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' , 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.
Was a contestant on the original "You Bet Your Life" with Groucho Marx , and professed to Groucho that he wanted to get into show business.
Honorary mayor of Encino, California.
In the 1950s he often billed himself as "Americas Slowest-Rising Young Comedian."
Comedian/character actor, one of many performers who got their break at San Franciscos legendary "Hungry I" nightclub.
A semi-pro baseballer in his early years, he played in later years with a softball team "The Reruns" which included comedians Jack Riley and Fred Willard. His hobby is collecting caps from minor league teams throughout the nation.
His father worked for a naval supply center and his mother was a waitress.
His natural affinity for comedy came early. He was a notorious class clown who was often expelled from school as a youth.
In July 2006, he was a guest at the Western Film Fair in Charlotte, North Carolina, along with Russ Tamblyn , Marjorie Lord , Mark Goddard , Roger Davis , Ben Murphy , Coleen Gray , Steve Kanaly , Cheryl Rogers and Tom Reese.
