Earl Hindman

Earl John Hindman (October 20, 1942 – December 29, 2003) was an American actor best known for his
portrayal of the character Wilson W. Wilson Jr. on the hit television sitcom Home Improvement
(1991–1999).

Personal life

Hindman was born in Bisbee, Arizona, to Burl and Eula Hindman. The family included a sister, Anna
Dean (Shields), and a brother, Ray.

Earl studied acting at the University of Arizona at Tucson. On May 21, 1976, he married Molly
McGreevey, with whom he later acted on Ryan's Hope.

McGreevey later became an Episcopalian priest.

Death

On December 29, 2003, Hindman died of lung cancer in Stamford, Connecticut.

Career

In Home Improvement

As the beloved grandfatherly neighbor, Wilson always seemed to solve the Taylor family's problems.
It was never really known what Wilson looked like, because there always was some clever way of
hiding part of his face from view (although on occasion his whole face was nearly visible). A number
of in-jokes have been made about this; in one episode, he comments on Tim's beard, saying, "I can't
understand why a man would want to hide his face" and in another, Wilson makes reference to distant
relatives he has never met, saying that some of them "have never even seen [his] face".

Some reports indicate that while Wilson's face being obscured behind the fence was an early gimmick
(Wilson was partly inspired by a neighbor that Tim Allen had when he was little and was too short to
see over his neighbor's fence and therefore unable to see his neighbor's face), Hindman was
responsible for continuing it in any scenario, ensuring that Wilson's entire face was never seen all
at once. A fan favorite was a Halloween episode, in which Wilson dressed up as The Phantom of the
Opera, with a mask hiding the upper portion of his face and revealing the lower part, the reverse of
a usual episode. His face is briefly revealed at the end of the final episode when the entire cast
comes out to take their bows for the show's final curtain call. However, Wilson's full face can be
seen in a few episodes, such as at a party or sitting down cutting apples.

Other roles

Hindman played Detective Bob Reid for many years on the daytime soap opera Ryan's Hope. In the movie
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, he had a role as Mr. Brown, one of the hijackers. He was also in
Silverado (1985). He played Satch in Three Men and a Baby (1987). Hindman also performed voiceovers
for Home Depot television commercials.

Hindman played a role in the movie Silverado where the lower part of his face was obscured by a gag,
foreshadowing Wilson W. Wilson, Jr. by several years.

Hindman also made an appearance on the classic television series Tales from the Darkside.