John Fiedler

John Fiedler
Fiedler in the Star Trek episode
"Wolf in the Fold"
Born John Donald Fiedler
(1925-02-03)February 3, 1925
Platteville, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died June 25, 2005(2005-06-25) (aged 80)
Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Cause of death Cancer
Resting place Atlantic Ocean
Occupation Actor, voice actor
Years active 1949–2005
From the Broadway play Raisin in the Sun. L-R: Ruby Dee, Claudia McNeil, Glynn Turman, Sidney Poitier, and John Fiedler (1959)

John Donald Fiedler (February 3, 1925 – June 25, 2005) was an American actor and voice actor who was slight, balding, and bespectacled, with a distinctive, high-pitched voice. His career lasted more than 55 years in stage, film, television and radio. He is best known for five roles: the nervous Juror #2 in 12 Angry Men; the voice of Piglet in Disney's Winnie-the-Pooh productions; Vinnie, one of Oscar's poker cronies in the film The Odd Couple; the government official Mr. Hengist who gets possessed by the spirit of Jack the Ripper on the Star Trek episode "Wolf in the Fold", and Mr. Emil Peterson, the hen-pecked milquetoast on The Bob Newhart Show.

Early life

Fiedler was born in Platteville, Wisconsin, a son of Donald Fiedler, a beer salesman, and his wife Margaret (née Phelan).[1] He was of German and Irish descent.[2]

His family moved to Shorewood, Wisconsin in 1930, where he graduated from Shorewood High School in 1943. He enlisted in the United States Navy and served until the end of World War II.[3]

Acting career

After his discharge from the Navy, Fiedler began acting in Manhattan, New York City, appearing on the radio comedy The Aldrich Family as Homer Brown. He appeared on early television and played Cadet Alfie Higgins on the 1950s show Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, and he made his film debut in 1957 in 12 Angry Men, as Juror #2. Most of his roles were playing gentle or nervous individuals, though he appeared as the lawyer J. Noble Daggett in True Grit (1969) and in the original Star Trek episode "Wolf in the Fold" (1967) as Mr. Hengist, a Chief Administrator possessed by the spirit of Jack the Ripper.

Fiedler was in the original cast of A Raisin in the Sun as housing committee representative Lindner, a role he also played in both the 1961 film version and the 1988 TV version. He appeared in the 1968 film The Odd Couple (1968) as poker player Vinnie; later, at the invitation of his friend Jack Klugman, he also appeared on the TV series adaptation The Odd Couple as the manager of a hyper-security building into which Felix and Oscar temporarily moved and the owner of a racing greyhound adopted by Felix and Oscar. He also appeared in the films Harper Valley PTA (1978) and The Cannonball Run (1981).

He appeared three times in a recurring role on Kolchak: The Night Stalker as morgue attendant Gordy "The Ghoul" Spangler. He also played Mr. Peterson, one of Bob's regular patients, on The Bob Newhart Show, and Mr. Dundee in the 47th episode of the Twilight Zone, "The Night of the Meek". His many other guest appearances on TV included Columbo, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, My Favorite Martian, Bewitched, Get Smart, A Touch of Grace, The Rockford Files, Quincy, M.E., The Golden Girls, Banacek and Cheers.

Fiedler's voice was heard or appears in the Disney features The Rescuers, The Fox and the Hound, Robin Hood, The Emperor's New Groove, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Tigger Movie, Piglet's Big Movie, Pooh's Heffalump Movie, Rascal, and The Shaggy D.A., in Disneyland Records' Winnie the Pooh for President,[4] and in the Square Enix/Disney video game Kingdom Hearts. His last film was a voice appearance in Kronk's New Groove (2005). Fiedler was also the narrator of several McDonaldland commercials during the 1980s, including when Birdie the Early Bird learns to fly and how the Hamburglar got his stripes.

