‘Please don’t squeeze the Charmin’ actor dies

updated 12:54 p.m. ET Nov. 19, 2007

LOS ANGELES - Dick Wilson, the character actor and pitchman who for 21 years played an uptight grocer begging customers “Please, don’t squeeze the Charmin,” died Monday. He was 91.

The man famous as TV’s “Mr. Whipple” died of natural causes at the Motion Picture & Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, said his daughter Melanie Wilson, who is known for her role as a flight attendant on the ABC sitcom “Perfect Strangers.”

Wilson made more than 500 commercials as Mr. George Whipple, a man consumed with keeping bubbly housewives from fondling toilet paper. The punch line of most spots was that Whipple himself was a closeted Charmin-squeezer.

The first commercial aired in 1964 and by the time the campaign ended in 1985 the tag line and Wilson, a former Canadian airman and vaudeville veteran, were pop culture touchstones.

He also played a drunk on several episodes of “Bewitched,” as appeared as various characters on “Hogan’s Heroes,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” and Walt Disney productions.

MORE FROM TELEVISION

Television Section Front

‘Mad Men's’ Hamm hit it big with first lead role ‘Lost’ creators know how series will end 5 nominated reality hosts to host Emmys Newsweek: The ad men of ‘Mad Men’ Kimmel puts McMahon back to work Dissident actors challenge SAG leaders Tune in to the joy of TV's guilty pleasures Estelle Getty remembered as frugal, feisty, fun Test Pattern: Manly shows women like Newsweek: How Hollywood sugarcoats teen pregnancy Television Section Front   Add Television headlines to your news reader: