From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Earl John Hindman (October 20, 1942 – December 29, 2003) was an American actor, best-known for his role as the kindly neighbor (whose lower face was always hidden from sight from the television viewer) Wilson W. Wilson Jr. on the television sitcom Home Improvement (1991–1999). Long before this role, however, he played bad guys in two 1970s thrillers, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three and The Parallax View. Hindman's most famous and enduring pre-Home Imp...