Paul Winchell

Born Paul Wilchinsky on December 21, 1922, the son of Sol and Clara Wilchinsky, Paul Winchell became one of the most beloved ventriloquists in American entertainment. His dummy, Jerry Mahoney, achieved near-equal fame, a phenomenon not seen since Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy in the 1930s and 1940s.

Winchell first gained national attention on the Edward Bowes "Original Amateur Hour" in 1948. He soon joined a review show where Major Bowes showcased winners of his radio program. His television career began with the CBS program The Bigelow Show in 1948, followed by The Paul Winchell Show in 1950 (originally titled "The Spiedel Show"), and later Winchell-Mahoney Time in 1965. The show featured a clubhouse setting with Jerry Mahoney and another of Winchell's characters, Knucklehead Smiff, as the leaders, accompanied by the music of bandleader Milton Delugg. Winchell introduced an innovation by using puppeteers hidden behind the dummies to operate their hands, replacing the traditional dummy limbs. He also performed numerous serious dramatic roles on television without his dummies.

He is perhaps best known for creating the voice of Tigger for Walt Disney's "Winnie the Pooh" film series, based on the books by A.A. Milne. He provided the voice until 1999, when he was succeeded by Jim Cummings, who also took over the role of Pooh after Sterling Holloway's death. Winchell also voiced many other well-known cartoon characters.

A lesser-known aspect of Winchell's career is his role as one of the original inventors of an artificial heart, years before the first successful transplant using such a device. He also contributed to the development of an automobile powered by batteries, a method for breeding tilapia, and several other inventions still in use today.