Original Mr. Clean Dies At 92 - NPR

Accessibility links

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Original Mr. Clean Dies At 92 House Peters Jr. was the muscular guy with the bald head and hoop earring that starred in Proctor & Gamble's TV commercials for household cleaners in the late 1950s and into the early 1960s. Peters was never a leading man. He played supporting roles and worked with Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. In 2000, he won a Golden Boot Award for his contributions to the western film genre.

Obituaries

Original Mr. Clean Dies At 92 October 2, 20086:00 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition

Original Mr. Clean Dies At 92

Listen Transcript Toggle more options

• Download
• Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/95279765/95279730" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
• Transcript

Related NPR Stories

Obituaries

America Loses A Prized Rural Demographer

National

Robert Steinberg, Chocolate Maker, Dies

Obituaries

Remembering Henry Steinway

Obituaries

The Typewriter Man

Obituaries

King Of Voiceovers Don LaFontaine Dies

House Peters Jr. was the muscular guy with the bald head and hoop earring that starred in Proctor & Gamble's TV commercials for household cleaners in the late 1950s and into the early 1960s. Peters was never a leading man. He played supporting roles and worked with Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. In 2000, he won a Golden Boot Award for his contributions to the western film genre.

Sponsor Message

RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

And our last word in business today is a farewell to an icon.

(Soundbite of vintage commercial)

Mr. HOUSE PETERS JR.: (Singing) Mr. Clean gets rid of dirt and grime and grease in just a minute.

Unidentified Woman: (Singing) Mr. Clean will clean your whole house and everything that's in it.

MONTAGNE: The brawny man with a bald head and a hoop earring was a fixture in the ads for many Proctor & Gamble household cleaning products. Mr. Clean was in reality television actor House Peters, Jr. Peters was never a leading man. He played supporting roles, and worked with Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. In 2000 he won a Golden Boot Award for his contributions to the Western. House Peters, Jr. died yesterday at the age 92. To many Americans he will live on for his most famous role as the man behind the shine, Mr. Clean. And that's the business news on Morning Edition from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

ARI SHAPIRO, host:

And I'm Ari Shapiro.

Copyright © 2008 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

• Facebook
• Flipboard
• Email

Sponsor Message

Sponsor Message

Become an NPR sponsor