Earl Hindman (Aka Wilson From Home Improvement) Was Totally Different In Real Life

One of the biggest mysteries of '90s television was "Home Improvement's" Wilson, the eccentric next-door neighbor whose face wasn't fully revealed until the cast came together for their final bow during the series finale. Throughout the beloved sitcom's eight-season run, Wilson was almost completely hidden behind a tall fence so that only his forehead, eyes, and the top half of his nose were visible. He was played by actor Earl Hindman, who was completely different IRL from the odd, grumpy, and philosophical neighbor viewers knew and loved. Sadly, he died just a couple years after the show wrapped, joining other "Home Improvement" stars we've lost since.

A character actor from Arizona, Hindman passed away in December 2003 at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut, with lung cancer cited as his primary cause of death, as the Los Angeles Times reported at the time. He was 61 years old. After getting his start on Broadway, Hindman went on to build a successful career in film and television, before gaining widespread recognition as Wilson, who often imparted nuggets of wisdom to his neighbor and "Home Improvement" lead, Tim Taylor (Tim Allen) (See also: Whatever happened to the cast of "Home Improvement?").

Offscreen, however, Hindman was apparently quite the jokester. This was according to his longtime wife, and fellow actor, Molly McGreevy. The couple wed in May 1976 in Kansas City and had two children together. "Earl had a very deep voice. It was very rich, very warm and very recognizable," McGreevy said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times, adding, "He was the funniest human being I ever met. Even after 27 years of marriage, he could always crack me up."

As it turns out, Earl Hindman had at least one thing in common with his "Home Improvement" character: His introspective nature and knack for imparting life lessons and advice, much like Wilson. As Tim Allen revealed on Matt Williams' "Glimpses" podcast, in 2023, "Every day, we'd be back before we had the curtain call or the opening, and he'd remind me of the word grateful. I've never forgotten that." According to the show's lead, Hindman always had a positive outlook on life. "'I'm so grateful to be working,' he'd say," Allen recalled. "You just don't find opportunities like this where we all get along. Not only that, but we're the No. 1 TV show." He added, "Earl was constantly telling me about the calmness of life. [...] He was a consummate mentor." 

In 2021, the "Toy Story" star paid tribute to his onscreen neighbor by including a reference to Wilson in his new sitcom "Last Man Standing," in which Allen plays the protagonist once again. He also did a special crossover episode wherein the actor appeared as his "Home Improvement" character, Tim Taylor. Speaking to ET in 2021 about it, Allen reflected on how it felt to reprise his iconic role without Hindman beside him. "I adored the man and we kind of brought that up in the story," the actor confessed. "I started thinking about all the history I had with that show, how I compare it to my life on this show. It's all about loss, is all I kept saying in that episode."