Paul Winchell

Known for ActingBorn 1922-12-21Died 2005-06-24New York City, New York, USA

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: MeanDeanRead more

Movies & web series

Kingdom Chums - Little David's Adventure

The Bigelow Show

Winnie the Pooh: Spookable Fun

The Oddball Couple

Winnie the Pooh: Playtime - Pooh Party

Here Are the Smurfs

The Man from Clover Grove

Goldilocks

The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh: Frankenpooh

Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too

The Magical World of Winnie the Pooh: A Great Day of Discovery

Perry Mason

Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears

Yogi's Treasure Hunt

Spider-Man

Garfield and Friends

Ghost Story

Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch

My Smurfy Valentine

Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin

The Banana Splits Adventure Hour

The Dean Martin Show

The Aristocats

The Paul Winchell Show

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Wacky Races

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day

The Fox and the Hound

The Jetsons

Dr. Seuss on the Loose

Wake, Rattle, and Roll

Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year

Winnie the Pooh: Un-Valentine's Day

Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You

The Smurfs Halloween Special

The Smurfs

Winnie the Pooh & Christmas Too

The Lucy Show

Your Show of Shows

Joe Forrester

The Smurfic Games

The Flintstones: Wind-Up Wilma

Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving

Vernon's Volunteers

Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines

77 Sunset Strip

McMillan & Wife