Death

Fiedler died of cancer on June 25, 2005 in Englewood, New Jersey, at the Lillian Booth Actors Home, a residence for retired entertainers sponsored by the Actors' Fund of America. Fiedler's friend and Winnie-the-Pooh co-star, Paul Winchell, who voiced Tigger, died the previous day due to natural causes.. Fiedler was cremated and his ashes were scattered from Long Island, New York. Travis Oates has since replaced Fiedler as the voice of Piglet.[5]

Filmography

Film

Television

  • Tom Corbett, Space Cadet (1952, episodes "Ice Caves of Pluto" and "Danger in Deep Space") as Alfie Higgins
  • All-Star Summer Revue (1952, 1 episode) as Charlie the Stagehand
  • Studio One in Hollywood as Irvin (1956, episode "A Favor for Sam") and Jouvin (1957, episode "Death and Taxes")
  • Armstrong Circle Theatre (1957, episode "Night Court") as Kean
  • The United States Steel Hour (1957, episode "You Can't Win") as Boris
  • Sunday Showcase (1960, episode "After Hours")
  • The Twilight Zone as Mr. Dundee (1960, episode "Night of the Meek") and as Field Rep #3 (1962, episode "Cavender Is Coming")
  • General Electric Theater (1961, episode "Don't Let It Throw You") as Treasury Agent
  • The Aquanauts (1961, episode "The Defective Tank Adventure") as Mr. Jacobs
  • Peter Gunn (1961, episode "The Deep End") as Oliver Neilson
  • Have Gun - Will Travel (1961, episode "The Gold Bar") as James Turner
  • Peter Loves Mary (1961, episode "Getting Peter's Putter") as Clerk
  • Pete and Gladys (1961, episode "The Fur Coat Story") as Charley Brown
  • Checkmate (1961, episode "A Slight Touch of Venom") as Mr. Mitchie
  • Brenner (1961, episode "The Thin Line") as Bax
  • Dennis the Menace (1961, episode "Dennis' Bank Account") as Mr. Clute
  • The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis as Corporal Grover P. Wister (1961, episode "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier, Sailor, or Marine"), Mr. Wurts (1961, episode "The Ruptured Duck"), Mr. Bean (1961, episode "The Second Most Beautiful Girl in the World") and George G. Cheever (1962, episode "I Do Not Choose to Run")
  • Adventures in Paradise as Mr. Groper (1961, episode "Man Eater") and Professor Henry Hoag (1962, episode "Blueprint for Paradise")
  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Leon Gorwald (1961, episode "Incident in a Small Jail") and Amos (1962, episode "The Last Remains")
  • Dr. Kildare as Father Hughes (1961, episode "A Shining Image"), D.V. Dromley (1963, episode "Ship's Doctor"), and Mr. Calhoun (1964, episode "Never Too Old for the Circus")
  • Thriller (1962, episode "A Wig for Miss Devore") as Herbert Bleake
  • 87th Precinct (1962, episode "A Bullet for Katie") as Cole
  • Outlaws (1962, "No More Horses") as Ludlow Pratt
  • The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962, episode "I Saw the Whole Thing") as Malcolm Stuart
  • The Tall Man (1962, episode "A Time to Run") as Abner Moody
  • Room for One More (1962, episode "The Real George") as Wilson
  • The New Breed (1962, episode "Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here") as Perkins
  • Ichabod and Me (1962, episode "Lord Byron of Phippsboro")
  • Bonanza (1963, episode "Rich Man, Poor Man") as Claude Miller
  • Arrest and Trial (1963, episode "Isn't It a Lovely View") as Harry Simon
  • My Favorite Martian (1963, episode "Man or Amoeba") as Professor Jennings
  • The Great Adventure (1963, episode "The Great Diamond Mountain") as Philip Arnold
  • Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963, episode "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich") as Aleshka
  • The Bill Dana Show (1964, episode "A Tip for Uncle Sam") as Oliver
  • The Farmer's Daughter (1964, episode "The Swinger") as Dr. Watson
  • The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (1964, episode "The Day of the Reckoning") as Ives
  • Destry (1964, episode "Deputy for a Day") as Bill Simpson
  • The Fugitive (1964, episode "The End Game") as Sam Reed
  • Broadside (1964, episode "The Great Lipstick War") as The Yardbird
  • The Baileys of Balboa (1964, episode "Mutiny") as Johnson
  • Perry Mason (1964, episode "The Case of the Tragic Trophy") as Howard Stark
  • The Munsters as postman Warren "Tiger" Bloom (1964, episode "My Fair Munster," and 1987, episode "My Fair Munster - Unaired Pilot 2")
  • Gunsmoke as Fitch Tallman (1964, episode "Hammerhead") and Mr. Ballou (1973, episode "A Quiet Day in Dodge")
  • The Donna Reed Show (1965, episode "Painter, Go Home") as Fred Johnson
  • That Girl (1966, episode "Christmas and the Hard-Luck Kid") as Mr. Merriman
  • Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1967, episode "The Thing's the Play") as Arlie Draper
  • Captain Nice (1967, episode "Who's Afraid of Amanda Woolf?") as Gunnar
  • Get Smart as KAOS agent Mr. Hercules (1967, episode "Classification: Dead") and as KAOS agent Felix (1969, episode "Age Before Duty")
  • Star Trek (1967, episode "Wolf in the Fold") as Administrator Hengist
  • Bewitched as Fergus F. Finglehoff (1967, episode "Nobody But a Frog Knows How to Live"), Mr. Beams (1969, episode "Marriage Witch's Style"), Silas Bliss Jr. (1969, episodes "Darrin the Warlock" and "Daddy Comes to Visit"), Augustus Sunshine (1970, episode "Turn on That Old Charm"), and Spengler (1971, episode "Three Men and a Witch on a Horse")
  • Death Valley Days (1968, episode "The Great Diamond Mines") as Johnny Slack
  • The Felony Squad (1968, episode "Man on Fire") as B.G. Travis
  • I Spy (1968, episode "Suitable for Framing") as Andrew
  • One Life to Live as Gilbert Lange (1968) and Virgil (1987)
  • Insight (1970, episode "The 7 Minute Life of James Houseworthy") as Griswald
  • The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1971, episode "A Little Get Together for Cissy") as The Mild Man
  • The Most Deadly Game (1971, episode "I, Said the Sparrow") as Alfred
  • The Chicago Teddy Bears (1971, episode "The Alderman")
  • The Doris Day Show (1971, episode "A Fine Romance") as Harvey Krantz
  • Cannon (1971, episode "Flight Plan") as Brent
  • Columbo (1972, episode "Blueprint for Murder") as Doctor
  • Banacek (1972, "Project Phoenix") as Paddle
  • Bridget Loves Bernie (1972, episode "Bernie's Last Stand") as Morrison
  • Hec Ramsey (1972, episode "Mystery of the Green Feather") as Pingree
  • The Odd Couple (1972, episode "Security Arms") as Mr. Duke (Head of Security) and Hugo (1974, episode "The Dog Story")
  • Banyon (1973, episode "Time Lapse") as Trumbull
  • A Touch of Grace (1973, episode "The Weekend") as the Desk Clerk
  • McMillan & Wife as Simpson (1973, episodes "The Devil You Say" and "Freefall to Terror")
  • Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color as Bill Wasdahl (1973, two-part episode "The Mystery in Dracula's Castle") and Charles Blackburn (1974, two-part episode "The Whiz Kid and the Mystery at Riverton") and Piglet (voice) in Winnie the Pooh and Friends (1982, segment "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too")
  • Police Story (1974, episode "The Ripper") as Richard Steele
  • Dirty Sally (1974, episode "The Hanging of Cyrus Pike") as Al Fromley
  • The Streets of San Francisco (1974, episode "Mask of Death") as Mr. Winkler
  • Kolchak: The Night Stalker as Gordon Spangler aka "Gordy the Ghoul" (Morgue Assistant) (1974, episodes "The Zombie," and "They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be...," and 1975, episode "The Youth Killer")
  • The Manhunter (1975, episode "Trial by Terror") as Fletcher
  • Great Performances (1975, episode "Who's Happy Now?") as Taylor
  • Mobile One (1975, episode "The Crusader") as Walter James
  • Phyllis (1975, episode "So Lonely I Could Cry") as Willis Enwright
  • The Lost Saucer (1975, episode "Land of the Talking Plants") as Chloro Phil
  • Jigsaw John (1976, episode "The Executioner") as Father Damis
  • Ark II (1976, episode "The Cryogenic Man") as Norman Funk
  • Alice as Orville (1976, episode "Vera's Mortician," and 1977, episode "Mel's Happy Burger")
  • Three's Company (1977, episode "Jack Looks for a Job") as Morris Morris
