John Fiedler

Not to be confused with John Fielder.

John Fiedler
Fiedler in 12 Angry Men (1957)
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.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1949–2005

John Donald Fiedler (February 3, 1925 – June 25, 2005) was an American actor. His career lasted more than 55 years in stage, film, television and radio. His high, flutey voice was instantly recognizable. He was typecast beginning early in his career for delicate, quiet, nerdy characters, although he also played sneaky villains. His roles included the meek Juror #2 in 12 Angry Men (1957); the benign-seeming gentleman who tries to prevent the Younger family from moving into a whites-only neighbourhood in A Raisin in the Sun (1961); the voice of Piglet in Disney's Winnie the Pooh productions; Vinnie, one of Oscar's poker cronies in the film The Odd Couple (1968); and Emil Peterson, the hen-pecked milquetoast husband on The Bob Newhart Show.

Early life

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

His family moved to Shorewood, Wisconsin, when he was 5, 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.

Career

After his discharge from the Navy, Fiedler moved to Manhattan, New York City, where he attended the Neighborhood Playhouse, his classmates including Tony Randall, James Doohan, Leslie Nielsen, Richard Boone and Joanne Woodward. He appeared as Homer Brown on the radio comedy The Aldrich Family, as Cadet Alfie Higgins on the 1950s TV show Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, and, in his 1957 film debut, as Juror #2 in 12 Angry Men. Although best known for his portrayals of meek or high-strung characters, Fiedler did occasionally escape type-casting in roles such as the presidential assassin in an episode of I Spy, a school principal moonlighting as a pimp on Vegas, and, most notably, Mr. Hengist, a Chief Administrator possessed by the spirit of Jack the Ripper in the original Star Trek episode "Wolf in the Fold" (1967).

From the Broadway play Raisin in the Sun. L–R: Ruby Dee, Claudia McNeil, Glynn Turman, Sidney Poitier, and John Fiedler (1959)

Fiedler was in the original cast of the Broadway play A Raisin in the Sun as housing committee representative Lindner, a role he reprised in both the 1961 film version and the 1989 TV version. He appeared in the film The Odd Couple (1968) as poker player Vinnie; he also appeared on the TV series adaptation The Odd Couple, at the invitation of his friend Jack Klugman, as the manager of a hyper-security building into which Felix and Oscar temporarily moved and as the cruel owner of a "Hollywood" dog. He 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 played Mr. Peterson, one of Bob's regular patients, on The Bob Newhart Show, and Mr. Dundee in an episode of the Twilight Zone, "The Night of the Meek" (1960). His many other guest appearances on TV included Columbo, Peter Gunn, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, My Favorite Martian, The Munsters, Bewitched, Get Smart, Star Trek, A Touch of Grace, The Rockford Files, Three’s Company, Quincy, M.E., The Golden Girls, Banacek and Cheers.

Fiedler worked frequently for Walt Disney Productions. His voice was heard in the Disney features Robin Hood (1973), The Rescuers (1977), The Fox and the Hound (1981), and The Emperor's New Groove (2000), and in Disneyland Records' Winnie the Pooh for President. He voiced the character Piglet in the studio's The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977), The Tigger Movie (2000), Piglet's Big Movie (2003), Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005). He appeared in Disney's live-action films Rascal (1969) and The Shaggy D.A. (1976). His last film was a voice appearance in Kronk's New Groove (2005) and in the Square Enix/Disney video game Kingdom Hearts. 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, at the age of 80, in Englewood, New Jersey, at the Lillian Booth Actors Home, a residence for retired entertainers sponsored by the Actors' Fund of America. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered on Long Island, New York.

Fielder’s death occurred just one day after the death of his friend and fellow Winnie-the-Pooh co-star Paul Winchell, who supplied the voice of Tigger.

