Ronnie Schell

Schell is probably best known for his 1960s television role as Duke Slater in Gomer Pyle – USMC.

• Name — Ronnie Schell • Birth Name — Ronald Ralph Schell • Born — 23 December 1931 • Birthplace — Richmond, California, U.S. • Died — 12 June 2026 • Place of death — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Occupation — * Actor • comedian • Years Active — 1958–2022 • Children — 2

Schell was born in Richmond, California, on December 23, 1931. Upon graduation from high school, he served four years in the United States Air Force, where he became an airman first class.

For three seasons, Schell portrayed Marine private Duke Slater, best friend to Gomer Pyle on Gomer Pyle – USMC. Schell left during the fourth season to star as a disc jockey in his own sitcom, Good Morning World; he returned to Gomer Pyle for its fifth and final season. Promoted to a corporal, the character of Slater now acted more as a mediator between Pyle and Sgt. Carter (portrayed by Frank Sutton), than as a buddy to Pyle. • Illustration — Ronnie Schell and Goldie Hawn in Good Morning World (1967) Schell lent his voice to "Jason" on the animated series Battle of the Planets and co-starred as "Mr. Brown" on The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World episode of The Wonderful World of Disney. His other television guest credits include The Andy Griffith Show; The Patty Duke Show; Phil of the Future; Yes, Dear; The Wayans Bros.; Step by Step; Coach; The Golden Girls; 227; Saved by the Bell; Empty Nest; Mr. Belvedere; Santa Barbara; Trapper John, M.D.; Too Close for Comfort; The Brian Keith Show; The New Temperatures Rising Show; The Love Boat; Love, American Style; Alice, Mork & Mindy; One Day at a Time, Charlie's Angels; The Dukes of Hazzard; Sanford and Son; Emergency!; Happy Days; Adam-12; The New Dick Van Dyke Show; That Girl; Black Sheep Squadron; and Jessie. Schell's gradual ascendency into the public's attention earned him the title "America's Slowest Rising Comedian". He also acted in a few Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) commercials such as "Smile Inspection" and "PSA Gives You A Lift Pageant". At the end of a Jerry Lewis PSA jingle, a voice said "That was Jerry Lewis for PSA, and this is Ronnie Schell. What did I do wrong?" Schell was the voice for the hockey puck-shaped character on the Peter Puck cartoons, which aired during televised National Hockey League games in the 1970s. From the mid to late 1980s, Schell appeared in numerous television commercials for Shakey's Pizza. In 2007, Schell was part of a touring cabaret show titled, 5 Star Revue with Gary Collins, Mary Ann Mobley, Ruta Lee, and Steve Rossi. He starred in the 2009 off-Broadway production of Don't Leave it All to Your Children!, a comedic and musical revue dedicated to aging baby boomers. Schell was the comedy advisor to Richard Dreyfuss in the 2019 Netflix film The Last Laugh.

