WASHINGTON — While some see the Super Bowl as just a football game, Washington resident Gene Wood sees it as a source of revenue. That’s because the 87-year-old is currently being featured in a national commercial for Visa centered around the Super Bowl.

The commercial is running on the big three: NBC, ABC and CBS, as well as Fox network. Wood plays himself, or an elderly man watching as his wife learns their grandson has won tickets to the Super Bowl. “Pack your bags,” the young actor says to his grandmother as Wood sits in the background and mocks his pretend wife.

The commercial was filmed in Indianapolis, with actors coming in from New York and California. Gene’s son Joe drove his father to the capital city for the day of filming. The other actors were in town for about a week, he said, as the commercials are progressive and they had to complete the pretend trip to the Super Bowl.

Wood got the call more than a month ago from his agent to come to Indianapolis as his mug shot had been picked for the commercial.

“They picked him out of a long list of people just by his mug shot,” Joe Wood said.

Gene quipped: “In other words, I was cute.”

The Visa commercial isn’t the first Gene has done. He and his wife of 64 years, Patty, have appeared in several commercials. The two have been acting for more than 45 years.

“It’s mainly been small town,” Gene said. But they did do an episode of “Unsolved Mysteries” they shot in Indy. “We’ve done everything together, including a national commercial for Big Boy (restaurants).”

The Woods are the parents of 12, grandparents of 17 and great-grandparents of two. And entertainment seems to run in the family.

The Woods’ seven daughters often sing together, and have performed the national anthem for several pro sporting events. Janie, Julie, Melissa, Carolyn, Jackie and Jennifer, all live in Indianapolis, while Ellen flies in from her home in Florida when the girls have a gig.

Joe, who admits that whistling is his talent, said he and his brothers John and Jeremy aren’t very musical.

The Woods lost an infant son, Jerome, and a few years ago their son Gene died.

Wood was born and reared in Lickskillet, one of 10 children, but his work in sales and his stint in the Army during World War II have taken him far from home.

“I was drafted at 18 1/2,” he said. “For 3 1/2 years I was in anti-aircraft.”

But some of Wood’s most dramatic memories are his time as an MP at the Nuremburg Tribunal.

“I guarded Herman Goering,” he said of the Nazi war criminal. “I was 10 feet away and wanted to kill him but didn’t.”

Besides his acting, Wood is probably best known for his piano tuning business, that also includes buying and selling pianos.

“In 1962, I started tuning pianos,” he said. “It was strictly a matter of money. We had our ninth kid. I pointed to an old 50-year-old piano sitting in the corner and said ‘I’m going to take up piano tuning.’”

Wood couldn’t play the piano and, according to his wife, at that time couldn’t tell one note from another. He took a correspondence course on piano tuning and taught himself a skill that he still uses today.

“I tell my kids, don’t you ever tell me you can’t do something,” he laughed. “I taught myself to tune pianos.”

Wood has slowed down some, but still takes part in most all of the Veale Creek Players productions and has directed quite a few.

Wood said it was fun meeting the other actors in Indianapolis, including the child in the cast who had to bring his teacher with him from California.

“They’ve been in other commercials and on the stage,” Wood said. “They’re professional actors.”

But then so is Gene as his appearance in the commercial emphasizes. But from all his journeys to Europe, to 47 of the 50 states, to Mexico and Canada, rubbing shoulders with actors and actresses, Washington, Ind., is still home.

“I wouldn’t think of living anywhere else.”