Alan Reed

Although Alan Reed acted in a variety of television and film roles during his career, it is for his work as a voice artist that he will be best remembered. Born Teddy Bergman, he got his start on Broadway, eventually adopting the name Alan Reed (although he would still use "Teddy Bergman" at times throughout his career). Reed became a notable presence on radio, where he built up his talent for voice work on such popular shows as "The Shadow," "The Life of Riley," and "Life with Luigi" during the 1940s. As with many other radio performers, by the 1950s Reed had made the transition to television, including the role of a studio boss, J.B. Hafter, on the sitcom "Mr. Adams and Eve," and a role later in the 1960s on the short-lived Mickey Rooney vehicle, "Mickey." But it was his voiceover for the lead role in the animated television show "The Flintstones" that became Reed's career-defining work. Due to the success of "The Flintstones" (which started out as a black-and-white program in 1960 before transferring to color during a six-season run), Reed's "Fred Flintstone voice" was utilized for several subsequent "Flintstones" spin-off programs, including 1971's "The Pebbles and Bam-Bam Show," among others.