Earl Hindman

Earl John Hindman (October 20, 1942 – December 29, 2003) was an American actor, best known for his role as the kindly unseen neighbor Wilson W. Wilson, Jr. on the television sitcom Home Improvement (1991–99).[1]

Earl Hindman
Born	Earl John Hindman October 20, 1942 Bisbee, Arizona, U.S.
Died	December 29, 2003 (aged 61) Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1968–2003
Spouse(s)	Molly McGreevey ​ (m. 1976)​

Long before this role, however, he played villains in two 1974 thrillers, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three and The Parallax View. He also appeared in the films Who Killed Mary What's 'Er Name? (1971), Greased Lightning (1977), The Brink's Job (1978) and Taps (1981), Murder in Coweta County (1983),and played the part of J.T. in the Lawrence Kasdan film Silverado (1985).

Hindman's most famous pre-Home Improvement role was as Bob Reid in Ryan's Hope. He played the role from 1975–84 and later returned for its final episodes in 1988–89. Hindman's wife (Molly McGreevey) was also on the soap 1977–81 as Polly Longworth, best friend to media tycoon Rae Woodard.

Personal life and death

Hindman was born in Bisbee, Arizona, the son of Eula and Burl Latney Hindman, who worked in the oil pipeline business.[2][3] He studied acting at the University of Arizona.[4]

On May 21, 1976, Hindman married Molly McGreevey, with whom he later acted on Ryan's Hope. McGreevey later became an Episcopal priest.[5]

A longtime smoker, Hindman was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2003. He died of the disease on December 29, 2003 at the age of 61, in Stamford, Connecticut, where he is buried in Roxbury Cemetery.[4]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1967	Teenage Mother
1968	The Kiss of Her Flesh	Don
1969	The Ultimate Degenerate	Bruno
1971	Who Killed Mary What's 'Er Name?	Whitey
1974	The Parallax View	Deputy Red
1974	Shoot It Black, Shoot It Blue	Garrity
1974	The Taking of Pelham One Two Three	George Steever aka Mr. Brown
1975–1984, 1988–1989	Ryan's Hope	Bob Reid	TV series
1977	Greased Lightning	Beau Welles
1978	The Brink's Job	FBI agent #3
1981	Taps	Lieutenant Hanson
1985	Silverado	J.T.
1987	Three Men and a Baby	Satch
1988	Talk Radio	Chet / Black John / Jerry	Voice
1989	War and Remembrance	Lt. Commander Wade McClusky	TV Miniseries
1991	The Ballad of the Sad Café	Henry Macy
1991	Fires Within	Sergeant
1991–1999	Home Improvement	Wilson W. Wilson, Jr.	TV series, 203 episodes
2000	Law & Order	Mr. Riley	Episode: "Black, White and Blue"
2001	Final	Official
2002	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Sheriff	Episode: "The Third Horseman"

References

1. https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/tim-allen-says-hes-very-interested-in-a-home-improvement-reboot-exclusive/ar-BBJUHVe?li=BBnb7Kz
2. New York Times obituary.
3. Notice of Earl Hindman's death Archived 2009-10-04 at the Wayback Machine.
4. Collins, Dan (December 30, 2013). "'Home Improvement' Actor Dies". CBS News. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
5. Birkner, Gabrielle (January 2, 2004). "Wilson of TV's "Home Improvement,' Earl Hindman dies at 61 of cancer". Morning Call. Retrieved June 9, 2019.

External links

• Earl Hindman at IMDb
• Earl Hindman at Find a Grave