Claim: John Schwab(born September 15, 1972) auditioned for Thomas & Friends and later got the role of Stanley and Vinnie.
Evidence: John William Schwab III (born September 15, 1972) is an American actor, TV producer and musician who was born in Pensacola, Florida and resides in London. Schwab auditioned to provide the US narration for Thomas & Friends after Michael Brandon and Michael Angelis left the series, but Mark Moraghan was chosen to narrate it instead in the US and UK dubs. Three years later, he joined the voice cast in the series taking on the role of Stanley in the US dub, replacing Rob Rackstraw and from Series 20 onwards. The same year, he voices Vinnie, a tough confederation locomotive in the feature film Thomas & Friends: The Great Race.