|
Register Now!
|
|
Register now for vtap for the fastest and easiest way to watch web video on your mobile device!
|
|
Ronald Ralph Schell (born December 23, 1931 in Richmond, California) is an American actor, stand-up comedian and cartoon voice actor. Early in his career he appeared as himself as a contestant on You Bet Your Life opposite Groucho Marx, demonstrating a comic barrage of jive talk.
Born and raised in Richmond, California, comedian Ronnie Schell's first choice of careers was to play professional baseball. He got as far as the semis before enlisting in the Air Force, where he performed in variety shows as both an emcee and comedian and also did record pantomimes. He studied at San Francisco State University and by happenstance formed a nightclub comedy duo which took off. He turned solo within a year and progressed to Las Vegas work as an opening act. TV opened its doors to him when he nailed the regular role of Jim Nabors' Marine bunkmate "Duke Slater" on "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." and his acting career was born. Betwixt and between was a recurring role on "That Girl" playing Marlo Thomas' agent and a short-lived series lead on "Good Morning, World" co-starring a pre-"Laugh-In" Goldie Hawn. Minor supporting roles in Disney films also came his way with The Strongest Man in the World (1975), The Shaggy D.A. (1976), Gus (1976), The Cat from Outer Space (1978) and The Devil and Max Devlin (1981), while numerous guest parts on such shows as "The Andy Griffith Show," "Love, American Style," "Charlie's Angels," "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "Saved by the Bell" have kept him busy over the years. Following "Gomer Pyle," he would also appear as a regular on Nabors' variety show "The Jim Nabors Hour" for a short spell. Ronnie continued to perform in comedy clubs for a time, then made fine use of his gifts as a voice artist on TV, radio, films, commercials and especially Hanna-Barbera cartoons. He continues to live in the Los Angeles area where for years he has served as the honorary mayor of Encino.







