Who played an early television version of Ronald McDonald in a 1963 commercial?

Willard Scott played an early television version of Ronald McDonald in a 1963 commercial.

Scott was a television personality and weather presenter who appeared as the character for McDonald's advertising in the Washington, D.C., area. This early performance helped introduce the clown mascot to television audiences during the chain's rapid expansion.

The Ronald McDonald seen in that commercial was not identical to every later version. The costume and makeup changed as McDonald's refined the character's appearance and developed a larger family-oriented advertising universe.

The fact is sometimes misremembered because Ronald became associated with many performers and public appearances over the decades. Scott's role concerns an early television portrayal, not the creation of every later costume or campaign. Ronald's eventual fame came from sustained national and international marketing rather than from a single advertisement alone.