The This week marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of radio's greatest actors.

Gerald Moore, best known to radio fans as the voice of Philip Marlow was born June 11, 1914, and in honor of his

centennial, we'll hear the baritone star in performances as three different radio detectives.

It was a stay in the hospital that led to Moore's career in radio.

Moore was a medical student at Columbia University when about with a pendicitis turned him into a patient.

During his recuperation he was overheard by radio announcer Andre Baruch

and Baruch suggested that Moore's voice was tailor-made for radio.

Moore's first radio experience came as a junior news reporter, but by the mid-1930s

he had been invited to join Orson Wells Mercury Theater.

Following a stint in the service during World War II, more could be heard in supporting roles on Box 13,

Let George do it, and Rogue's Gallery, and he was regularly heard on

the Whistler.

In 1948, he found his signature radio role when he was tapped to star as Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlow in a new series on CBS.

Marlow had been played the year before by Van Heflin in an NBC summer series.

Raymond Chandler hadn't been a fan of the Heflin series

but Moore's performance won him over.

As Chandler later put it, Gerald Moore is absolutely tops. A voice like Gerald Moore's gave

you a personality which you could fill out according to your fancy.

Moore's starred as Philip Marlow in 103 episodes from 1948 until 1950 and in another

11 episodes during the summer of 1951. In between those runs as Marlow he starred as another of More was the fifth of six actors to play Goodwin opposite Sydney Green Street as Wolf in the single

season run of the new adventures of Nero Wolf and Moore played Archie in four episodes.

In 1955, Gerald Moore dusted off his detective shoes for an audition recording as yours truly

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