Earl Hindman

Earl Hindman was an American actor born on October 20, 1942, in Bisbee, Arizona, the son of Eulena and Burl Latney Hindman, who worked in the oil pipeline business. He studied acting at the University of Arizona before beginning a career that spanned stage, film, and television over several decades. Hindman died of lung cancer on December 29, 2003, in Stamford, Connecticut, at the age of 61.

Hindman's stage career included Broadway appearances between 1968 and 1972, with credits in The Great White Hope, The Love Suicide at Schofield Barracks, and The Lincoln Mask. His early screen work consisted of low-budget exploitation films in the 1960s, though by the mid-1970s he had transitioned to major Hollywood productions. In 1974 alone he appeared in two thrillers, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three and The Parallax View, playing villains in both. Additional film credits include Who Killed Mary What's 'Er Name? (1971), Greased Lightning (1977), The Brink's Job (1978), Taps (1981), Murder in Coweta County (1983), the Lawrence Kasdan film Silverado (1985), in which he played J.T., and the Leonard Nimoy film Three Men and a Baby (1987), in which he played Satch. His final film appearance came in Final (2001).

On television, Hindman became widely recognized for two long-running roles. He first gained prominence as Bob Reid on the soap opera Ryan's Hope, a part he held from 1975 to 1984 before returning for the series' final episodes in 1988 and 1989. His wife, Molly McGreevy, also appeared on Ryan's Hope from 1977 to 1981, playing Polly Longworth. The two had married on May 21, 1976, and McGreevy later became an Episcopal priest. Hindman's second and perhaps most recognized television role was Wilson W. Wilson on the sitcom Home Improvement, which he played from 1991 to 1999. The character was defined by a recurring visual gag in which only the upper portion of Wilson's face was visible above a tall backyard fence. In later episodes, when Wilson appeared in settings outside the backyard, props, costumes, or objects he was carrying continued to obscure part of his face from viewers. Hindman also made appearances on Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent late in his career.