LOS ANGELES (Oct. 2) - House Peters Jr., a TV actor who became theoriginal Mr. Clean in Proctor & Gamble's commercials for householdcleaners, died Wednesday. He was 92.
Peters died of pneumonia at the Motion Picture and TelevisionFund Hospital in Los Angeles, said his son, Jon Peters.
Skip over this contentThe elder Peters' most memorable role came as Mr. Clean - amuscular man with a bald head, a hoop earring and a no-nonsenseattitude toward dirt and grime. From the late 1950s and into theearly 1960s, Peters Jr. helped advertise the famous householdcleaner with the trademark jingle, "Mr. Clean, Mr. Clean."
Peters Jr. played many supporting roles through his career,including working with Roy Rogers and Gene Autry on theirtelevision shows. He also appeared in "Perry Mason,""Gunsmoke," "The Twilight Zone" and "Lassie."
"He always played the heavy," Jon Peters said, referring tohis father's customary roles as a villain or brawny character."Even though he wasn't happy about being cast in those roles, heworked really hard at it."
His father's acting career spanned 1935-1967, according to hisWeb site. He also wrote an autobiography, "Another Side ofHollywood," in which he describes growing up the son of an actressand silent film actor in Beverly Hills. His father, Robert HousePeters Sr., has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Peters Jr. was never a leading man, but played many characterparts in cowboy movies and won a Golden Boot Award in 2000 for hislifetime contributions to the western genre, his son said.
Peters Jr. was born Jan. 12, 1916, in New Rochelle, N.Y., asRobert House Peters Jr. His son said Peters Jr. studied drama inhigh school and became inspired to pursue an acting career.
He also is survived by his wife, Lucy Pickett, a daughter,another son and four grandchildren.
