Canadian actor Dick Wilson, aka "Mr. Whipple," dies at 91

[RebLem]

Dick Wilson, Known for Playing `Mr. Whipple,' Dies

By Chris Dolmetsch

Nov. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Dick Wilson, the character actor known for playing ``Mr. Whipple'' in commercials for Procter & Gamble Co.'s Charmin bath tissue, died today in a California hospital at age 91, the company said.

Wilson played Mr. Whipple, a grocer who told shoppers ``Please don't squeeze the Charmin,'' in more than 500 commercials from 1964 to 1985 and reprised the role to introduce a new version of the product in 1999, Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble said in a statement.

The spot was ``one of the most enduring, memberable'' commercials ever, and helped inspire modern television pitchmen such as the gecko that hawks insurance for Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s GEICO unit and the Aflac Inc. duck, said Brad Adgate, director of research at New York-based advertising agency Horizon Media Inc.

``You can recite these things a generation later and it speaks to how much money Procter & Gamble spent on Charmin and how memorable the commercials were,'' Adgate said in a telephone interview. ``It was always one theme about him scolding these housewives in the supermarket about squeezing the toilet tissue.''

Wilson started his career as an announcer and disc jockey in Canada at 15, the company said. He later went on to perform in movies including ``Planet of the Apes,'' theater productions including ``Dial M for Murder'' and ``The Unsinkable Molly Brown'' and television shows such as ``Hogan's Heroes,'' ``McHale's Navy'' and ``Bewitched.''

``It is not an exaggeration to say that the Mr. Whipple character, which Dick Wilson portrayed for many years, is one of the most recognizable faces in the history of American advertising,'' Charmin brand manager Dennis Legault said in a statement. ``Dick deserves much of the credit for Charmin's success.''

Wilson died at the Motion Picture & Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, Procter & Gamble said. He is survived by his wife, Meg, three children and three grandchildren, the company said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Dolmetsch in New York at cdolmetsch@bloomberg.net .

Last Updated: November 19, 2007 15:55 EST

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=aMGbx_fzoS3E&refer=canada

[karlhenning]

Now he's squeezin' that big Charmin in the sky . . . .

[karlhenning]

Separately:

The actress who played Col. Klink's sexy blond secretary Hilda on "Hogan's Heroes" and married the show's star, Bob Crane, has died. She was 72.

[BachQ]

Very sad ........ he was on such a roll .........

[BachQ]

Separately:

The actress who played Col. Klink's sexy blond secretary Hilda on "Hogan's Heroes" and married the show's star, Bob Crane, has died. She was 72.

Thanks, Karl ....... Many of us associate Hilda with Mr. Whipple, so it's only appropriate that you mention this here .........