We know that Margret Thather, Richard Nixon and Condolezza Rice play(ed) the piano. Einsten played the violin, and former brittish prime minister Ted Heath was a amateur conductor. But are there any famous (non pro. musician) tin whistlers?
Hmmm…I seem to recall a picture of Dick (Darth Vader) Cheney brandishing a tin whistle 
1779
THE WHISTLE
by Benjamin Franklin
The Whistle
I AM charmed with your description of Paradise, and with your plan of living there; and I approve much of your conclusion, that, in the mean time, we should draw all the good we can from this world. In my opinion, we might all draw more good from it than we do, and suffer less evil, if we would take care not to give too much for whistles. For to me it seems that most of the unhappy people we meet with are become so by neglect of that caution.
You ask what I mean? You love stories, and will excuse my telling one of myself.
When I was a child of seven years old, my friends, on a holiday, filled my pocket with coppers. I went directly to a shop where they sold toys for children, and being charmed with the sound of a whistle, that I met by the way in the hands of another boy, I voluntarily offered and gave all my money for one. I then came home, and went whistling all over the house, much pleased with my whistle, but disturbing all the family. My, brothers, and sisters, and cousins, understanding the bargain I had made, told me I had given four times as much for it as it was worth; put me in mind what good things I might have bought with the rest of the money; and laughed at me so much for my folly, that I cried with vexation; and the reflection gave me more chagrin than the whistle gave me pleasure.
This, however, was afterward of use to me, the impression continuing on my mind; so that often, when I was tempted to buy some unnecessary thing, I said to myself, Don’t give too much for the whistle; and I saved my money.
As I grew up, came into the world, and observed the actions of men, I thought I met with many, very many, who gave too much for the whistle.
When I saw one too ambitious of court favor, sacrificing his time in attendance on levees, his repose, his liberty, his virtue, and perhaps his friends, to attain it, I have said to myself, This man gives too much for his whistle.
When I saw another fond of popularity, constantly employing himself in political bustles, neglecting his own affairs, and ruining them by that neglect, He pays indeed, said I, too much for his whistle.
If I knew a miser, who gave up every, kind of comfortable living, all the pleasure of doing good to others, all the esteem of his fellow-citizens, and the joys of benevolent friendship, for the sake of accumulating wealth, Poor man, said I, you pay too much for your whistle.
When I met with a man of pleasure, sacrificing every laudable improvement of the mind, or of his fortune, to mere corporeal sensations, and ruining his health in their pursuit, Mistaken man, said I, you are providing pain for yourself, instead of pleasure; you give too much for your whistle.
If I see one fond of appearance, or fine clothes, fine houses, fine furniture, fine equipages, all above his fortune, for which he contracts debts, and ends his career in a prison, Alas! say I, he has paid dear, very dear, for his whistle.
When I see a beautiful, sweet-tempered girl married to an ill- natured brute of a husband, What a pity, say I, that she should pay so much for a whistle.
In short, I conceive that great part of the miseries of mankind are brought upon them by the false estimates they have made of the value of things, and by their giving too much for their whistles.
Yet I ought to have charity for these unhappy people, when I consider that, with all this wisdom of which I am boasting, there are certain things in the world so tempting, for example, the apples of King John, which happily are not to be bought; for if they were put to sale by auction, I might very easily be led to ruin myself in the purchase, and find that I had once more given too much for the whistle.
Jean Luc Picard
Dwight Schrute on the Office… wait … no… that’s a rcrd*r… my mistake.
I’ve seen the Ben Franklin quote above on several recorder forums. Apparently there is some evidence that what Ben bought was, in fact, a recorder.
Maybe having no famous whistlers is a good thing. Wouldn’t you just hate it if every time you pulled out a whistle, someone asked “Hey, isn’t that the instrument that Dick Cheney/Madonna/Britanny Spears/Martha Stewart/William Shatner/Bill Gates plays?”
Robert Loius Stevenson played the flageolet, wich is a French whistle with an extra bit of tubing, isn’t it?
see http://web.ncf.ca/ek867/stevenson.flageolet.jpg
b
I heard long ago that the late composer/conductor Henry Mancini ( Moon River, Pink Panther themes, etc. ) was an avid tin whistler.
He was famous enough, I think.
Hope this is helpful. Lloyd
Dah dah dah …
Ben Franklin should have bought a computer - then complain about what was value and what was not.
