Bill Porter

William Douglas Porter

Life Bill Porter was born in San Francisco, California, and at a young age moved to Portland, Oregon along with his mother. He was unable to gain employment due to his cerebral palsy, but refused to go on disability. Porter eventually convinced Watkins Incorporated to give him a door-to-door salesman job, selling its products on a seven-mile route in the Portland area. He eventually became Watkins' top seller, and worked for the company for over forty years.

In 1995, the newspaper The Oregonian ran a feature story about Porter. The story of his optimistic determination made him the subject of media attention across the United States. He was featured in Reader's Digest and on ABC's 20/20. In 2009, the Japanese TBS network aired a TV movie loosely based on Bill Porter, also called Door to Door. It starred Ninomiya Kazunari and Rosa Kato as fictional versions of Porter and Shelly Brady.

Bill Porter died of an infection in Gresham, Oregon, on December 3, 2013, at the age of 81.