Paul Winchell

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Paul Winchell
Background information
Born	Paul Wilchinsky December 21, 1922 New York City, New York, United States
Died	June 24, 2005 (aged 82) Los Angeles, California, United States
Cause of death	Natural causes
Nationality	American
Occupation	Ventriloquist, comedian, actor, voice actor, humanitarian, inventor
Years active	1938-1999
Family information
Spouse	Dorothy Movitz (divorced) Nina Russel (1961-1972) Jean Freeman (1974-2005; his death)
Children	April, Stacy, Stephanie, Keith, and Larry

Paul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, comedian, actor, voice actor, humanitarian, and inventor who voiced Tigger in the Winnie the Pooh franchise, Shun Gon the Chinese Cat in The Aristocats, Boomer in The Fox and the Hound, Gargamel from The Smurfs, and Zummi Gummi in the first five seasons of Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears.

In Winchell's earlier years, he worked as a hypnotist helping people undergo surgery. Winchell had also been an inventor, with some of his ideas being an artificial heart and a flameless cigar lighter. A patent for one of his ideas, a disposable razor, was disapproved on the basis it was considered ridiculous for people to buy razors to throw them away after a single-use. Ironically, that concept would soon become hugely popular.

Paul Winchell got into show business as a ventriloquist and had his own show called The Paul Winchell Show. He operated multiple puppets, two of his best known were named Knucklehead Smiff and Jerry Mahoney. The Jerry Mahoney puppet now resides in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C..

During Winchell's time on Winnie the Pooh and Gummi Bears in the latter part of the 1980s, he had taken an interest in famine and malnutrition. With actor Ed Asner, Winchell lobbied Congress to appropriate foreign aid for landlocked nations to encourage the breeding of the tilapia fish, which was a source of protein and could survive in different types of waters. Although well researched, their idea was ultimately disapproved as it was felt aquaculture in Third World nations that lacked access to the ocean was inadvisable.

Paul Winchell was married three times, fathering five children. Through his second marriage to British actress Nina Russel, he had a daughter, April Winchell, who later became a voice actress herself.

Disney Roles

Tigger
(Winnie the Pooh; 1968–1999)

Shun Gon
(The Aristocats)

Boomer
(The Fox and the Hound)

Zummi Gummi
(Adventures of the Gummi Bears; 1985-1990)

Gallery

Paul Winchell autograph photo with Tigger.

Trivia

• Winchell's co-star, John Fiedler (voice of Piglet) passed away the following day on June 25, 2005, at the age of 80. A day after Winchell's death.
• Winchell and His puppet Jerry Mahoney masqueraded as Romeo and Juliet in the short-lived game show, Storybook Squares.