Ralph Gunderman, Voice Artist and Letterman Show Contributor, Dies at 77

Ralph Gunderman, the amiable voice artist and actor who spent more than a decade as the announcer on NBC’s Dateline while contributing to comedy bits on Late Show With David Letterman, has died. He was 77.

Gunderman died March 1 at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York of complications from pneumonia, a family spokesperson announced.

The Cleveland native moved to New York in 1981 and worked as a freelance national voice-over artist until his retirement in 2021, heard on thousands of commercials, promos and narrations over those four decades.

On CBS’ Late Show, Gunderman often provided the voice for fake “announcements” and “commercials” during Letterman’s monologues as a member of a small band of actors that included Sara Krieger, Sam Fried, Robb Webb and J.R. Horne.

He also could be heard on films (2003’s Red Betsy), animated TV series (Our Cartoon President) and video games (Star Wars: The Old Republic).

The fourth of seven children, Gunderman was born in Cleveland on Sept. 6, 1948. He developed a love for radio and performing while working in college radio at WRHA at the University of Akron.

While still in school, he landed a gig in summer 1969 as a deejay at WING in Dayton and then back in Akron at WCUE. After graduation in 1970, he moved on to television in Cleveland at WKBF and, as a booth announcer, WEWS.

Gunderman served on the national boards of both SAG and AFTRA.

His voice work supported Gunderman’s first love: performing in live theater, where he enjoyed lead roles in such plays as Cyrano, The Ruling Class, El Grande de Coca Cola and Talley’s Folly.

His family said he found great joy singing in cabaret and in retirement as part of a monthly Cover Collective that took place at An Beal Bocht, an Irish café in the Bronx. He also was quite the cruciverbalist.

“And as a consummate believer in the power of negative thinking, he had hopelessly wished for a Cleveland baseball championship, since their last one had been the year he was born,” his family noted.

Survivors include his second wife, Pamela (they married in April 2022), his son, Benjamin, and his siblings, Ann, Ruth, Colette, Clare and Joseph.

A celebration of his life is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday at Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation in White Plains, New York, with a second celebration to be held at 2 p.m. on Aug. 1 at Olmsted Community Church in Olmsted Falls, Ohio.

Donations in his memory can be made to WNYC Radio, to the National Resources Defense Council and to Feeding Westchester.