Skip Hinnant, 'The Electric Company' Star and Voice of Fritz the Cat, Dies at 86
American actor, comedian and voice artist Skip Hinnant died peacefully on November 8 in Denver, Colorado, at the age of 86, surrounded by his family, The Hollywood Reporter reported on November 14. Born Joseph Howard Hinnant on September 12, 1940, and raised on Chincoteague Island, Virginia, he was a member of the original cast of the PBS children's series The Electric Company from 1971 to 1977 and the voice of the title character in the animated film Fritz the Cat.
According to a family obituary published by The New York Times on November 12, Hinnant graduated from Yale University in 1962. His older sister gave him the name Skip, which he used throughout his life, and he followed his older brother, actor Bill Hinnant, to New York.
His early credits included a recurring role as Ted on The Patty Duke Show from 1963 to 1965 and originating the role of Schroeder in the 1967 original off-Broadway production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, in which his brother Bill played Snoopy.
From 1971 to 1977, Hinnant was a featured performer on The Electric Company, the Emmy-winning PBS series created to teach children to read, playing Fargo North, Decoder and many other characters. In a striking contrast with his children's work, he voiced Fritz in Ralph Bakshi's adult animated film Fritz the Cat in 1972 and its 1974 sequel, The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat. In 1977, he voiced the Easter Bunny in the television special The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town.
Beyond acting, Hinnant was active in his unions, serving on the national board of the Screen Actors Guild from 1980 to 2003 in several leadership roles, work he was proud of for preserving commercial voice contracts and the rights of everyday actors.
He is survived by his companion Ruth Nerken, Miriam Hinnant, his four children and nine grandchildren. The family will hold a private celebration of life in Chincoteague, Virginia, and welcomes photos and memories in the online guest book; donations in his name may be made to the Entertainment Community Fund or the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.
Reference: Family obituary published by The New York Times via Legacy
(Source: The Hollywood Reporter)
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿的 PBS 总部大楼。Skip Hinnant 主演的《The Electric Company》1971年至1977年在 PBS 播出。 / Photo: PBS headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. The Electric Company, starring Skip Hinnant, aired on PBS from 1971 to 1977.
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