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Paul Winchell

Acting Born Dec 21, 1922 New York City, New York, USA 24 credits

Biography

Born Paul Wilchinsky on December 21, 1922, the son of Sol and Clara Wilchinsky, Paul Winchell grew up to be the most beloved ventriloquist of American children. Ironically, as famous as Paul was, his dummy, Jerry Mahoney, was probably more famous. Not since Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy in the previous two decades had a ventriloquist and his dummy known equal celebrity.

Entering the spotlight on the Edward Bowes "Original Amateur Hour" (1948), he began working soon after in a review show in which Major Bowes would showcase the winners of his radio program. He started his television career on the CBS program The Bigelow Show (1948) in 1948; The Paul Winchell Show (1950), originally called "The Spiedel Show," in 1950; and, finally, the best-known of his shows Winchell-Mahoney Time (1965). With a clubhouse premise, his dummies Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff--another of Paul's characters--as the clubhouse leaders, and the music of the bandleader Milton Delugg. A new innovation of Winchell's was to replace the dummy's hands with those of puppeteers who were hidden behind the dummies in a crate. Winch also played many serous dramatic roles on television without his dummy sidekicks.

What may be even more famous is that he created the voice of Tigger for the Walt Disney Company's "Winnie The Pooh" motion-picture series, based on the famous books by A.A. Milne. He played the role behind the scenes until 1999, when he was replaced by Jim Cummings, who also voiced Pooh from the time that Sterling Holloway died. He was also the voice of many other world-famous cartoon characters.

A little-known fact about Winchell is that he was one of the original inventors of an artificial heart--years before the first successful transplant with such of a device--an automobile that runs on battery power, a method for breeding tilapia, and many other inventions that are still around today.
IMDb Mini Biography By: MeanDean

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Known for

Perry Mason

as Henry Clement

The Donna Reed Show

1958

The Mike Douglas Show

as Self

The Smurfs

as Gargamel (voice)

Garfield and Friends

1988
Film

The Amazing Spider-Man

as Grandpa Winch
Film

Do the Right Thing

1989

Full filmography

  • Perry Mason (1957) as Henry Clement
  • The Donna Reed Show (1958)
  • The Mike Douglas Show (1961) as Self
  • The Lucy Show (1962) as Paul Winchell
  • The Lucy Show (1962) as Doc Putnam
  • The Smurfs (1981) as Gargamel (voice)
  • Garfield and Friends (1988)
  • Love, American Style (1969) as Dale
  • Love, American Style (1969) as Harvey
  • Love, American Style (1969) as Ralph
  • Lights Out (1949)
  • The Beverly Hillbillies (1962) as Grandpa Winch
  • Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears (1985) as Zummi Gummi (voice)
  • The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1988) as Tigger (voice)
  • The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) as Self
  • What's My Line? (1950) as Self
  • Here's Lucy (1968) as Knife Thrower / Jeweler
  • Here's Lucy (1968) as Carlo
  • The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950) as Self
  • The Brady Bunch (1969)
  • 77 Sunset Strip (1958)
  • The Jetsons (1962) as Dr. Input (voice)
  • Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines (1969) as Dick Dastardly / The General (voice)
  • McMillan & Wife (1971)