Voice of Piglet dies

Amos Stevens

New Member
Article Published: Sunday, June 26, 2005 - 9:07:19 PM
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Veteran TV, film actor, 'Piglet' voice John Fielder

By The New York Times

John Fiedler, who played character roles in celebrated
dramas on Broadway and in Hollywood but gained lasting
fame among young audiences as the voice of Piglet in
Walt Disney's Winnie-the-Pooh films, died on Saturday.
He was 80.
His death was confirmed by his brother, James.

Fiedler had appeared in the Broadway production of "A
Raisin in the Sun" and had played a juror on film in
the drama "Twelve Angry Men" when, in the 1960's, his
voice earned him the role of Piglet, the kind-hearted
worrier who is Winnie-the-Pooh's best friend.

"Walt Disney heard it on a program and said, 'That's
Piglet,"' James Fiedler recalled.

John Fiedler's natural speaking voice was higher than
most men's, his brother said, but he still had to
raise it considerably to achieve the high-pitch of the
little pink pig. Fiedler continued to play this part
in later life, most recently this year in "Pooh's
Heffalump Movie"; last year, he did "Winnie-the-Pooh:
Springtime with Roo," and in 2003, "Piglet's Big
Movie."

John Donald Fiedler was born Feb. 3, 1925, in
Platteville, a small town in southwestern Wisconsin,
and was the oldest of three children born to Donald
and Margaret Fiedler. When he was 5, his father, a
salesman, moved the family to Shorewood, a suburb of
Milwaukee.

There, John's love of acting bloomed, his brother
said. He staged productions in the family's garage and
cast them with neighborhood children.

He graduated from Shorewood High School in 1943 and
enlisted in the Navy, serving stateside until World
War II's end. He made his way to New York City the
next year, his brother said, and joined the
Neighborhood Playhouse.

In 1954, he landed the part of Medvedenko in "The Sea
Gull" starring Montgomery Clift and Judith Evelyn Off
Broadway at the Phoenix Theater. That was followed by
the Broadway productions of "A Raisin in the Sun" with
Sidney Poitier and "The Odd Couple" starring Walter
Matthau and Art Carney. Many of his characters had
meek demeanors that were belied by a tough, even mean
streak.

He landed character parts in movies, including "True
Grit" with John Wayne and "A Touch of Mink" with Cary
Grant. In addition, he played parts on television
series, including "Star Trek" and "The Bob Newhart
Show," in which he was Peterson, the bashful patient
who was always henpecked by his wife.

Fiedler said that his brother approached the part of
Piglet with as much enthusiasm as his other roles, as
it was simply a chance to act.

In addition to his brother, who lives in Madison,
Wis., Fiedler is survived by a sister, Mary Dean of
Milwaukee, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Copyright © 2005 Los Angeles Newspaper Group
 

Serena

Administrator
Another voice silenced. :( We forget just how many years some of these people have voiced the characters we've grown up with. And often times it's not until they're gone that we see the other side of their careers. Thanks for posting the news, Amos.
 

Littledragon

Above The Law
Serena said:
Another voice silenced. :( We forget just how many years some of these people have voiced the characters we've grown up with. And often times it's not until they're gone that we see the other side of their careers. Thanks for posting the news, Amos.


Good morning to you Serena, or should I say good afternoon. :)
 

TDWoj

Administrator
Staff member
That was the actor whose name I could never remember but always recognized because of the voice. I remember the Star Trek episode - it was the episode where an alien entity possessing different people and going on killing sprees over centuries, one of which was Jack the Ripper.

I often wondered, after seeing that episode, if that actor was the voice of Piglet - and he was.

Piglet, R.I.P.
 
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