Jim Cummings. Actor: Winnie Puuh. Born James Jonah Cummings on November 3, 1952, he grew up in Youngstown, Ohio. Sooner or later, he moved to New Orleans. There, he designed Mardi Gras floats, was a singer, door-to-door salesman, and a Louisiana riverboat deckhand. Then Cummings moved to Anaheim, California, where he started his career playing Lionel from the program Dumbo's Circus (1985).