# William Windom passes away **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 19, 2012, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-windom-passes-away/631949 "2012-08-19T08:50:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-windom-passes-away/631949/1 "2012-08-19T08:50:21Z")
I really didn’t know he had still been alive, but popular character actor Wiliam Windom died Saturday at the age of 88. He played many roles on both the big screen and small screen. His first role was as Mr. Gilmer, the prosecutor in _To Kill A Mockingbird_. On TV, he starred in _The Farmer’s Daughter_ and _My World and Welcome To It_, which was based on the writings of James Thurber. One of his most popular roles was that of Commodore Matthew Decker in the Star Trek episode “The Doomsday Machine.” He also had a recurring role on _Murder, She Wrote_ as Dr. Seth Hazlitt. [http://www.tvmediainsights.com/2012/08/remembering-william-windom/](http://www.tvmediainsights.com/2012/08/remembering-william-windom/) R.I.P., Bill. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-windom-passes-away/631949/2 "2012-08-19T09:16:57Z")
An old, familiar face. ☹ He had a TV show called _[My World and Welcome to It](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063934/)_ ~1969, based on, of all things, James Thurber. Used Thurber’s cartoons, which provided commentary on the story. Pretty sophisticated, eh? My parent’s loved the show… it was my senior year of college, so I was too busy out running around to sit home and watch TV with the aged P’s. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-windom-passes-away/631949/3 "2012-08-19T09:49:52Z")
I used to watch _My World and Welcome to It_ and loved it. The little girl who played his daughter, Lisa Gerritsen, was a real up-and-comer at the time, appearing in many shows and movies. Played Cloris Leachman’s daughter on _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_ and one or two spin-offs. Then poof! Just disappeared. RIP, Bill. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-windom-passes-away/631949/4 "2012-08-19T10:30:23Z")
RIP Commodore Decker. ---
**Author:** ![computergeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@computergeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/computergeek)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-windom-passes-away/631949/5 "2012-08-19T13:04:23Z")
I’ve always liked him. I just did a google search and it seems none of the major media outlets are reporting his death. It’s mostly message boards doing so. It’s sad if the media simply doesn’t care as he had a long career. ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-windom-passes-away/631949/6 "2012-08-19T13:09:47Z")
I will always remember him as Commodore Decker. What an indelible image! ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-windom-passes-away/631949/7 "2012-08-19T13:41:31Z")
I saw him in person about 20 years ago doing his one-man show about James Thurber. He was quite entertaining. For me, he’ll always be Mr. Gilmer, the prosecuting attorney in _To Kill a Mockingbird_. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-windom-passes-away/631949/8 "2012-08-19T14:05:40Z")
If this holds up, this will leave [Susan Harrison](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0365893/), mother of [Darva Conger](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0174612/bio) as the [Last Character in Search of an Exit](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734569/). ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-windom-passes-away/631949/9 "2012-08-19T14:08:35Z")
Funny how many of us remember him from _MWaWtI_. It only lasted 26 episodes but made a deep impression. Two _Twilight Zone_ episodes, too. The last time I saw him in something was _Dopamine_ from 2003. Kept fairly busy for a long time. I remember pointing him out to the kids in some _Mathnet_ segments. They were blah. Kids. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-windom-passes-away/631949/10 "2012-08-19T14:21:53Z")
I remember watching My Life and Welcome To It way back in 1969, it got me started reading Thurber. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-windom-passes-away/631949/11 "2012-08-19T14:37:05Z")
Oh crap, I was thinking about him while mowing the lawn yesterday. That’s another obscure actor or author I’ve killed like that! ---
**Author:** ![nogravity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@nogravity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nogravity)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-windom-passes-away/631949/12 "2012-08-19T15:12:24Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > If this holds up, this will leave [Susan Harrison](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0365893/), mother of [Darva Conger](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0174612/bio) as the [Last Character in Search of an Exit](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734569/). That _Twilight Zone_ episode was the first thing I thought of. Get me outta here.