susan studied classics, which is the study of ancient Greek and Roman culture. She planned to become a teacher. She also acted in plays and sang in a jazz band called Conglomerate. She was also a singer with the Chattertocks, an a cappella group that sings without instruments.
Susan Bennett's Career
Susan Bennett's career as a voice actress began in 1974. Her first big job was being the voice for First National Bank of Atlanta's "Tillie the All-Time Teller." This was an early automated teller machine (ATM).
Since then, her voice has been used in many places. You might have heard her voice in:
- Messages for the public address systems at Delta Air Lines terminals around the world.
- Software for learning online (e-learning).
- GPS navigation software that helps you find your way.
- Different telephone systems.
Her voice has also been in many TV commercials. She has done ads for big companies like Ford, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, The Home Depot, and Cartoon Network. In 2021, she voiced EMMA, an artificial intelligence character, in the video game Persona 5 Strikers.
Becoming the Voice of Siri
In June 2005, a software company called ScanSoft was looking for a voice for a special project. They needed someone to record many phrases to build a speech database. Susan Bennett happened to be at GM Voices, a voice-over company, when the person who was supposed to record was not there. So, they chose her!
In July 2005, Susan worked from her home recording booth. She spent more than four hours each day reading different phrases and sentences. These recordings were then put together, or concatenated, to create the words and sentences used for the Siri voice.
Susan didn't even know she was the voice of Siri until October 2011. A friend sent her an email after Siri was launched, asking if it was her voice. Apple has never officially said that Susan Bennett is the voice of Siri. However, experts who study audio have said they are 100% sure it is her voice.
Personal Life
While at Brown University, Susan Bennett met her first husband, Curt Bennett, who was a professional ice hockey player. Later, she married Rick Hinkle, who is an audio engineer and guitarist. Today, Susan Bennett lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
See also
- Pat Fleet
