B: January 6, 1920 in Montréal, Québec
D: May 19 2005 in Los Angeles, California
It’s probably best not to think of Henry Corden as a Canadian. Born here, he moved to New York with his family when he was still a young boy and grew up as an American. Although he became an actor, it was his voice that kept Henry busy in Hollywood. Interestingly, he started his career as a radio announcer. But in the 1940s he moved to Hollywood looking for work in the movies. He never achieved stardom, but found regular work and was usually cast in uncredited roles in all sorts of movies where they needed a non-descript foreign-type. One notable change was playing Barbara Eden’s genie father on an episode of the popular sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. He continued working as an on-camera actor but it was his voice that set Henry apart. When animation made a huge impact on TV’s younger viewers in the 1960s, Henry finally came into his own. His voice supplied the words for a Who’s Who of cartoon characters but the role he will probably always be remembered for was that of Fred Flintstone. Henry more or less inherited the voice when the show’s original Fred, Alan Reed, passed away in 1977 and he would go on to be the voice of Fred Flintstone for nearly three decades. Henry Corden died of emphysema. |
Features & TV Movies: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960) Keep the Faith (TV-1972) The Flintstones’ New Neighbors (voice, TV-1980) I Yabba-Dabba Do! (voice, TV-1993)
TV Series – Cast: Josie and the Pussycats (voice, 1970) Thundarr the Barbarian (voice, 1980) |
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