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Wikipedia / Dick Wilson

Dick Wilson (July 30, 1916 – November 18, 2007) was a British-American actor. He was best known as grocery store manager Mr. George Whipple in more than 500 Charmin bathroom tissue television commercials (1965–89, 1999–2000).

Biography

Wilson was born on July 30, 1916, in Preston, Lancashire. His father soon moved the family to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He got his start in show business with a part-time job at CHML radio in Hamilton at age 15. He graduated from the Ontario College of Art & Design. Paid in dance lessons, he became a comedic acrobatic dancer and performed in vaudeville for 20 years, according to Procter & Gamble.

Wilson had taught himself to fly when he was 16 years old, working for a time as a bush pilot who flew supplies to mining camps in remote regions of Canada. His earlier experience got him into military flight training and he became a bomber pilot. After the Second World War where he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Air Force, he moved to the United States and became an American citizen in 1954, heading to California that same year to work as a film and television actor.

Wilson made numerous appearances on Bewitched. He also appeared on Tabitha and McHale's Navy. He also appeared on The Donna Reed Show, Hogan's Heroes, and The Bob Newhart Show. Wilson was quoted as saying, "I've done thirty-eight pictures and nobody remembers any of them, but they all remember me selling toilet paper." He made 504 commercials as Mr. Whipple, earning U.S. $300,000 annually while working only 12–16 days a year.

In an interview with ABC News on April 22, 1983, he mentioned that the first series of commercials for Charmin he appeared in were filmed in, appropriately enough, Flushing, New York City. He described acting in commercials as "the hardest thing to do in the entire acting realm. You've got 24 seconds to introduce yourself, introduce the product, say something nice about it and get off gracefully."

Death

Wilson died on November 18, 2007, at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, at the age of 91. He was survived by his wife, Meg; his son, Stuart F. Wilson (a stunt coordinator); his two daughters (Wendy Wilson and actress Melanie Wilson); and his five grandchildren. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills.

Filmography

The Twilight Zone

My Favorite Martian

References