The veteran actor died of natural causes at UCLA Hospital in Los Angeles on June 12, according to the Schell family.

Ronnie Schell, Gomer Pyle actor, dies at 94

The veteran actor died of natural causes at UCLA Hospital in Los Angeles on June 12, according to the Schell family.

By Kathleen Perricone

June 12, 2026 6:43 p.m. ET

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Ronnie Schell on 'Gomer Pyle' in 1964. Credit:

CBS Photo Archive/Getty

- Ronnie Schell, who played Gomer Pyle's best friend on the CBS sitcom, has died at the age of 94.

- The veteran actor passed away from natural causes at UCLA Hospital, according to his family.

- Schell appeared in some of the most popular TV shows of all time, including *Mork & Mindy*, *Charlie's Angels*, *Happy Days*, and *The Golden Girls*.

Ronnie Schell, the only remaining cast member of *Gomer Pyle: USMC*, has died. He was 94.

The veteran actor passed away on Friday at UCLA Hospital in Los Angeles due to natural causes, his family announced to Deadline.

Ronnie Schell at the 2021 Saturn Awards.

Albert L. Ortega/Getty

Schell is best known for playing Pvt. Duke Slater, the best friend of Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors), for 92 episodes of the CBS sitcom, a spinoff of *The Andy Griffith Show* that followed Mayberry's beloved auto mechanic as he joined the Marines.

Amid the show's fourth season in 1967, Schell left to star in his own sitcom for the network, *Good Morning World*, playing a morning radio disc jockey.

*Good Morning World*, co-created by Carl Reiner and featuring Goldie Hawn in her first professional role, only lasted a season — after which Schell returned to *Gomer Pyle* for its fifth and final season.

Ronnie Schell with Goldie Hawn on 'Good Morning World' in 1967.

CBS Photo Archive/Getty

The California native got his start as a stand-up comic during his senior year at San Francisco State University and made his TV debut on a 1959 episode of the quiz show *You Bet Your Life* hosted by Groucho Marx.

Over the following five decades, Schell appeared on some of the most popular shows of all time, including *Mork & Mindy*, *Charlie's Angels**,* *Happy Days*, *Dukes of Hazzard*, *The Golden Girls*, and *Saved by the Bell*.

Ronnie Schell with Robin Williams on 'Mork & Mindy' in 1979.

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Schell also appeared in 24 films, including lending his voice to *Jetsons: The Movie *in 1990. His last role was in the 2022 horror film, *Toomie: The Hungry Tumor*, which also featured *The Love Boat**'*s Ted Lange.

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Schell is survived by his wife of 58 years, Janet Rodeberg, and their two sons, Greg and Chris.

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