Who portrayed Ronald McDonald in McDonald's earliest television advertising in 1963?

Willard Scott portrayed Ronald McDonald in McDonald's earliest television advertising in 1963.

Scott, then a television personality and weather presenter, appeared as Ronald McDonald in early commercials. The advertisements helped establish the clown as a recognizable McDonald's character and laid the groundwork for Ronald's later role as the company's best-known mascot.

The early version of Ronald was not identical to the character's later standardized appearance. Costume details and visual presentation changed as McDonald's refined the mascot and expanded its advertising. That evolution can make the identity of the first performer easy to confuse with later actors who played Ronald in different campaigns or markets.

Ronald's importance to McDonald's branding grew throughout the 1960s and after. He eventually became the central figure in a much larger family-oriented advertising world, but Willard Scott is specifically associated with the earliest 1963 television portrayal.