John Donald Fiedler (February 3, 1925 – June 25, 2005) was an American actor. Recognizable for his distinctive voice, Fiedler's career lasted more than 55 years in stage, film, television and radio.
Fiedler was typecast beginning early in his career for delicate, quiet, nerdy characters, although he also played sneaky villains. His roles include the meek Juror No. 2 in 12 Angry Men (1957); Mr. Lindner, the seemingly benign gentleman who tries to prevent the Younger family from moving into a whites-only neighborhood in A Raisin in the Sun (1961); the mean department store manager Mr. Dundee in the Twilight Zone episode "The Night of the Meek" (1962); the voice of Piglet in Disney's Winnie the Pooh productions (1966–2005); Vinnie, one of Oscar's poker cronies, in the film The Odd Couple (1968); milquetoast middle-aged patient Mr. Emil Peterson in The Bob Newhart Show (1972–1978); and neurotic stage manager Woody Deschler in Buffalo Bill (1983–1984).
Early life Fiedler was born in Platteville, Wisconsin, a son of beer salesman Donald Fiedler and his wife Margaret (née Phelan). He was of German and Irish descent. His family moved to Shorewood, Wisconsin, when he was five, where he graduated from Shorewood High School in 1943. He enlisted in the United States Navy and served until the end of World War II.
Career After his discharge from the Navy, Fiedler moved to Manhattan and attended the Neighborhood Playhouse, where his classmates included Tony Randall, James Doohan, Leslie Nielsen, Richard Boone and Joanne Woodward. He appeared as Homer Brown on the radio comedy The Aldrich Family, as Cadet Alfie Higgins on the 1950s TV show Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and, in his 1957 film debut, as Juror No. 2 in 12 Angry Men. Although best known for his portrayals of meek or high-strung characters, Fiedler occasionally played against type in roles such as the presidential assassin in an episode of I Spy, a school principal moonlighting as a pimp on Vegas, and Mr. Hengist, a Chief Administrator in the Star Trek episode "Wolf in the Fold" (1967).
Fiedler was in the original cast of the Broadway play A Raisin in the Sun as housing committee representative Lindner, a role he reprised in both the 1961 film version and the 1989 TV version. He appears in the film The Odd Couple (1968) as poker player Vinnie; he also appears on the TV series adaptation of The Odd Couple, at the invitation of his friend Jack Klugman, as the manager of a hyper-security building into which Felix and Oscar temporarily move, and as the cruel owner of a movie-star dog. He also appears in the films Harper Valley PTA (1978) and The Cannonball Run (1981).
He appears three times in a recurring role on Kolchak: The Night Stalker as morgue attendant Gordy "The Ghoul" Spangler. He plays Mr. Peterson, one of Bob's regular patients, on The Bob Newhart Show, and Mr. Dundee in an episode of The Twilight Zone, "The Night of the Meek" (1960). His many other guest appearances on TV include Columbo, Have Gun – Will Travel, Peter Gunn, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Cannon, My Favorite Martian, The Munsters, Bewitched, Get Smart, A Touch of Grace, The Rockford Files, Three's Company, Quincy, M.E., The Golden Girls, Banacek and Cheers.
Fiedler worked frequently for Walt Disney Productions. During pre-production on Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968), Walt Disney had heard Fiedler's voice on television and selected him as Piglet. He reprised the role in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977), Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin (1997), The Tigger Movie (2000), Piglet's Big Movie (2003), Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo (2004), Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005) and Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005). His voice is heard in further Disney films, including Robin Hood (1973), The Rescuers (1977), The Fox and the Hound (1981) and The Emperor's New Groove (2000). He also appeared in Disney's live-action films Rascal (1969) and The Shaggy D.A. (1976). His final film voice was the character Rudy in Kronk's New Groove (2005). Fiedler was also the narrator of several McDonaldland commercials during the 1980s (including when Birdie the Early Bird learns to fly and how the Hamburglar got his stripes).
Death Fiedler died of cancer on June 25, 2005, at age 80, in Englewood, New Jersey, at the Lillian Booth Actors Home, a residence for retired entertainers sponsored by the Actors' Fund of America. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered on Long Island, New York. Fiedler died a day after fellow Winnie-the-Pooh co-star Paul Winchell, who supplied the voice of Tigger.
