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

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

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 television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

and Tony awards.

Early life

McCutcheon was born in Russell,

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, the son of Robert Kenna McCutcheon, who was a

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

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 broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

, ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, 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 Worksh ...

'', 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 Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts. The screenplay by Robert Harling is based on hi ...

'', 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 and author. With a career spanning over 70 years, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Shirley MacLaine, numerous accolades, including a ...

Career

He was also active in film and on the stage. His first film appearance was in 1964's '' Santa Claus Conquers the Martians''; later on, he was seen in movies including ''

Family Business A family business is a commercial organization in which decision-making is influenced by multiple generations of a family, related by Consanguinity , blood, marriage or adoption, who has both the ability to influence the vision of the business a ...

'' and ''

''. McCutcheon was a familiar face to young audience in the 1960s, when he appeared on several Tootsie Roll 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. 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 Mahwah is the northernmost and largest municipality by geographic area () in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 25,487, a decrease of 403 ...

, 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'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', 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 Actors from Bergen County, New Jersey Male actors from New Jersey