Willard Scott was the first actor to portray Ronald McDonald in a McDonald’s television commercial.
Scott played the character in an early 1960s advertisement for a McDonald’s restaurant in the Washington, D.C., area. His version helped establish the clown as a recognizable on-screen representative for the growing restaurant chain.
The commercial character was later developed into a much more standardized national mascot. Ronald’s appearance, costume, supporting characters, and advertising role evolved as McDonald’s expanded its family-oriented marketing.
A common mix-up is to treat the first performer as the permanent actor associated with Ronald McDonald. In reality, multiple performers later portrayed the character in different markets and campaigns. The character’s identity mattered more to the brand than any one actor’s long-term public credit.