Henry Corden, the second voice of Fred Flintstone died May 19, 2005, of emphysema at AMI Encino Hospital, at the age of 85, according to his longtime agent Don Pitts. Corden's wife of nine years, Angelina, was with him at the time.
Born in Montreal, Canada, Corden moved to New York City as a child and came to Hollywood in the 1940s. His first acting role was in the 1947 Boris Karloff film, THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY. With his dark hair, bearded face and deep voice, Corden often played villains and heavies.
He played small roles in THE BLACK CASTLE, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, ALBOTT AND COSTELLO IN THE FOREIGN LEGION and THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING. He also appeared in numerous live-action TV series, including DRAGNET, PERRY MASON and GUNSMOKE.
Corden took up voice acting in the 1960s, using his dialect skills for Hanna-Barbera cartoons, including JONNY QUEST, JOSEY AND THE Pussycats and THE NEW TOM & JERRY SHOW. He took over as Fred Flintstone, a role he loved dearly, when original voice Allen Reed died in 1977. Reed originated the Flintstone voice in 1960.
Corden performed the role of bombastic caveman with great gusto not only in front of the microphone, but also during publicity interviews, promotional and charity events, injecting his lively humor and warmth.
While he may be best remembered for being the voice of Fred Flintstone the last 25 years, Henry was a part of the Hanna-Barbera family for more than four decades, lending his voice -- and his inimitable talent -- to countless characters from series like JONNY QUEST and THE JETSONS to SCOOBY-DOO and THE SMURFS, said legendary animator Joseph Barbera. He will be greatly missed. Corden and his wife had attended Barberas 93rd birthday party in 2004 at the Warner Bros. Animation Studio in Sherman Oaks, California.
Corden was also Paw Rugg on THE ATOM ANT SHOW and did many commercials, including Charlie, a talking tuna for StarKist tuna.
In addition to his wife, Corden is survived by two children from his first marriage (his wife Charlotte died before his second marriage), Dana Wade and Robin Smith; three stepchildren, Monica Faraldo, Army Capt. Erik Faraldo and Derek Faraldo; and five grandchildren. A private memorial celebration is planned, Pitts said.
