John Fiedler

John Donald Fiedler (February 3, 1925 – June 25, 2005) was an American voice actor and character actor who was slight, balding, and bespectacled, with a distinctive, high-pitched voice. His career lasted more than 55 years in stage, film, television and radio. He is best known for four roles: the nervous Juror #2 in 12 Angry Men; the voice of Piglet in Disney's Winnie-the-Pooh productions; Vinnie, the meek poker player in the film version of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple; and Mr. Peterson, the hen-pecked milquetoast on The Bob Newhart Show.

Early life

Fiedler was born in Platteville, Wisconsin, a son of Donald Fiedler, a beer salesman, and his wife Margaret (née Phelan). He was of German and Irish descent.

His family moved to Shorewood, Wisconsin in 1930, where he graduated from Shorewood High School in 1943. He enlisted in the United States Navy and served until the end of World War II.

Acting career

After his discharge from the Navy, Fiedler began acting in New York City, appearing on the radio comedy The Aldrich Family as Homer Brown. He appeared on early television and played Cadet Alfie Higgins on the 1950s show Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, and he made his film debut in 1957 in 12 Angry Men, as Juror #2. Most of his roles were playing gentle or nervous individuals, though he appeared as the lawyer J. Noble Daggett in True Grit (1969 film) and in the original Star Trek episode "Wolf in the Fold" as Mr. Hengist, a Chief Administrator possessed by the spirit of Jack the Ripper.