He was born in Rochester, New York, and attended the University of Rochester until he enlisted in the Air Force during World War II. It was back at a time when you know that got you a fair distance,” said Nick Keil. “But he was a guy that wanted to be an actor so he kind of channeled that sense of drama and being the ultimate extrovert into everything he did. His son said his father never had formal training.
Keil was involved in other high profile ad campaigns and also wrote two books on creativity. “He was one of the giants in the advertising industry and shared his talents in support of crime prevention,” the council said in an emailed statement. Today it’s used in a variety of campaigns to support safety and crime prevention. In the mid-1980s, the character was urging people to join neighborhood watch groups and to clean up streets and parks to dissuade criminals, the council said. Since his creation, the raspy-voiced dog has appeared in newspapers and on radio, television and the internet. McGruff, the National Crime Prevention Council’s mascot, first appeared in public service announcements in 1980. Keil was creative director at Dancer Fitzgerald Sample advertising agency when he and his team created the trench coat-wearing animated dog, with Keil himself saying the slogan “Take a Bite Out of Crime.”
He and his wife had lived in Rockland County for 58 years. 25 at home in Westminster West, Vermont, his family said. John “Jack” Keil, the advertising executive who led the team that created McGruff the Crime Dog and who voiced the character, has died.