He, like many, went cheap and expected instant results.
This is a sad story - I once had respect for Benjamin Franklin - turns out he was just another fool looking for quick advantage. He’s off my list for now. It’s been 40 years of respect - blown in an instant.
Go get your quick advantage - it might feed the kids for enough years for them to be strong enough to feed themselves - but the legacy will be at the cost of humanity.
What a litmus-test is the whistle!
Are you the kind-of-guy that expects to pay less than a quarter the price of a guitar for an instrument that takes a quarter of the time to master with a less than a quarter of the pain involved to be able to make a meaningful expression? Well - let me tell you - you are a mile ahead of Benjamin Franklin who expected instant approbration at the price in his pocket!!
Leave aside the wisdom in his vision - how many of us had such easy expectations!!!
Ben Franklin - go exploit cheap labor, go rip value from fools. Thank God for history! Never again! Us fools got better fish to fry (at last).
Here’s a better story: You remember Jo Smith - the morman guy? Well, History has it that Jo came to occupy a valley full of those adherent to his cause.
It so happened that this valley was the only sane passage for those travelling west (“young man”) en-route to their fame and fortune!
Accordingly, Jo saw it as God’s benevolence that he was so placed to charge a tythe upon the those future young-men’s fortunes for safe passage accross his tythe. And thus he did! Each and every young man heading west payed his toll.
And it was good! (For Jo).
Then it came to pass that a trader, who’s fortune was invested in his inventory, ventured into the valey of Jo. He had no currency to tythe, but instead - noticing the many progeny of Jo’s many wives, made this offer: “I will tythe to thee a crate of special value! Inside this crate is the very key to music! Even unto a child is the value here-in!”
He presented a crate containing a hundred pennywhistles!
On consultation with his wyves, Jo readily agreed, and the trader gained access to the lucrative western markets!
Thrice this agreement held, untill one day, the trader approached the valley en-rout to his established western clients. He was brought before Jo to anunciate his credentials.
What the trader had failed to comprehend was the affect of 300 whistes at the hands of infants.
Jo heard the petition through 120 decibels of tinitus, plus a bonus of 130 more decibels from his near-deaf shouting wyves!
The trader was passed, grudgingly.
Here is wisdom - Over the years, Jo had found expedience in maintaining a hit-man, who was known as “The Angel of Death”. This is the main difference between prophets and Gods (gods do their own dirty-work).
Thus it was that the trader’s body was found a few weeks later, unmolested by robbery or vermin, with 4 more crates of whistles underneath his rotting body.
Ben Franklin was, evidently, a novice. Clever, but imature. He would have done better to have a real go at ITM! The world would have been a better place for it.
But there must be someone celebrity or famous person (non musican), at least from Ireland, who has playe the tin whistle. James Galway played it as a kid and I guess every young lad and lass on Ireland have at some point picked up the whistle in his youth.
Oh yes, I remember, Harpo plays the whistle in one movie!!! There´s an example 
For Swallows and Amazons fans, a whistle (played by Roger) figures prominantly in the plot of We Didn’t Mean to go to Sea.
Furthermore, the scurrilous insinuation is made that whistle-playing and drinking (of all things!) go frequently in company.
I´m afraid I must disappoint you. Jean Luc Picard is a fictional character. He does not exist. Enterprise does not exist either. And there is no klingon empire. These films are not historical documents.
Yes, he is famous enough, but on the other hand he was a professional musician. I was thinking more of famous non musicians, like Einsten or Nixon. Wouldn´t it be very interesting if, for instance, George Bush and Usama Bin Laden would play a duet on the whistle some day?
The undisputed, Dale.
They could play The Fool’s Jig
I could see Einstein playing
I beg to differ. Star Trek is very real, it just happens in the future. Jean-Luc Picard has yet to be born. The Klingon Empire is very real, Humans just haven’t come across their people yet. I even have an aquarium made from transparent aluminum thanks to Scotty visiting us in the late 80s.
What about Willy Wonka!!!
I can’t name famous whistlers, but, I will say that Paul Simon came up to me once after a gig and was blown away by the sound of the whistle…to quote him…“that sound moved me…really moved me and I’m not moved easily…” Also, Eric Clapton tapped me on my shoulder when we played Bob Dylan’s party and asked to see my whistles…thought they were amazing…and finally, I know Bill Clinton likes the whistle - but then again, what normal human being wouldn’t!
Joanie Madden