Henry Corden
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Henry Corden (January 6, 1920 – May 19, 2005) was an American actor and voice artist best-known for taking over the role of Fred Flintstone on The Flintstones after Alan Reed died in 1977. (He also provided the singing voice for Reed in the 1966 theatrical film, The Man Called Flintstone).
Corden gave his voice to a number of other Hanna-Barbara productions, including The Jetsons, Josie and the Pussycats, The Atom Ant Show, The New Tom & Jerry Show and Jonny Quest. Corden also gave voice to the wizard Gemini and Ookla the Mokk in Ruby-Spears' Thundarr the Barbarian .
With his deep voice, jet-black hair and ethnic looks, Corden was frequently tapped to play heavies in films and on television. He can be seen in such live-action films as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), The Black Castle (1952) and The Ten Commandments (1956). He also appeared in dozens of TV shows, including Dragnet, Perry Mason, Hogan's Heroes, and Gunsmoke. Corden also played landlord Henry Babbitt on The Monkees (1966).
Corden had one enduring role for which he was never credited. He was called upon to impersonate Jackie Gleason for the "television edit" of Smokey and the Bandit. [1] The repeated broadcasts of this version, the liberal use of the nonsense phrase "scum bum" to replace profanity, and the fact that it obviously wasn't Gleason speaking have given the performance a sort of cult status.
Born in Montreal, Canada, Corden moved to New York as a child and arrived in Hollywood in the 1940s.
Corden died of emphysema at age 85 at AMI Encino Hospital in Los Angeles, California. Corden's wife of nine years, Angelina, was with him at the time. Besides his wife, Corden is survived by two children, three step-children, two grandchildren, and three step-grandchildren.
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| Preceded by Alan Reed |
Voice of Fred Flintstone June 15, 1977 — December 2000 |
Succeeded by Jeff Bergman |
