Godspeed Ronnie Schell

Ronnie Schell, best known for playing Duke Slater on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., died on June 12, 2026, at the age of 94. He was also a voice actor on several cartons.Ronnie Schell was born on December 23, 1931, in Richmond, California. He attended Richmond Union High School. As a baseball player, he played first base for both American Legion and semipro teams in th San Francisco Bay Area. He served in the United States Air Force for four years, at which point he began doing comedy. He graduated with a degree in Liberal Studies from San Francisco State in 1958.It was while he was a senior in college that he began performing standup comedy at The Purple Onion in the North Beach area of San Francisco. Also on the bill were Phyllis Diller and the Kingston Trio. George Fenneman, the announcer on You Bet Your Life, was scouting Phyllis Diller when he saw Ronnie Schell perform. He asked both of them to appear on You Bet Your Life. Ronnie Schell won $600 and also mentioned the secret word (a…

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