
By Todd Cunningham
TheWrap
William Windom, a 1970 Emmy Award winner for his
show "My World
and Welcome to It," died on Thursday at home in Woodacre, Calif. He was
88.
Bing: Videos of William Windom
The cause of death was congestive heart failure, his wife Patricia told the New York Times.
"My World and Welcome to It" was based on James Thurber's humorous essays and cartoons, and Windom later toured with a one-man show drawn from the program.
He may have been at least as well known for his numerous guest appearances on several TV shows, including "Star Trek," "The Twilight Zone" and "Night Gallery." But it was a recurring role that began in 1998 on "Murder, She Wrote" that may have brought him the most fame.
He played a doctor in the imaginary town of Cabot Cove, Me., who was best friends with the show's star, played by Angela Landsbury.
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William Windom was one of those actors who deserved good gigs, but there wasn't enough around for his demographic, for lack of a better word. He endeavored to make all his characters 3-D and that's one of the reasons that "The Doomsday Machine" is one of the 1/3 of Star Trek, TOS that I care about(Hugo Drama nom, 1967; winner, "City on the Edge of Forever," featuring another TV stalwart Joan Collins). I was glad he at least had the recurring role on "Murder She Wrote." This was one of the few times Windom's short-lived opportunity, "My World and Welcome To It," has been mentioned , but I'll be looking for Antenna TV or MeTV to pick it up, as "Murder, She Wrote" is currently being run on Hallmark.
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