Filmography Film
Lust for Gold (1949) as Barber (uncredited) 12 Angry Men (1957) as Juror 2 Sweet Smell of Success (1957) as Counterman at Hot Dog Stand (uncredited) Stage Struck (1958) as Adrian That Kind of Woman (1959) as Eager Soldier (uncredited) A Raisin in the Sun (1961) as Karl Lindner That Touch of Mink (1962) as Mr. Smith The World of Henry Orient (1964) as Sidney Kiss Me, Stupid (1964) as Rev. Carruthers Guns of Diablo (1965) as Ives Girl Happy (1965) as Mr. Penchill A Fine Madness (1966) as Daniel K. Papp The Ballad of Josie (1967) as Simpson Fitzwilly (1967) as Mr. Morton Dunne The Odd Couple (1968) as Vinnie Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968) as Piglet (voice) Rascal (1969) as Cy Jenkins True Grit (1969) as Lawyer Daggett The Great Bank Robbery (1969) as Brother Dismas Ostracorn - Explosives Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came (1970) as Maj. Purvis Making It (1971) as Ames The Out of Towners (1971) as conductor on train Honky (1971) Skyjacked (1972) as Robert Grandig Deathmaster (1972) as Pop Robin Hood (1973) as Father Sexton (voice, uncredited) Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974) as Piglet (voice) The Fortune (1975) as Photographer The Shaggy D.A. (1976) as Howie Clemmings The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh (1977) as Piglet (voice, archive footage) The Rescuers (1977) as Owl (voice) Harper Valley PTA (1978) as Bobby Taylor Boulevard Nights (1979) as Intern Midnight Madness (1980) as Wally Thorpe The Cannonball Run (1981) as Desk Clerk The Fox and the Hound (1981) as Porcupine (voice) Winnie the Pooh Discovers the Seasons (1981, short) as Piglet (voice) Sharky's Machine (1981) as Barrett Savannah Smiles (1982) as Grocery Clerk Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore (1983, short) as Piglet (voice) I Am the Cheese (1983) as Arnold Stephen King's Golden Tales as Arthur the Hotel Manager (1985, segment "The Old Soft Shoe") Seize the Day (1986) as Carl Winnie the Pooh Friendship: Tigger-ific Tales (1988, short) as Piglet (voice) Weekend with Kate (1990) as Fish seller Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin (1997) as Piglet (voice) Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You (1999) as Piglet (voice) Winnie the Pooh Friendship: Pooh Wishes (1999, short) as Piglet (voice) Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving as Piglet (voice, archive footage) The Tigger Movie (2000) as Piglet (voice) The Emperor's New Groove (2000) as Rudy (voice) The Book of Pooh: Stories from the Heart (2001) as Piglet (voice) Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002) as Piglet (voice) Piglet's Big Movie (2003) as Piglet (voice) Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo (2004) as Piglet (voice) Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005) as Piglet (voice) Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005) as Piglet (voice, posthumous release) Kronk's New Groove (2005) as Rudy (voice) (final film role, posthumous release)
Television
Tom Corbett, Space Cadet (1950-1955) (34 episodes) (episodes include "Ice Caves of Pluto" and "Danger in Deep Space") as Cadet Alfie Higgins All-Star Summer Revue (1952) (1 episode) as Charlie the Stagehand Studio One in Hollywood (1956-1957) (2 episodes) (Season 8 Episode 25: "A Favor for Sam") (1956) as Irvin (Season 9 Episode 38: "Death and Taxes") (1957) as Jouvin The United States Steel Hour (1957) (2 episodes) (Season 4 Episode 24: "The Change in Chester") as Harold Train (Season 5 Episode 7: "You Can't Win") as Boris Armstrong Circle Theatre (1957-1958) (2 episodes) (Season 7 Episode 14: "Night Court") (1957) as Kean (Season 8 Episode 8: "The Mummy Complex") (1958) Sunday Showcase (1960) (Season 1 Episode 21: "After Hours") The Twilight Zone (1960-1962) (2 