Who played Ronald McDonald in the character’s earliest McDonald’s commercials?

Willard Scott played Ronald McDonald in the character’s earliest McDonald’s commercials.

Before becoming widely known as a national television weather presenter, Scott worked in Washington, D.C., where he performed as a clown on a children’s television program. McDonald’s used him as Ronald in early local advertising, helping establish the character’s clown identity on television.

Scott’s portrayal predates the later version of Ronald McDonald that became familiar worldwide. The character’s costume and appearance changed as McDonald’s developed a more standardized brand presentation, but Scott’s performance provided the original television model.

This fact is sometimes confused with Ronald McDonald’s later performers. Multiple actors and entertainers have portrayed the character over the decades, especially as McDonald’s expanded its advertising internationally. Willard Scott is specifically associated with the earliest commercials, not with every later appearance or with the character’s entire advertising history.