James William McCutcheon (May 23, 1924 – January 9, 2002) was an American

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

known for his roles in film, television, and theatre, several of which won him

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

and

Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

awards.

Early life

McCutcheon was born in

Russell Russell may refer to: People * Russell (given name) * Russell (surname) * Lady Russell (disambiguation) * Lord Russell (disambiguation) Places Australia *Russell, Australian Capital Territory *Russell Island, Queensland (disambiguation) **Ru ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, the son of Robert Kenna McCutcheon, who was a

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

conductor and Florence Louise (née Elam). McCutcheon's first major role was Leo the Leprechaun on '' The Howdy Doody Show''. He followed this appearance with a recurring role (from 1984 to 1992) as Uncle Wally on the children's television series by

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

, ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) a ...

'', for which he won an Emmy. He also had a prominent role in the movie of 1989, ''

Steel Magnolias ''Steel Magnolias'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross and starring Academy Award winner Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts. The picture is a film adaptation ...

'', in which he played Owen Jenkins, beau of Ouiser Boudreaux (

Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty, April 24, 1934) is an American actress, author, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed and eccentric women, MacLaine has received numerous accolades over her seven-dec ...

Career

He was also active in film and on the stage. His first film appearance was in 1964's ''

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians ''Santa Claus Conquers the Martians'' is a 1964 American science fiction comedy film directed by Nicholas Webster, produced and written by Paul L. Jacobson, based on a story by Glenville Mareth, that stars John Call as Santa Claus. It also feat ...

''; later on, he was seen in movies including '' Family Business'' and ''

''. McCutcheon was a familiar face to young audience in the 1960s, when he appeared on several

Tootsie Roll Tootsie Roll is a chocolate-flavored taffy that has been manufactured in the United States since 1907. The candy has qualities similar to both caramels and taffy without being exactly either confection. The manufacturer, Tootsie Roll Indust ...

television commercials. His theatre credits include a role as Moonface Martin in '' Anything Goes'', which won him a

Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. The award has been given since 1947, but the nominees who did not win have only been publicly announced since 1956. Winner and ...

. Other stage appearances include '' You Can't Take It with You'' and '' The Man Who Came to Dinner''.

Death

A resident of Mahwah, New Jersey, McCutcheon died on January 9, 2002, of natural causes, aged 77. He had three children, Carol, Jay, and Kenna.McLellan, Dennis
"Bill McCutcheon, 77; Comedic Actor"
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', January 12, 2002. Accessed May 16, 2016. "McCutcheon, who lived in Mahwah, N.J., died Wednesday of natural causes at a hospital in Ridgewood, N.J."

Filmography

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCutcheon, Bill 1924 births 2002 deaths American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male television actors Male actors from Kentucky People from Greenup County, Kentucky People from Mahwah, New Jersey Tony Award winners 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male singers