John Fiedler

John Fiedler
Fiedler in the Star Trek episode "Wolf in the Fold"
Born	John Donald Fiedler February 3, 1925(1925-02-03) Platteville, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	June 25, 2005 (aged 80) Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Voice and character actor

John Donald Fiedler (February 3, 1925 – June 25, 2005) was an American voice actor and character actor in stage, film, television and radio. Slight, balding, and bespectacled, with a piping voice, his career stretched forty years. He is best remembered for three roles: as the nervous Juror #2 in 12 Angry Men, as the voice of Piglet in Disney's many Winnie the Pooh productions, and in the role of Mr. Peterson, the nervous patient on The Bob Newhart Show.

Early life

Fiedler was born in Platteville, Wisconsin, a son of Donald Fiedler, a beer salesman, and his wife Margaret Phelan.^[1] He moved to Shorewood, Wisconsin at the age of 5, where he graduated from Shorewood High School in 1943. He then enlisted in the United States Navy and served until the end of World War II^[2]

Acting career

Following his discharge from the Navy, Fiedler began acting in New York City. He appeared on the radio comedy The Aldrich Family as Homer Brown. He also appeared on early television and was a very popular as Cadet Alfie Higgins on the 1950s show Tom Corbett, Space Cadet. Fiedler made his film debut in 1957 in 12 Angry Men , as Juror #2. Most of his roles were playing gentle or nervous individuals, though he appeared in the original Star Trek's episode "Wolf in the Fold" as an officer possessed by the spirit of Jack the Ripper.

Fiedler was in the original cast of A Raisin in the Sun (as housing committee representative Lindner, which he would play in both the 1961 film version and the 1988 TV version), and The Odd Couple (as poker player Vinnie), reprising both roles for the films. He also appeared in the True Grit and The Cannonball Run, and made many guest appearances on TV, including Bewitched, Get Smart, The Rockford Files, Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, The Golden Girls and Cheers. He had a recurring role on Kolchak: The Night Stalker as morgue attendant Gordy "The Ghoul" Spangler. He also played Mr. Peterson, one of Bob's regular patients, on the The Bob Newhart Show, and Mr. Dundee in the 47th episode of the Twilight Zone, The Night of the Meek.

Fiedler's voice was heard in the Disney features The Rescuers, The Fox and the Hound, Robin Hood, The Emperor's New Groove, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Tigger Movie, and Piglet's Big Movie, Pooh's Heffalump Movie. His last film was a voice appearance in Kronk's New Groove.

Death

John Fiedler died of cancer in 2005 at the age of 80 in Englewood, New Jersey at the Lillian Booth Actors' Home, a residence for retired entertainers sponsored by the Actors' Fund. His death came one day after the death of his fellow Winnie-the-Pooh co-star, Paul Winchell. He had never married, and was survived by a sister and a brother.^[3]

References

External links

• John Fiedler at the Internet Movie Database
• John Fiedler at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• John Fiedler at Find a Grave