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
Filmography
all 103
TV Shows 55
Movies 48
Voice 31
self 12
The Magical World of Winnie the Pooh: A Great Day of Discovery (2003)
Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002)
Winnie the Pooh: Spookable Fun (2000)
Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving (1999)
Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You (1999)
Winnie the Pooh: Frankenpooh (1999)
A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving (1998)
Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin (1997)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Story Behind the Masterpiece (1996)
Winnie the Pooh: Un-Valentine's Day (1995)
In Search of Dr. Seuss (1994)
Winnie the Pooh: Playtime - Pooh Party (1994)
Winnie the Pooh & Christmas Too (1991)
Wake, Rattle, and Roll (1990)
Fender Bender 500 (1990)
The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1988)
The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1988)
Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose (1987)
Kingdom Chums - Little David's Adventure (1986)
Gummi Bears: A New Beginning (1986)
Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears (1985)
Yogi's Treasure Hunt (1985)
Smurfily Ever After (1985)
The Smurfic Games (1984)
Here Are the Smurfs (1984)
The Smurfs: Baby's First Christmas (1983)
The 1st Annual NBC Yummy Awards (1983)
Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore (1983)
My Smurfy Valentine (1983)
The Smurfs Christmas Special (1982)
The Smurfs Springtime Special (1982)
The Flintstones: Wind-Up Wilma (1981)
Trollkins (1981)
The Smurfs (1981)
Spider-Man (1981)
The Fox and the Hound (1981)
Heathcliff (1980)
The Super Globetrotters (1979)
Casper And The Angels (1979)
The Robonic Stooges (1977)
The Skatebirds (1977)
Shake, Rattle and Roll (1977)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
Misterjaw (1976)
Clue Club (1976)
The Tiny Tree (1975)
The Man from Clover Grove (1975)
Joe Forrester (1975)
The Great Grape Ape Show (1975)
The Oddball Couple (1975)
Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974)
These Are the Days (1974)
Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch (1974)
Hong Kong Phooey (1974)
Little Boa Peep (1974)
Dr. Seuss on the Loose (1973)
Goober and the Ghost Chasers (1973)
Blue Aces Wild (1973)
Killarney Blarney (1973)
The Ghost of Potter's Field (1973)
A Christmas Story (1972)
The Banana Splits in Hocus Pocus Park (1972)
Ghost Story (1972)
McMillan and Wife (1971)
Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch! (1971)
The Wizard of Id (1971)
The Aristocats (1970)
Which Way to the Front? (1970)
Goldilocks (1970)
Nanny and the Professor (1970)
Love, American Style (1969)
The Brady Bunch (1969)
Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines (1969)
The Perils of Penelope Pitstop (1969)
Storybook Squares (1969)
Vernon's Volunteers (1969)
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968)
Here's Lucy (1968)
Wacky Races (1968)
The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (1968)
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)
The Lone Ranger (1966)
Frankenstein, Jr. and The Impossibles (1966)
The Dean Martin Show (1965)
The Hollywood Palace (1964)
The Lucy Show (1962)
The Beverly Hillbillies (1962)
The Jetsons (1962)
The Mike Douglas Show (1961)
Stop! Look! and Laugh! (1960)
77 Sunset Strip (1958)
The Donna Reed Show (1958)
Perry Mason (1957)
Circus Time (1956)
The Paul Winchell Show (1950)
The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950)
Your Show of Shows (1950)
What's My Line? (1950)
Lights Out (1949)
The Bigelow Show (1948)
The Ed Sullivan Show (1948)
Everything's on Ice (1939)
Winnie the Pooh: Playtime - Fun 'N Games
Ratings
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1922-12-21
Deathday2005-06-24 (82 years old)
Birth PlaceNew York City, United States of America
ChildrenApril Winchell
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
Also Known AsPaul Wilchinsky
Awardsstar on Hollywood Walk of Fame
This article uses material from Wikipedia.
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