John Stephenson

Class of 1945: Voice of Mr. Slate

John Winfield Stephenson, who lent his distinctive voice to dozens of animated and on-screen characters over a 60-year acting career, was best-known as the voice of Mr. Slate, Fred Flintstone’s boss at the rock quarry, on the classic 1960s television program “The Flintstones.”

He also voiced the ladies’ man Fancy-Fancy on the animated series “Top Cat.”

He was born Aug. 9, 1923, in Darlington, Wisconsin, and grew up in Kenosha. He came to Ripon on the advice of his high school speech and drama coach, John D. Davies, Ripon College Class of 1925. Stephenson majored in speech communication and participated in drama, but he left after the second quarter of his sophomore year to enlist in the Army Air Corps.

In response to a letter from Ripon College publicity director Clem Lueck, Class of 1923, Stephenson wrote about his fond memories of Ripon: “If a fellow can be homesick – he certainly can be ‘school-sick.’ I don’t believe it’s necessary to tell you here what ‘the hill’ and old friends mean to me,” he said.

Stephenson flew more than 400 combat hours in World War II as a radio operator and gunner, After the war, he received a degree in theater from Northwestern University and worked in Chicago Radio.

While visiting friends in Hollywood in 1948, he started landing gigs on radio shows and went on to work regularly as an on-screen actor, voice actor, announcer, host and narrator on radio, television, films and commercials. For 13 weeks, he introduced TV audiences to episodes of “I Love Lucy,” and he made recurring appearances on “The People’s Choice,” starring Jackie Cooper, and “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.”

He also made guest appearances on dozens of television shows, including “Perry Mason,” “F Troop” (as Gen. George Armstrong Custer), “Hogan’s Heroes,” “Mission: Impossible,” “The Doris Day Show,” “The Six Million Dollar Man,” “The Streets of San Francisco” and “Lou Grant.”

His numerous film appearances include “Spartacus” and his last film role of Rhino Guard in “Kung Fu Panda” in 2008.

As a voice actor, he was a mainstay of Hanna-Barbera cartoons, playing hundreds of characters. He also voiced characters on shows such “Jonny Quest” (as the father Dr. Benton C. Quest), “The Peter Potamus Show” (as Colonel Fusby), “The Magilla Gorilla Show,” “The Banana Splits Adventure Hour” and “Scooby-Doo.”

Stephenson provided the voiceover at the end of each episode of the 1960s version of TV’s “Dragnet,” stating that a trial was held and “in a moment, the results of that trial.” He then revealed the verdicts and sentences.

Stephenson died May 15, 2015, at the age of 91.