William Duell, American singer and actor (1776, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest), died he was 88.

William Duell was an American actor and singer died he was 88.. He was known for his roles as Andrew McNair in the musical 1776, Jim Sefelt in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and Johnny the Shoe Shine Guy on the 1982 crime comedy series Police Squad!. Described as a short, odd-looking character actor with a Shakespearean background, he had many minor roles in plays, films and TV series. His last work was a cameo in the film How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

(August 30, 1923 – December 22, 2011) 

Early life and career

He was born George William Duell in 1923, but sometime in his youth, his mother legally changed his name to Darwin William Duell. Duell never cared for his given name, and always went by William. Duell graduated from the Green Mountain Junior College (now Green Mountain College) (Vermont), Illinois Wesleyan University, and Yale University. A theater scholarship at GMC is named after him.
He portrayed Congressional Custodian Andrew McNair in the Broadway version of 1776, which made him the one actor who stayed throughout the entire run of the show and was never understudied. In the 1997 Broadway Revival of 1776, Duell was a replacement member of the cast, filling the role of Caesar Rodney after Michael McCormick took on the role of John Adams.^[2] In 2010, he appeared in an one-night only concert semi staged reading of Evening Primrose by Stephen Sondheim.^[3]

Later life and death

Duell married his wife, Mary Barto, in 2004. Duell died of respiratory failure in December 2011.^[1] He was 88.

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