Earl Hindman was an American actor from Arizona, born in 1942 in Bisbee, Arizona, a mining city established in 1880. His parents, Burl Latney Hindman and Eula, were from the oil pipeline business. Hindman studied acting at the University of Arizona and made his film debut in the exploitation film "Teenage Mother" in 1967.
Early in his career, Hindman appeared in films such as "Who Killed Mary What's 'Er Name?" and "The Parallax View", as well as the action thriller "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three". He also played police lieutenant Bob Reid in the soap opera "Ryan's Hope" from 1975 to 1984 and again from 1988 to 1989.
Hindman's notable roles include race-car driver Beau Welles in the biographical film "Greased Lightning" and gunfighter J.T. Hollis in the Western film "Silverado". He also appeared in the miniseries "War and Remembrance" as Lt. Commander Wade McClusky.
Hindman's most famous role was as Wilson W. Wilson, Jr. in the popular sitcom "Home Improvement", where he would offer advice to protagonist Timothy "Tim" Taylor, but his face remained hidden from the audience. After the series ended, Hindman mostly appeared in guest star roles in television series such as "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent".