Filmography

• Lust for Gold (1949) as Barber (uncredited)
• 12 Angry Men (1957) as Juror 2
• Sweet Smell of Success (1957) as Counterman at Hot Dog Stand (uncredited)
• Stage Struck (1958) as Adrian
• That Kind of Woman (1959) as Eager Soldier (uncredited)
• A Raisin in the Sun (1961) as Karl Lindner
• That Touch of Mink (1962) as Mr. Smith
• The World of Henry Orient (1964) as Sidney
• Kiss Me, Stupid (1964) as Rev. Carruthers
• Guns of Diablo (1965) as Ives
• Girl Happy (1965) as Mr. Penchill
• A Fine Madness (1966) as Daniel K. Papp
• The Ballad of Josie (1967) as Simpson
• Fitzwilly (1967) as Mr. Morton Dunne
• The Odd Couple (1968) as Vinnie
• Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968) as Piglet (voice)
• Rascal (1969) as Cy Jenkins
• True Grit (1969) as Lawyer Daggett
• The Great Bank Robbery (1969) as Brother Dismas Ostracorn - Explosives
• Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came (1970) as Maj. Purvis
• Making It (1971) as Ames
• The Out of Towners (1971) as conductor on train
• Honky (1971)
• Skyjacked (1972) as Robert Grandig
• Deathmaster (1972) as Pop
• Robin Hood (1973) as Father Sexton (voice, uncredited)
• Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974) as Piglet (voice)
• The Fortune (1975) as Photographer
• The Shaggy D.A. (1976) as Howie Clemmings
• The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh (1977) as Piglet (voice, archive footage)
• The Rescuers (1977) as Deacon Owl (voice)
• Harper Valley PTA (1978) as Bobby Taylor
• Boulevard Nights (1979) as Intern
• Midnight Madness (1980) as Wally Thorpe
• The Cannonball Run (1981) as Desk Clerk
• The Fox and the Hound (1981) as Porcupine (voice)
• Winnie the Pooh Discovers the Seasons (1981, short) as Piglet (voice)
• Sharky's Machine (1981) as Barrett
• Savannah Smiles (1982) as Grocery Clerk
• Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore (1983, short) as Piglet (voice)
• I Am the Cheese (1983) as Arnold
• Stephen King's Golden Tales as Arthur the Hotel Manager (1985, segment "The Old Soft Shoe")
• Seize the Day (1986) as Carl
• Winnie the Pooh Friendship: Tigger-ific Tales (1988, short) as Piglet (voice)
• Weekend with Kate (1990) as Fish seller
• Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin (1997) as Piglet (voice)
• Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You. (1999) as Piglet (voice)

• Winnie the Pooh Friendship: Pooh Wishes (1999, short) as Piglet (voice)
• The Tigger Movie (2000) as Piglet (voice)
• The Emperor's New Groove (2000) as Rudy, Old Man (voice)
• The Book of Pooh: Stories from the Heart (2001) as Piglet (voice)
• Mickey's House of Villains (2001) as Piglet (voice)
• Winnie-the-Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002) as Piglet (voice)
• Piglet's Big Movie (2003) as Piglet (voice)
• Springtime with Roo (2004) as Piglet (voice)
• Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005) as Piglet (voice)
• Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005) as Piglet (voice, posthumous release)
• Kronk's New Groove (2005) as Rudy (voice) (final film role, posthumous release)

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 "The 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, Season 6 Episode 32: "Incident in a Small Jail") and Amos Duff (1962, Season 7 Episode 25: "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, Season 1 Episode 4: "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 science professor Newton 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 prospector 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
• The Bob Newhart Show (17 episodes, 1972–1978) as Mr. Emil Peterson
• 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
• 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)
• The Magical World of Walt Disney (1998-2005) 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, 2001–2004) 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)
• Winnie the Pooh: 123s (2004) as Piglet (voice)

Video games

• My Interactive Pooh (1998) as Piglet (voice)
• The Book of Pooh: A Story Without A Tail (2002) as Piglet (voice)
• Kingdom Hearts (2002) as Piglet (voice)
• Piglet's Big Game (2003) as Piglet (voice)
• Winnie the Pooh's Rumbly Tumbly Adventure (2005) as Piglet (voice)

External links

• John Fiedler at IMDb
• John Fiedler at the Internet Broadway Database
• John Fiedler at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• John Fiedler at Memory Alpha