Earl Hindman, the character actor who played the fenced-in next-door neighbor on TV's "Home Improvement," and appeared in plays around the country, died Dec. 29, 2003, in Stamford, Connecticut, after a battle with lung cancer, according to The New York Times. Playing Wilson, Mr. Hindman's face was concealed behind a picket fence in episodes of the sitcom, in which he offered anecdotes and advice to Tim Allen. He was 61 and lived in Stamford, a short commute from Manhattan, where he appeared, in earlier years, in Broadway and Off-Broadway plays. He was also a regular on the now-defunct TV soap opera, "Ryan's Hope," playing a police detective, Bob Reid.

His wife, the Rev. Molly P. McGreevy, survives him.

Born in Arizona, Mr. Hindman studied theatre at the University of Arizona and later appeared Off-Broadway in Dark of the Moon and The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel. His Broadway credits, according to Internet Broadway Database, included The Lincoln Mask and The Love Suicide at Schofield Barracks by Romulus Linney.

His movie credits include The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1991), Talk Radio, War and Remembrance, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three I> and more.