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Bill Hinnant

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Bill Hinnant
Born
John Fletcher Hinnant Jr.

August 28, 1935
Chincoteague Island, Virginia, U.S.
DiedFebruary 17, 1978(1978-02-17) (aged 42)
Dominican Republic
Other namesWilliam Hinnant
Alma materYale University
Occupation(s)Stage, film, and television actor
Years active1958–1978
RelativesSkip Hinnant (brother)

William Hinnant (born John Fletcher Hinnant, Jr.; August 28, 1935 – February 17, 1978) was an American actor. His younger brother is actor and comedian Skip Hinnant.

Biography

Hinnant was born John Fletcher Hinnant, Jr. in Chincoteague Island, Virginia. He attended Yale University, but left after his sophomore year in 1955 to originate the role of the navigator in the Broadway play No Time for Sergeants. He later returned to Yale, and graduated in 1959.[1]

After completing college, Hinnant appeared in the Julius Monk revue Dressed to the Nines. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he appeared in few theatre roles and guest starred on various television programs, including four episodes of the CBS sitcom, Pete and Gladys. He was cast as Bruce Carter, a 26-year-old college student (though he had already graduated from Yale in real life) who lives temporarily in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, with his aunt, Gladys (Cara Williams), and her husband, insurance salesman, Pete Porter (Harry Morgan). Hinnant also appeared on the long-running CBS game show, To Tell the Truth. He was cast in the revues, All Kinds of Giants and Put it in Writing in 1962 and 1963.[1]

Hinnant's most successful role came in March 1967, when he was cast as Snoopy in the off-Broadway production of Clark Gesner's You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, after voicing the character on Gesner's ten-song concept album.[2][3][4] Hinnant (whose younger brother Skip was cast as Schroeder in the same production) was praised as the "most strikingly talented of the cast" and won a Drama Desk Award for his performance.[5][6][7] Theatre critic Steven Suskin wrote, "As in Snoopy's showstopper 'Suppertime' - you totally forgot the teensy scale. When Bill Hinnant leapt from atop his doghouse and went into a cakewalk, the spirit and the show soared."[8]

After ...Charlie Brown, Hinnant appeared in Norman Kline's The American Hamburger League off-Broadway in September 1969.[9] He then appeared in the 1971 Broadway musical Frank Merriwell.

When You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown was adapted for a Hallmark Hall of Fame television special in 1973, Hinnant reprised his role as Snoopy.[10] Hinnant was the only member of the original off-Broadway cast to reprise his role in the special.[11]

Death

Hinnant died at age 42 on February 17, 1978. He drowned while vacationing in the Dominican Republic.[12] In February 1990, archival footage posthumously showed Hinnant singing "Suppertime" in the Peanuts documentary "You Don't Look 40, Charlie Brown!"

References

  1. ^ a b William Hinnant profile at IMDb
  2. ^ "Biography of Clark Gesner, Clark Gesner Papers, 1940-2005" Archived 2010-10-29 at the Wayback Machine Princeton University Library
  3. ^ Viagas, Robert. "Today In Theatre History: March 7" Archived 2011-03-14 at the Wayback Machine. playbill.com, March 7, 2011.
  4. ^ "You're a Good Man, Chalire Brown". Archived from the original on 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2011-03-12.
  5. ^ "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown". Lortel Archives/LLA_archive/index.cfm Internet Off Broadway Database profile]. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
  6. ^ Smith, Michael. "Gary Burghoff, Bob Balaban in Stage Version of 'Peanuts'". Village Voice
  7. ^ Hinnant profile at IBDb Archived October 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Suskin, Steven. On the Record: "Mamma, Elaine's King & Charlie Brown", November 26, 2000 Archived June 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "The American Hamburger League" Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine, Lortel Archives, accessed March 11, 2011.
  10. ^ Hetrick, Adam. "NYMF Announces 2007 Partner Events: Evening with Schwartz, New Musicals Concert and More" Archived 2011-06-29 at the Wayback Machine, Playbill, August 13, 2007.
  11. ^ You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown production details
  12. ^ Notice of death in "Caskets On Parade - Book of the Dead" website Archived March 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
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