episodes) (Season 2 Episode 11: "The Night of the Meek") (1960) as Mr. Dundee (Season 3 Episode 36: "Cavender Is Coming") (1962) as Field Rep No. 3 General Electric Theater (1961) (Season 9 Episode 15: "Don't Let It Throw You") as Treasury Agent The Aquanauts (1961) (Season 1 Episode 19: "The Defective Tank Adventure") as Mr. Jacobs Peter Gunn (1961) (Season 3 Episode 22: "The Deep End") as Oliver Neilson Have Gun – Will Travel (1961) (Season 4 Episode 26: "The Gold Bar") as James Turner Peter Loves Mary (1961) (Season 1 Episode 22: "Getting Peter's Putter") as Clerk Pete and Gladys (1961) (Season 1 Episode 27: "The Fur Coat Story") as Charley Brown Checkmate (1961) (Season 1 Episode 35: "A Slight Touch of Venom") as Mr. Mitchie Brenner (1961) (Season 1 Episode 15: "The Thin Line") as Bax Dennis the Menace (1961) (Season 3 Episode 13: "Dennis' Bank Account") as Mr. Clute The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1961-1962) (4 episodes) (Season 2 Episode 23: "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier, Sailor, or Marine") (1961) as Corporal Grover P. Wister (Season 3 Episode 1: "The Ruptured Duck") (1961) as Mr. Wurts (Season 3 Episode 9: "The Second Most Beautiful Girl in the World") (1961) as Mr. Bean (Season 3 Episode 14: "I Do Not Choose to Run") (1962) as George G. Cheever Adventures in Paradise (1961-1962) (2 episodes) (Season 2 Episode 17: "Man Eater") (1961) as Mr. Groper (Season 3 Episode 26: "Blueprint for Paradise") (1962) as Professor Henry Hoag Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1961-1962) (2 episodes) (Season 6 Episode 23: "Incident in a Small Jail") (1961) as Leon Gorwald (Season 7 Episode 25: "The Last Remains") (1962) as Amos Duff Dr. Kildare (1961-1964) (3 episodes) (Season 1 Episode 3: "A Shining Image") (1961) as Father Hughes (Season 2 Episode 27: "Ship's Doctor") (1962) as D.V. Dromley (Season 3 Episode 18: "Never Too Old for the Circus") (1964) as Mr. Calhoun Thriller (1962) (Season 2 Episode 19: "A Wig for Miss Devore") as Herbert Bleake 87th Precinct (1962) (Season 1 Episode 20: "A Bullet for Katie") as Cole Outlaws (1962) (Season 2 Episode 20: "No More Horses") as Ludlow Pratt The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962) (Season 1 Episode 4: "I Saw the Whole Thing") as Malcolm Stuart The Tall Man (1962) (Season 2 Episode 31: "A Time to Run") as Abner Moody Room for One More (1962) (Season 1 Episode 12: "The Real George") as Wilson The New Breed (1962) (Season 1 Episode 30: "Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here") as Perkins Ichabod and Me (1962) (Season 1 Episode 31: "Lord Byron of Phippsboro") Bonanza (1963) (Season 4 Episode 32: "Rich Man, Poor Man") as Claude Miller Arrest and Trial (1963) (Season 1 Episode 2: "Isn't It a Lovely View") as Harry Simon My Favorite Martian (1963) (Season 1 Episode 5: "Man or Amoeba") as Science Professor Newton Jennings The Great Adventure (1963) (Season 1 Episode 7: "The Great Diamond Mountain") as Philip Arnold Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963) (Season 1 Episode 5: "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich") as Aleshka The Bill Dana Show (1964) (Season 1 Episode 15: "A Tip for Uncle Sam") as Oliver The Farmer's Daughter (1964) (Season 1 Episode 24: "The Swinger") as Dr. Watson The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (1964) (Season 1 Episode 26: "The Day of the Reckoning") as Ives Destry (1964) (Season 1 Episode 8: "Deputy for a Day") as Bill Simpson The Fugitive (1964) (Season 1 Episode 30: "The End Game") as Sam Reed Broadside (1964) (Season 1 Episode 6: "The Great Lipstick War") as The Yardbird The Baileys of Balboa (1964) (Season 1 Episode 5: "Mutiny") as Johnson Perry Mason (1964) (Season 8 Episode 9: "The Case of the Tragic Trophy") as Howard Stark The Munsters (1964) (2 episodes)