John Donald Fiedler (February 3, 1925 – June 25, 2005) was an American actor. His career lasted more than 55 years in stage, film, television, and radio. Fiedler's high, flutey voice was instantly recognizable. He was typecast beginning early in his career for delicate, quiet, nerdy characters, although he also played sneaky villains. His roles included the meek Juror No. 2 in 12 Angry Men (1957); the benign-seeming gentleman who tries to prevent the Younger family from moving into a whites-only neighbourhood in A Raisin in the Sun (1961); the voice of Piglet in Disney's Winnie the Pooh productions; Vinnie, one of Oscar's poker cronies, in the film The Odd Couple (1968); and Emil Peterson, the hen-pecked milquetoast husband on The Bob Newhart Show.

Early life

Fiedler was born in Platteville, Wisconsin, a son of a 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 5, 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, New York City 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 did occasionally escape type-casting in roles such as the presidential assassin in an episode of I Spy, a school principal moonlighting as a pimp on Vegas, and, most notably, Mr. Hengist, a Chief Administrator possessed by the spirit of Jack the Ripper in the original 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 appeared in the film The Odd Couple (1968) as poker player Vinnie; he also appeared on the TV series adaptation 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 moved and as the cruel owner of a "Hollywood" dog. He appeared in the films Harper Valley PTA (1978) and The Cannonball Run (1981). He appeared three times in a recurring role on Kolchak: The Night Stalker as morgue attendant Gordy "The Ghoul" Spangler. He played 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 included Columbo, Peter Gunn, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, My Favorite Martian, The Munsters, Bewitched, Get Smart, Star Trek, 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. His voice was heard in the Disney features Robin Hood (1973), The Rescuers (1977), The Fox and the Hound (1981), and The Emperor's New Groove (2000), and in Disneyland Records' Winnie the Pooh for President. He voiced the character Piglet in the studio's The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977), The Tigger Movie (2000), Piglet's Big Movie (2003), Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005). He appeared in Disney's live-action films Rascal (1969) and The Shaggy D.A. (1976). His last film was a voice appearance in Kronk's New Groove (2005) and in the Square Enix/Disney video game Kingdom Hearts. 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 the age of 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.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games