Jonathan Winters

A quick-witted, king of improvisation, Jonathan Winters has enjoyed a long and varied career in TV, live performances and the occasional film.

The only son of a banker father and radio personality mother, Winters spent a difficult childhood shuttling between his divorced parents. By his own descriptions, his alcoholic father could be monstrous and his mother tended to want the spotlight focused on her. In order to escape, Winters enlisted in the US Marines at age 17 and spent over two years serving in the South Pacific. After WWII, he enrolled at Kenyon College and then transferred to the Dayton Art Institute. At the suggestion of his wife, he began his entertainment career by entering a talent contest where he wowed the audience and walked away with a gig as a disc jockey which in turn led to a stint as a local TV personality. In the early 1950s, Winters moved to NYC where he could better exploit his comedic talents. He shone in local comedy clubs and early live TV where his expressive, moon-shaped face and abilities for zany mimicry and adept characterizations became increasingly popular. In 1954, Winters was cast as a regular on the comedy-variety series "And Here's the Show" (NBC, 1954) and went on to become nearly a permanent fixture on many TV shows that propelled his antics (which included characters like the ribald old lady Maude Frickert and the quack psychiatrist Dr. Bellenhoffer) into unsuspecting American living rooms. From the mid-50s on, he was showcased in over ten comedy specials and series with his name attached (e.g., "The Jonathan Winters Special", NBC 1964; "The Jonathan Winters Show", CBS 1967-69) and appeared in dozens of comedy programs hosted by fellow comedians Bob Hope, Dean Martin and Steve Allen. His career was unaccountably shadowed, however, by two highly publicized nervous breakdowns, the result of an undiagnosed bipolar disorder exacerbated by alcohol and caffeine. Since the early 1960s, Winters has been on lithium and has not suffered any manic-depressive episodes. Yet, because he was one of the first celebrities to "go public" with his problems, he was stigmatized and even some 40 years later his "problems" are still mentioned in articles and profiles.

Though less prolific on the big screen, Winters appeared in several memorable 60s films including Stanley Kramer's star-studded mess "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1963), Tony Richardson's black comedy "The Loved One" (1965, as twins) and Norman Jewison's "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming" (1966, as a deputy). His later output often wasted his gifts, although he made the most of the opportunities afforded in "Moon Over Parador" (1988), "The Shadow" (1994) and "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" (2000).

Though he diversified into other mediums (e.g., books, films and albums), TV provided Winters with his greatest exposure and opportunities. Younger audiences may remember him as the son of Mork (Robin Williams) on "Mork and Mindy" during the final season (1981-82) of that popular sitcom. This was an apt (if perversely role reversed) casting choice for a father and son team in light of Williams' status as the heir apparent to Winters' free associative, agile-brained humor. A versatile vocal performer, Winters has also provided voices for many children's cartoons including "The Smurfs" (as Papa Smurf), "Yogi's Treasure Hunt" and "The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley". He finally received long overdue formal recognition from his peers with an Emmy award for his role as Randy Quaid's gruff father on the short-lived sitcom "Davis Rules" (ABC, 1991; CBS 1991-92), induction into the Comedy Hall of Fame alongside such other luminaries as Milton Berle, George Burns and Walter Matthau and the receipt of the second annual Mark Twain Prize in Humor.

• Also Credited As:
  Jonathan Harshman Winters III
• Born:
  Jonathan Harshman Winters III on November 11, 1925 in Bellbrook, Ohio, USA
• Job Titles:
  Actor, Comedian, Author, Disc jockey, Painter

Family

• Daughter: Lucinda Kelley Winters. Born c. 1956; mother, Eileen Winters
• Father: Jonathan H Winters Jr. Divorced from Winters mother in 1932; Winters has described his father as an alcoholic who had trouble holding a job
• Grandfather: Jonathan H Winters Sr. Owned Winters National Bank & Trust
• Mother: Alice Kilgore Winters. Divorced from Winters father in 1932; remarried
• Son: Jonathan H Winters IV. Born c. 1950; mother, Eileen Winters

Education

• Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, 1946
• Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH, art, BFA, 1950

Milestones

• 1946 Hired by a Dayton radio station as a disc jockey
• 1953 Moved to NYC; began performing as a standup comedian in nightclubs like The Blue Angel
• 1954 Reportedly was the first comic to be featured on CBS Omninbus
• 1955 Was a regular on NBC s And Here s the Show
• 1956 Hosted The Jonathan Winters Show (NBC)
• 1957 Introduced the characters, senior citizen Maudie Frickert and Elwood P. Sluggins, on shows such as The Steve Allen Show, Tonight Starring Jack Paar and The Garry Moore Show
• 1960 Feature debut, provided voice for the animated film, Saiyu-ki
• 1963 Made feature acting debut in It s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
• 1964 Headlined the NBC variety program The Jonathan Winters Special
• 1964 Was a regular on the NBC variety series The Andy Williams Show
• 1965 Played the dual roles of Henry Glenworthy and his dark, scheming brother, the Rev. Wilbur Glenworthy in the film adaptation of Evelyn Waugh s The Loved One
• 1965 Starred in an unscripted variety hour, The Jonathan Winters Show (NBC)
• 1966 Appeared as a guest in several specials starring comedian Bob Hope
• 1966 Had three-minute cameo in Penelope, a comedy starring Natalie Wood
• 1966 Offered comic support as a deputy in The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming
• 1967 Starred in the CBS variety series, The Jonathan Winters Show
• 1967 Cast as Dad in the film version of the play, Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma s Hung You in the Closet and I m Feelin So Sad
• 1970 Last film for nine years, Viva Max!
• 1970 Returned to The Andy Williams Show as a regular for one season
• 1970 Wrote and hosted The Wonderful World of Jonathan Winters (NBC)
• 1972 Starred in the syndicated series, The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters
• 1976 Hosted and wrote NBC s Jonathan Winters Presents 200 Years of American Humor
• 1979 Resumed film career with The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh
• 1980 Played one of the villains in the CBS miniseries, More Wild Wild West
• 1981 Joined cast of the ABC sitcom Mork and Mindy in its final season playing Mork s son
• 1983 Was a regular on Hee Haw (CBS) for one season
• 1985 Cast as Humpty Dumpty in the CBS miniseries adaptation of Alice in Wonderland
• 1987 Starred in first Showtime comedy special, Jonathan Winters: On the Ledge
• 1989 Headlined Showtime Presents: Jonathan Winters & Friends
• 1991 Featured as Randy Quaid s eccentric father in the sitcom, Davis Rules (ABC, 1991; CBS 1991-1992)
• 1992 Provided character voice for the ABC primetime animated series, Fish Police
• 1993 Starred in Jonathan Winters: Spaced Out on Showtime
• 1995 Narrated the animated special, Frosty Returns (CBS)
• 1997 Voiced Santa in the ABC animated special, Santa vs the Snowman
• 2000 Played multiple roles in the combination live action-animated, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
• 2000 Was the subject of Comedy Central s Uncomfortably Close With Michael McKean: Jonathan Winters
• 2003 Received an Emmy nomination for his guest-starring role in an episode of ABC s Life with Bonnie
• 2009 Earned a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word for the album, Jonathan Winters - A Very Special Time
• Encouraged by his wife, entered local talent contest which he won
• Joined the US Marine Corps and served two and a half years in the Pacific Theater during World War II
• Moved to Columbus and worked for three years at WBNS-TV
• Was commercial spokesperson for Hefty garbage bags in a series of memorable TV commercials