'Home Improvement' Actor Hindman (Wilson) Dies

'Home Improvement' Actor Hindman Dies

The Associated Press

NEW YORK - Actor Earl Hindman, best known for playing a neighbor whose face was forever obscured by a fence on the television show "Home Improvement," died of lung cancer Monday in Stamford, Conn. He was 61.

As Wilson, the neighbor of Tim Allen's character on the long-running sitcom, Hindman dispensed folksy advice from behind a white picket fence, with only his eyes and forehead visible to audiences. Before appearing on the show, he played Detective Lt. Bob Reid for 16 years on the daytime drama "Ryan's Hope."

Hindman made his name in New York theater, appearing in "Dark of the Moon" off Broadway in 1970 and in "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel" at the Public Theater in 1971. He also acted in two short-lived Broadway plays and in several movies, including "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe" (1991) and "Final" (2001).

He was born in Bisbee, Ariz., and studied acting at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

 

Personal loss

I had the privilege of working with Earl on Home Improvement for nine seasons. In that amount of time you become very close to both your fellow cast and crew members. Earl was, to put it simply, a very nice guy. Always easy to work with and to talk with. A gentleman in
every sense of the word. He had a wonderful sense of humor and comedy timing. It wasn't easy playing off of Tim Allen, but Earl was certainly up to the task. It was
always fun to watch the various directors come up with new ways to hide Earl's face, a running gag through out the series run. I was a member of the Home Improvement sound crew and in that capacity was on set through out the taping process. It was one of the most joyous times I had in my professional career and Earl made it all the more memoriable. We shared many personal conversations, As Earl, like the character "Wilson" he portrayed, was well versed in many subjects.
He will be missed by all who knew him.

 

Lovely post, Steve D.

We lost another good one just before 2003 ended. He had one of the coolest voices on TV, so good that his character worked wonderfully even with the running hidden face gag. It takes real talent to pull that off.

Dan C

 

Guys,

Didn't Earl also do a lot of commercial and television voiceovers?

 

I know I heard his voice many times after Home Improvement ended. Home Depot ads maybe? KFC? Those come to mind.

Dan C

 

I know this is an old thread but I thought Earl's portrayal of Wilson made him one of the more likable characters on the show.

I actually don't think I've seen him in anything else but I thought he was terrific on Home Improvement.