Supporting actor Earl Hindman was best known among fans of the long-running ABC sitcom Home Improvement for playing the over-educated, enigmatic but wise neighbor Wilson. Ask those fans if they would recognize Hindman's face and they would be at a loss, for he never showed his full countenance upon the show.
Hindman was a pipeliner's son and had a peripatetic upbringing that took him to various Southwestern locales. He attended high school in Tucson, AZ, where he was a natural athlete. At the same time, he became interested in drama and then still photography. Following time at Phoenix Junior College, he enrolled in the University of Arizona where he renewed his interest in drama.
Hindman's first professional acting job was to perform in a Shakespearean play at San Diego's Globe Theatre. The experience was such that Hindman dropped out of school to become a full-time actor. He learned his craft as he went, performing in countless repertory theaters. Eventually, he made it to New York, where he appeared on and off-Broadway. He made his feature film debut in the obscure Two Into Three Won't Go (1969). Hindman's subsequent film appearances were sporadic.
Hindman was a cast member on the daytime soap opera Ryan's Hope for several years before gaining prominence on Home Improvement. Four years after the hit sitcom left the airwaves, Hindman succumbed to lung cancer at the age of 61.
| Title | Year | Editors' Rating | User Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Hamlet
Actor |
2000 | |||
| 2000 | ||||
| 1999 | ||||
| 1998 | ||||
| 1997 | ||||
| 1996 | ||||
| 1995 | ||||
| 1994 | ||||
| 1993 | ||||
| 1992 | ||||
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Stay the Night
Actor |
1992 | |||
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Fires Within
Actor |
1991 | |||
| 1991 | ||||
| 1991 | ||||
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Rising Son
Actor |
1990 | |||
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Talk Radio
Voice |
1988 | |||
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The Red Spider
Actor |
1988 | |||
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Three Men and a Baby
Actor |
1987 | |||
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One Police Plaza
Actor |
1986 | |||
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Silverado
Actor |
1985 | |||
|
Murder in Coweta County
Actor |
1983 | |||
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Taps
Actor |
1981 | |||
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The Brink's Job
Actor |
1978 | |||
|
Greased Lightning
Actor |
1977 | |||
| 1974 | ||||
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The Parallax View
Actor |
1974 | |||
| 1974 | ||||
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Pueblo
Actor |
1973 | |||
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Key West
Actor |
1972 | |||
| 1971 | ||||
|
Three Into Two Won't Go
Actor |
1969 |


