Willard Waterman Biography

Fast Facts

• Received a Clio Award for his appearance in the Boss and Peterson radio commercial for Sony in 1980
• Was a founding member of the American Federation of Radio Artists, later renamed the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
• The national board of the American Federation of Television and Radio Arts honored him for his dedication to the welfare of performers everywhere in 1995
• Studied engineering at the University of Wisconsin, but spent his free time acting in student theater and radio productions
• Befriended actress Uta Hagen while the two were in college
• Known for his blustering, larger-than-life persona as an actor and radio personality
• One of his most famous roles was on the radio as the title character in "The Great Gildersleeve․"
• Was the only person to have served as a member of the American Federation of Radio Artists' board of directors in four different locations, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York
• Worked in war production in the Nash-Kelvinator plant in Kenosha, Wis․, during World War II
• Joined the Psi Chapter of the Theta Chi Fraternity