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Bill Ratner
Loren Lester GI Joe Cast.jpg
Ratner (far left) with Loren Lester, Gregg Berger, Mary McDonald-Lewis, and Jerry Houser
Born (1947-02-25) February 25, 1947 (age 74)
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
OccupationVoice actor, author, performance artist
Years active1982–present

Bill Ratner (born February 25, 1947) is an American voice actor, author and solo performance artist. He is best known as the voice of Flint in Hasbro's syndicated TV cartoon G.I. Joe.

Career[edit]

Ratner is best known as the voice of Flint in Hasbro's syndicated TV cartoon G.I. Joe.[1] His voice was used in numerous movie trailers, including Inside Out, Will Ferrell's Talladega Nights and Blades of Glory, Kung Fu Panda, Mike Myers's The Love Guru, Monsters vs. Aliens, and many more.[2] He narrates documentaries on Discovery Channel, A&E, The Weather Channel, History, and others. His voice is on Kings Quest, Grand Theft Auto IV, Mass Effect, and others, and he is the narrator in episodes of Ben 10 for the Cartoon Network. Ratner is also a voice-over announcer for television stations across the US.[3]

His book, Parenting for the Digital Age: The Truth behind Media's Effect on Children and What To Do About It, winner of the National Indie Excellence Award[4] and a Next Generation Indie Book Award[5] and Eric Hoffer Award[6] finalist, is published by Familius.[7] His personal essays are published in the Baltimore Review,[8] Blue Lake Review[9] and The Missouri Review.[10]

Ratner's performances of his personal essays are featured on KCRW's Strangers[11] and National Public Radio's The Business.[12] and Good Food.[13] He tours nationally for storytelling conferences,[14] and festivals,[15] is a regular competitor in The Moth[16] Story Slams in Los Angeles, is a nine-time Moth StorySLAM Winner, a National Storytelling Festival Story Slam teller-Jonesborough TN, a National Storytelling Network storyteller.[17]

He is a contributing author of the book Secrets of Voiceover Success.[18] He is a two-time winner of "Best of the Hollywood Fringe Festival Extension" - Solo Category for "Bobbywood: Whatever Happened to Bobby the Bellboy?"[19] in 2013 and Voices in my Head: A Life.[20][21] He is a member of Actors Equity Association, and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of TV & Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) where he teaches voiceover.[22]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

YearTitleRoleNotes
1987G.I. Joe: The MovieFlintDirect-to-video
1989Lobster Man from MarsAdditional Voices
2004Fat AlbertAnnouncer

Television[edit]

YearTitleRoleNotes
1982Meatballs & SpaghettiAdditional VoicesUnknown episodes
1985–86G.I. Joe: A Real American HeroFlint, Strato-Viper, Chuck, Cobra Officer, Cobra Trooper, Driver45 episodes
1986The TransformersDashiell R. Faireborn / FlintEp. "The Killing Jar"
1997Ah! Real MonstersStu SimmonsEp. "Clockwise/Gromble Soup"
2005Family GuyFlintEp. "North by North Quahog"
2006, 2008Ben 10Narrator, Baddie #22 episodes
2006, 2009, 2019Robot ChickenFlint, Gomez Addams, Thing's Boss, Game Host, Crime Boss, George Henderson3 episodes
2007Back to YouAnnouncer2 episodes
2008–17Air EmergencyNarratorDocumentary
9 episodes
2010–16I (Almost) Got Away With ItNarratorDocumentary
93 episodes
2011–13Behind Mansion WallsNarratorDocumentary
39 episodes
2011–16Air DisastersNarrator150 episodes
2014CommunityFlint (voice)Ep. "G.I. Jeff"

Video games[edit]

YearTitleRole
1992King's Quest VINarrator
2004Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2Additional Voices
2007Mass EffectAmbassador Donnel Udina, Hollis Blake, Krogan Patron
2008Grand Theft Auto IVThe Men's Room Announcer, Republican Space Rangers Announcer, Split Sides Announcer, Commercial
2009Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and DamnedThe Men's Room Announcer, Republican Space Rangers Announcer
2009Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay TonyThe Men's Room Announcer, Republican Space Rangers Announcer
2010Mass Effect 2Donnel Udina, Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner
2012Mass Effect 3Donnel Udina, Angry Krogan Vet
2013Grand Theft Auto VRepublican Space Rangers Announcer
2016Final Fantasy XVAdditional Voices

References[edit]

  1. ^ "International G.I. Joe Collectors' Convention - GIJoeCon 2012!". Gijoecon.com. Retrieved 2014-03-02. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. ^ "In a World of Trailers, Unseen Stars". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-03-02. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  3. ^ "Bill Ratner". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2014-03-02. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  4. ^ "Winners of the NIEA 2016 Awards!". Retrieved 23 January 2017. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  5. ^ Awards, Next Generation Indie Book. "Next Generation Indie Book Awards". Retrieved 23 January 2017. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  6. ^ "Eric Hoffer Book Award Category Finalists". Retrieved 23 January 2017. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  7. ^ "Parenting in the Digital Age". Familius. 2014-11-04. Retrieved 2016-01-31. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  8. ^ "Bill Ratner: Of This Earth". Baltimorereview.org. Retrieved 2014-03-02. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  9. ^ "Primal Screaming - Blue Lake Review". Bluelakereview.weebly.com. Retrieved 2014-03-02. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  10. ^ "2011 Audio Contest Runner-up: Bill Ratner". Missourireview.com. 2011-12-17. Archived from the original on 2013-11-07. Retrieved 2014-03-02. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  11. ^ "Bill Ratner: Screaming with Professionals - Strangers on KCRW 89.9 FM | Internet Public Radio Station Streaming Live Independent Music & NPR News Online from Los Angeles, CA". Kcrw.com. Retrieved 2014-03-02. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  12. ^ "The Drama of the TV Drama 'Damages;' The Business@The Moth 4 - The Business on KCRW 89.9 FM | Internet Public Radio Station Streaming Live Independent Music & NPR News Online from Los Angeles, CA". Kcrw.com. Retrieved 2014-03-02. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  13. ^ "Crack Pie, Mark Bittman, Good Food at The Moth - Good Food on KCRW 89.9 FM | Internet Public Radio Station Streaming Live Independent Music & NPR News Online from Los Angeles, CA". Kcrw.com. Retrieved 2014-03-02. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  14. ^ "Utah Local News - Salt Lake City News, Sports, Archive - The Salt Lake Tribune". Sltrib.com. 2012-02-09. Retrieved 2014-03-02. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  15. ^ "Art of the Story Festival: Bill Ratner | Washington County Cooperative Library Services". Wccls.org. Archived from the original on 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2014-03-02. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  16. ^ [1] Archived March 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ "The Boy Who Set Out to Learn What Fear Was | National Storytelling Network Blog". Blog.storynet.org. 2011-09-20. Archived from the original on 2014-02-18. Retrieved 2014-03-02. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  18. ^ "Secrets of Voice-Over Success". Sentient Publications. Archived from the original on 2014-02-04. Retrieved 2014-03-02. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  19. ^ "Hollywood Fringe - bobbywood: whatever happened to bobby the bellboy?". Hff13.org. Retrieved 2014-03-02. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  20. ^ "The Voiceover Actor Finds His Own Voice". La Stage Times. Retrieved 2014-03-02. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  21. ^ "voices in my head: a life***". Hollywood Fringe. Retrieved 2014-03-02. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  22. ^ "Event Details". SAG Foundation. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2014-03-02. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)

External links[edit]

  • Official website
  • Bill Ratner at IMDb