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Paul Winchell

Paul Winchell

Birthday: 1922-12-21 | Place of Birth: New 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: MeanDean

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

2002
Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year

as    Tigger (segment "Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too") (voice)

1999
Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You

as    Tigger (voice)

1995
Winnie the Pooh: Un-Valentine's Day

as    Tigger (voice)

1991
Winnie the Pooh & Christmas Too

as    Tigger (voice)

1983
My Smurfy Valentine

as    Gargamel (voice)

1983
Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore

as    Tigger (voice)

1982
The Smurfs Springtime Special

as    Gargamel (voice)

1981
The Smurfs

as    Gargamel (voice)

1980
Heathcliff

as    Marmaduke

1977
The Robonic Stooges

as    Moe / Mummy / Professor Octane

1977
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

as    Tigger (voice)

1974
Hong Kong Phooey

as    Mr. Shrink

1974
Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too

as    Tigger (voice)

1973
Killarney Blarney

as    Jamie / Timmy (voice)

1973
Dr. Seuss on the Loose

as    Sneetches / Sam-I-Am / Green Eggs and Ham Hater (voice)

1973
Blue Aces Wild

as    Wizard (voice)

1970
The Aristocats

as    Chinese Cat (voice)

1969
Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines

as    Dick Dastardly / The General (voice)

1968
Wacky Races

as    Clyde (voice)