Earl John Hindman (; October 20, 1942 – December 29, 2003) was an American actor, best known for his roles as Bob Reid on the television

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

Ryan's Hope ''Ryan's Hope'' is an American soap opera created by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, airing for 13 years on ABC from July 7, 1975, to January 13, 1989. It revolves around the trials and tribulations within a large Irish-American family in ...

'' from 1975—1984 and 1988–89, and as Wilson W. Wilson on the

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

Home Improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation or remodeling is the process of renovating, making improvements or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electr ...

'' from 1991–1999.

Early years

Hindman was born in

Bisbee, Arizona Bisbee is a city in and the county seat of Cochise County, Arizona, Cochise County in southeastern Arizona, United States. It is southeast of Tucson, Arizona, Tucson and north of the Mexican border. According to the 2020 United States census, ...

, the son of Eula and Burl Latney Hindman, who worked in the oil pipeline business. He studied acting at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

Career

Hindman's earliest roles were in low-budget exploitation movies in the 1960s, though he moved on to appear in productions from major Hollywood film studios in the 1970s, playing villains in two 1974 thrillers, '' The Taking of Pelham One Two Three'' and ''

The Parallax View ''The Parallax View'' is a 1974 American political thriller film starring Warren Beatty, Paula Prentiss, Hume Cronyn, William Daniels, Kenneth Mars, Walter McGinn, Kelly Thordsen and Jim Davis in support. Produced and directed by Alan ...

''. He also appeared in the films '' Who Killed Mary What's 'Er Name?'' (1971), '' Greased Lightning'' (1977), '' The Brink's Job'' (1978), '' Taps'' (1981), and '' Murder in Coweta County'' (1983). Hindman also played the part of J.T. in the

Lawrence Kasdan Lawrence Edward Kasdan (born January 14, 1949) is an American filmmaker. He is the co-writer of the ''Star Wars'' films '' The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980), '' Return of the Jedi'' (1983), '' The Force Awakens'' (2015), and '' Solo: A Star Wars ...

film '' Silverado'' (1985), and the part of Satch in the

Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy ( ; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor and director, famous for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes Development of Spock, originating Spock in Star Trek: T ...

film ''

Three Men and a Baby ''Three Men and a Baby'' is a 1987 American comedy film directed by Leonard Nimoy. It stars Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson as three bachelors as they attempt to adapt their lives to de facto fatherhood with the arrival of the ...

'' (1987). One of Hindman's well-known early roles was as Bob Reid on the

''. He played the role from 1975-1984 and later returned for its final episodes in 1988-89. Hindman's wife ( Molly McGreevy) was also on the soap from 1977–81 as Polly Longworth, best friend to media tycoon Rae Woodard. In one of his most famous roles, Hindman played the role of the kindly unseen neighbor Wilson W. Wilson on the television

'' from 1991-1999; more accurately, Wilson was partially seen, because of a

running gag A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are no ...

that only the top of his face was visible as he talked to his neighbor from the other side of a tall fence. His final roles included the movie ''

Final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

'' (2001), and appearances in ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...

'' and '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent''.

Personal life and death

On May 21, 1976, Hindman married Molly McGreevy, with whom he later acted in ''

''. McGreevy later became an Episcopal priest. Hindman died of lung cancer on December 29, 2003, at the age of 61, in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hindman, Earl 1942 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Actors from Cochise County, Arizona American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors Deaths from lung cancer in Connecticut Male actors from Arizona Male actors from Stamford, Connecticut People from Bisbee, Arizona University of Arizona alumni