Los Angeles – Don Herbert, who as television’s “Mr. Wizard” introduced generations of young viewers to the joys of science, died Tuesday. He was 89.
Herbert, who had bone cancer, died at his suburban Bell Canyon home, said his son-in- law, Tom Nikosey.
“He really taught kids how to use the thinking skills of a scientist,” said former colleague Steve Jacobs. He worked with Herbert on a 1980s show that echoed the original 1950s “Watch Mr. Wizard” series, which became a fond baby- boomer memory.
In “Watch Mr. Wizard,” which was produced from 1951 to 1964 and received a Peabody Award in 1954, Herbert turned TV into an entertaining classroom. On a simple set, he showed experiments using household items.
“He modeled how to predict and measure and analyze. … The show today might seem slow, but it was in-depth and forced you to think along,” Jacobs said. “You were learning about the forces of nature.”
Herbert encouraged children to duplicate experiments at home, said Jacobs, who served as a behind-the-scenes “sidekick” on the 1980s “Mr. Wizard’s World” that aired on the Nickelodeon channel.
Herbert’s place in TV history was acknowledged by later stars.
When “Late Night with David Letterman” debuted in 1982, Herbert was among the first-night guests.