  • Switch (1977, episode "Dancer") as Harry Winkler
  • Tabitha (1977, episode "Arrival of Nancy") as Max
  • The Rockford Files (1978, episode "The Competitive Edge") as James Bond
  • The Bob Newhart Show (17 episodes, 1977-1978) as Mr. Emil Peterson
  • Fantasy Island as Mortimer Fox (1978, episode "Trouble, My Lovely/The Common Man") and "Ace" Smith (1978, episode "Carnival/The Vaudevillians")
  • Quincy, M.E. as Howard Clausen (1978, episode "Matters of Life and Death") and Mr. Weiss (1979, episode "For the Benefit of My Patients")
  • Vega$ (1979, episode "Demand and Supply") as S.J. Henderson
  • The Ropers (1979, episode "Your Money or Your Life") as Bill Marsh
  • B. J. and the Bear (1979, episode "Crackers") as Mr. Crocker
  • Flying High (1979, episode "Eye Opener") as Potamkin
  • The Last Resort (1980, episode "Dorm Window") as Slosser
  • The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo as Mr. Parkhurst (1980, episode "Police Escort") and "Boomer" Barton (1980, episode "Perkins Bombs Out")
  • Love, Sidney (1981, episode "The Party") as Dr. Rice
  • Cheers (1982, episode "The Tortelli Tort") as Fred
  • Hart to Hart as Arnold (1982, episodes "With This Hart, I Thee Wed" and "Harts at High Noon")
  • Father Murphy (1982, episode "Outrageous Fortune")
  • Buffalo Bill (26 episodes, 1983-1984) as Woody Deschler
  • Amazing Stories (1985, episode "Guilt Trip") as Man on Boat
  • Tales from the Darkside (1986, episode "The Old Soft Shoe") as Arthur the Hotel Manager
  • McDonaldland (1987, episode "Birdie Learns to Fly") as Narrator (voice)
  • The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (50 episodes, 1988-1991) as Piglet (voice)
  • American Playhouse (1989, episode "A Raisin in the Sun") as Karl Lindner
  • The Golden Girls (1989, episode "Love Me Tender") as Eddie
  • The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd (1989, episode "Here's Some Ducks All in a Row") as Norman Fuller
  • They Came from Outer Space (1991, episode "Animal Magnetism") as Mr. Peterson
  • Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too (1991, TV short) as Piglet (voice)
  • L.A. Law (1993, episode "Eli's Gumming") as Francis Pencava
  • ABC Weekend Specials (1995, episode "Crash the Curiousaurus") as The Stranger
  • Boo to You Too! Winnie the Pooh (1996, TV short) as Piglet (voice)
  • George & Leo (1997, episode "The Cameo Episode") as John
  • A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving (1998) as Piglet (voice)
  • Cosby (1999, episode "Refrigerator Logic") as Randy
  • Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You (1999) as Piglet (voice)
  • The Book of Pooh (31 episodes, 2001-2003) as Piglet (voice)
  • House of Mouse as Piglet (voice) (2001, episode "Unplugged Club," and 2002, episodes "Goofy's Menu Magic" and "House of Turkey")
  • Winnie the Pooh: ABC's (2004) as Piglet (voice)[6]
  • Winnie the Pooh: 123s (2004) as Piglet (voice)[6]

Video games

References

Notes
  1. ↑ John Fiedler profile, filmreference.com; accessed November 30, 2015.
  2. ↑ Profile, latimes.com; accessed November 30, 2015.
  3. ↑ O'Donnell, Michelle. "John Fiedler, 80, Stage Actor and Film Voice of Pooh's Piglet, Dies", New York Times, June 27, 2005; accessed December 15, 2007. "He graduated from Shorewood High School in 1943 and enlisted in the United States Navy, serving stateside until World War II's end."
  4. ↑ "Winnie the Pooh for President at Cartoon Research". Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  5. ↑ Bernstein, Adam. "Actor John Fiedler Dies; Was Piglet's Voice in 'Pooh' Films", The Washington Post. June 28, 2005. Accessed December 15, 2007. "John Fiedler, 80, a stage, film and television actor who excelled at meek or nervous roles and was personally chosen by Walt Disney to play the voice of Piglet in Winnie the Pooh films, died June 25 at the Lillian Booth Actors' Home in Englewood, N.J."
  6. 1 2 "John Fiedler at Behind the Voice Actors". Retrieved 2018-05-19.
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