Schell married Janet Rodeberg in 1968; they had two sons, Greg and Chris Schell. Schell died at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, on June 12, 2026, at the age of 94.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1964–1969 — Gomer Pyle – USMC — Duke Slater — Main cast, 92 episodes • 1967–1968 — Good Morning World — Larry Clarke — Main cast, 26 episodes • 1973 — Butch Cassidy — Additional voices — 13 episodes • Goober and the Ghost Chasers — Gilly — Voice, 16 episodes • Peter Puck — Peter Puck — Voice, 9 episodes • 1973–1974 — Wait Till Your Father Gets Home — Additional voices — 3 episodes • 1973–1976 — Emergency! — Various roles — 4 episodes: S3Ep8, S4Ep20, S5Ep16, S6Ep4 • 1974 — Adam-12 — Jack — S7E1: "Camp" • 1976 — Sanford and Son — Mr. Wilkens — Episode: "Committee Man" • 1977 — The Skatebirds — Additional voices — 16 episodes • The Wonderful World of Disney — Mr. Brown — Episode: "The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World" • 1977–1978 — Fred Flintstone and Friends — Gilly — Voice, 95 episodes (Goober and the Ghost Chasers segments) • 1977–1979 — Alice — Buck / Ken Baldwin — 2 episodes ("Mel's Happy Burger" / "Mel's in the Kitchen with Dinah") • 1977–1980 — Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels — Additional voices — 39 episodes • 1978 — Battle of the Planets — Jason / Additional voices — 85 episodes • Yogi's Space Race — Additional voices — 13 episodes • 1979 — Casper and the Angels — Additional voices — Episode: "Love at First Fright/Saving Grace in Outer Space" • 1982 — Jokebook — Additional voices — 3 episodes • Madame's Place — Frederico Felluci — Episode: "I Am What I Am" • 1982–1983 — Meatballs & Spaghetti — Additional voices — 25 episodes • Shirt Tales — Rick Raccoon — Voice, main role (23 episodes) • 1982–1988 — The Smurfs — Pushover Smurf / Reporter Smurf / Additional voices — 8 episodes • 1985 — Snorks — Additional voices — Episode: "Snorkitis is Nothing to Sneeze At/The Whole Toot and Nothing But" • 1986 — Sledge Hammer! — Phil Gumm — 1 episode, Hammer Gets Nailed • 1986 — Pound Puppies — Buster / Mr. Hubert — Voice, 2 episodes • 1986–1988 — The Flintstone Kids — Yuckster — Voice, 4 episodes • 1987 — Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers — Freako / Demonstrator Ghost — Voice, television film • DuckTales — Ping the Pitiless — Episode: "The Right Duck" • 1988 — Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School — Colonel Calloway — Voice, television film • Mr. Belvedere — Contest Judge — Episode: "Marsha's Secret" • 1988–1989 — Fantastic Max — Additional voices — 3 episodes • 1989 — A Pup Named Scooby-Doo — Additional voices — 8 episodes • Saved by the Bell — Principal Elliot Stingwell — Episode: "Save That Tiger" • 1990 — The Golden Girls — Thomas — Episode: "Triple Play" • Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone — Additional voices — 13 episodes • 1991 — Out of This World — Pinky Starr — Episode: "Mayor Evie" • Yo Yogi! — Calvin Klunk — Voice, 9 episodes • 1992 — The Legend of Prince Valiant — Master Fezzick — Voice, 2 episodes • Tom & Jerry Kids — Additional voices — Episode: "Penthouse Mouse/12 Angry Sheep/The Ant Attack" • Rugrats — Fish / Clerk — Voice, episode: "Visitors from Outer Space/The Case of the Missing Rugrat"; credited as Ronald Schell • Duckman — Eric Duckman — Voice, unaired pilot: "The Case of the Missing Chromosome" • 1993 — I Yabba-Dabba Do! — Additional voices — Television film • Droopy, Master Detective — Additional voices — 13 episodes • Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby — Additional voices — Television film • 1995–1996 — Coach — Dr. Howard / Customer — 2 episodes • 1997 — What a Cartoon! — Mel — Voice, episode: "Strange Things" • 1997–1999 — Recess — Mayor Fitzhugh — Voice, 3 episodes • 2004 — Yes, Dear — Cliff Marshall — Episode: "Dead Aunt, Dead Aunt" • Phil of the Future — 75-Year-Old Phil — Episode: "Age Before Beauty" • Megas XLR — Mac — Voice, 2 episodes • 2004, 2007 — The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy — Real Estate Agent / Toadblatt — Voice, 2 episodes • 2008 — Easy to Assemble — Ronnie Schell — 2 episodes • 2011 — Jessie — Ranger Bill — Episode: "Zuri's New Old Friend" • 2012 — Retired at 35 — Sal — Episode: "Poker Face" • 2014–2015 — You'll Be Fine — Harry — 3 episodes • 2017 — Heaven's Waiting Room — Vic — Unknown episodes • 2018 — Kaplan's Corner — Ronnie (final role) — Episode: "Marvin's Ghost"