John Fiedler
John Fiedler | |
|---|---|
| File:John Fiedler.png Fiedler in the Star Trek episode "Wolf in the Fold" | |
| Born | John Donald Fiedler February 3, 1925 |
| Died | June 25, 2005 (aged 80) |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Resting place | Cremated, Ashes scattered off Long Island, New York |
| Occupation(s) | Voice actor, character actor |
| Years active | 1949–2005 |
| Known for | The voice of Piglet |
John Donald Fiedler (February 3, 1925 – June 25, 2005) was an American voice actor and character 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 four roles: the nervous Juror #2 in 12 Angry Men; and the voice of Piglet in Disney's Winnie-the-Pooh productions; Vinnie, the meek poker player in the film version of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple; and Mr. 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 had German and Irish ancestry.[2] Fiedler moved to Shorewood, Wisconsin, at the age of 5, where he graduated from Shorewood High School in 1943. He then 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 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 film) and in the original Star Trek episode "Wolf in the Fold" 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 would play in both the 1961 film version and the 1988 TV version), and The Odd Couple (as poker player Vinnie). He appeared in the films True Grit, The Cannonball Run, and Harper Valley PTA. His many guest appearances on TV included Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason,The Fugitive, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, My Favorite Martian, Bewitched, Get Smart, A Touch of Grace, The Rockford Files, Star Trek, The Golden Girls and Cheers. He had 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 The Bob Newhart Show, and Mr. Dundee in the 47th episode of the Twilight Zone, "The Night of the Meek". 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., and in the Square Enix/Disney video game Kingdom Hearts. His last film was a voice appearance in Kronk's New Groove. In 1988, Fiedler was the narrator of a McDonald's commercial where Birdie the early bird learns to fly.
Death
Unmarried,[4] 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, only one day after the death of his good friend, Paul Winchell, who was the voice of another Winnie-the-Pooh character, Tigger. After Fiedler's death, Travis Oates took over the role.[5]
Filmography
Film
- The Emperor's New Groove – Old Man
- The Fox and the Hound – Porcupine
- Kronk's New Groove – Rudy
- The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh – Piglet
- Piglet's Big Movie – Piglet
- Pooh's Heffalump Movie – Piglet
- Twelve Angry Men – Juror #2
- Winnie-the-Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year – Piglet
Television
- Tom Corbett, Space Cadet as Alfie Higgins (two episodes)
- The Munsters as postman Warren "Tiger" Bloom (episode My Fair Munster)
- Star Trek as Chief Hengist (episode Wolf in the Fold)
- A Touch of Grace (1973) as the Desk Clerk (episode "The Weekend")
- House of Mouse - Piglet
Video Games
- Kingdom Hearts - Piglet
References
- Notes
- ^ John Fiedler Biography (1925-)
- ^ http://articles.latimes.com/2005/jun/28/local/me-fiedler28
- ^ 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."
- ^ Wisconsin Blue Book
- ^ 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."
External links
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1925 births
- 2005 deaths
- Male actors from Wisconsin
- American male film actors
- American male radio actors
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- Cancer deaths in New Jersey
- Marshall University alumni
- People from Englewood, New Jersey
- People from Platteville, Wisconsin
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- People from Shorewood, Wisconsin