1922-12-21 ( 102 years old ) in 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
Movies
Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year
2002-11-12
Winnie the Pooh: Spookable Fun
2000-11-06
Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving
1999-11-08
Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You
1999-02-12
Winnie the Pooh: Frankenpooh
1999-01-01
A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving
1998-11-22
Winnie the Pooh: Un-Valentine's Day
1995-01-10
Winnie the Pooh Playtime: Cowboy Pooh
1994-02-18
Winnie the Pooh: Playtime - Pooh Party
1994-02-15
Winnie the Pooh & Christmas Too
1991-12-14
Kingdom Chums - Little David's Adventure
1986-11-28
Gummi Bears: A New Beginning
1986-07-18
The Smurfic Games
1984-05-20
Here Are the Smurfs
1984-03-28
The Smurfs: Baby's First Christmas
1983-11-12
The 1st Annual NBC Yummy Awards
1983-09-17
Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore
1983-03-11
My Smurfy Valentine
1983-02-13
The Smurfs Christmas Special
1982-12-13
The Smurfs Springtime Special
1982-04-07
Romeo and Smurfette
1981-10-10
The Flintstones: Wind-Up Wilma
1981-10-04
The Fox and the Hound
1981-07-10
Hanna-Barbera's All-Star Comedy Ice Revue
1978-01-13
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
1977-03-11
The Tiny Tree
1975-12-14
The Man from Clover Grove
1975-12-12
Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too
1974-09-20
Dr. Seuss on the Loose
1973-10-15
Blue Aces Wild
1973-05-16
Killarney Blarney
1973-05-16
A Christmas Story
1972-12-01
The Banana Splits in Hocus Pocus Park
1972-11-25
The Wizard of Id
1971-09-02
The Aristocats
1970-12-24
Which Way to the Front?
1970-09-03
Goldilocks
1970-03-31
Vernon's Volunteers
1969-01-01
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
1968-12-20
Stop! Look! and Laugh!
1960-01-07
Everything's on Ice
1939-10-05
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