Jonathan Winters
born November 11, 1925 in Dayton, Ohio -- is an American comedic actor.
His full birth name is Jonathan Harshman Winters III. He's descended
from Valentine Winters, founder of the Winters National Bank in Dayton,
Ohio, now part of JP Morgan Chase. At 17, during World War II, Jonathan
enlisted in the Marines and served in the South Pacific. After his
discharge he studied cartooning at Dayton Art Institute, where he met
Eileen Schauder, whom he married in 1948. He began comedy routines and
acting while studying at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.
Beginning as a stand-up comic with a madcap wildness, Winters recorded
many classic comedy albums. Probably the best known of his characters
from this period is Maudie Frickert, the seemingly sweet old lady with
the barbed tongue. He was a favorite of Jack Paar and appeared
frequently on his television programs.
Winters has now appeared in nearly 50 movies and several television
shows, including particularly notable roles in the film It's a Mad, Mad,
Mad, Mad World and dual roles of Henry Glenworthy and his dark, scheming
brother, Rev. Wilbur Glenworthy, in the film adaptation of Evelyn
Waugh's The Loved One.
On television, he appeared as Robin Williams's infant son in the
television program Mork & Mindy. Robin Williams calls Jonathan Winters
his idol and greatest influence. Winters has also done some wonderful
dramatic work, as evidenced in the Twilight Zone episode "A Game of
Pool" (episode # 3.5) 13 October 1961.
He was also the narrator in Frosty Returns and recorded Ogden Nash's The
Carnival of the Animals poems to Camille Saint-Saëns' classical opus.
In 1999 he was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Winters now lives near Santa Barbara, California, and is often seen
browsing and hamming to the crowd at the antique show at the Ventura
County fairgrounds. He spends time painting and has been presented in
one-man shows of his art. In 1997 he published Winters' Tales: Stories
and Observations for the Unusual. Other writings have followed, and he
is said to be working on his autobiography |
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