David Winters (April 5, 1939 – April 23, 2019) was an English-American actor, dancer, choreographer, producer, film distributor, director and screenwriter. [1] Winters participated in over 150 television series, television specials, and motion pictures. His accolades include two Emmy Award nominations, a Peabody Award, a Christopher Award, and many more. At a young age, he was seen acting in film and television projects such as Lux Video Theatre, Naked City, Mister Peepers, Rock, Rock, Rock, and Roogie's Bump. [2] [3] He received some attention in Broadway musicals for his roles in West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959). [4] [5] In the film adaptation of West Side Story (1961) he was cast as A-rab. [6] It became the highest grossing motion picture of that year, and won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. [7] [8]
While Winters continued acting, he gained recognition for his dance choreography. He was frequently seen on television with his troupe David Winters Dancers in various variety shows most notably Hullabaloo (1965-1966) where he'd choreograph popularized several dances in the 1960s. [9] [10] He was a common collaborator of Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret including their hit film Viva Las Vegas (1964). [11] Other dance choreography credits include T.A.M.I. Show (1964), Send Me No Flowers (1964), Billie (1965), and A Star Is Born (1976). [12] [13] [14] [15] For the TV movie Movin' with Nancy (1967), his choreography was nominated in the category Special Classification of Individual Achievements at the Emmys. [16]
Winters eventually became a director and a producer starting with a streak of star-studded TV specials including Raquel! (1970) and Once Upon a Wheel (1971). [17] [18] [19] [20] His first theatrical release was the concert film Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare (1975) and his second the sport comedy Racquet (1979). [21] [22] He also directed The Last Horror Film (1982), starring Joe Spinell. [23] Another directorial effort was the teenage romance skateboarding film Thrashin' (1986), starring Josh Brolin. [24] In the mid 1980s, Winters opened his own production and distribution specializing in action films company, Action International Pictures. Up to the mid-2000s Winters continued producing films.
In his final years Winters continued acting most notably the television series Blackbeard (2006) and the film Teddy Bear (2012). [25] [26] He produced the historical epic The King Maker (2005). [27] He also produced, directed, and co-starred in Welcome 2 Ibiza (2003) and Dancin': It's On! (2015). [28] [29]
Year | Film | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1975 | Linda Lovelace for President | No | Yes | No | Erotic movie |
Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare | Yes | Yes | No | Concert movie | |
1977 | Young Lady Chatterly | No | Yes | No | |
1979 | Racquet | Yes | Yes | Story | Story uncredited |
1982 | The Last Horror Film | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
1985 | Mission Kill | Yes | Yes | Yes [a] | |
1986 | Thrashin' | Yes | No | No | |
1987 | Code Name Vengeance | Yes | Yes [a] | No | |
Rage to Kill | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
1988 | Space Mutiny | Yes [b] | Yes | Yes [a] | |
1994 | Raw Justice | No | Yes | No | Also executive producer |
1995 | Body Count | No | Yes | No | |
The Dangerous | Yes [a] | Yes | No | ||
1997 | Fight and Revenge | Yes | Yes | No | Lost film |
2003 | Welcome 2 Ibiza | Yes | Yes | No | |
2005 | The King Maker | No | Yes | No | |
2015 | Dancin': It's On! | Yes | Yes | Yes | Final film |
Year | Film | Notes |
---|---|---|
1976 | Once Upon a Girl... | Erotic animated movie |
1987 | Killer Workout | |
Mankillers | ||
Deadly Prey | ||
1988 | Night Wars | |
Death Chase | ||
Phoenix the Warrior | ||
Operation Warzone | ||
Hell on the Battleground | ||
Dead End City | ||
1989 | Order of the Eagle | |
Jungle Assault | ||
Deadly Reactor | ||
Rapid Fire | ||
The Bounty Hunter | ||
White Fury | ||
Time Brust: The Final Alliance | ||
Born Killer | ||
Future Force | ||
Shooters | ||
1990 | Deadly Dancer | |
The Lost Platoon | ||
The Revenger | Uncredited | |
Future Zone | ||
Invasion Force | ||
The Final Sanction | ||
Lock 'n' Load | ||
1991 | Firehead | |
Raw Nerve | ||
The Last Ride | ||
Presumed Guilty | ||
Maximum Breakout | ||
Dark Rider | ||
Cop-Out | ||
1993 | Night Trap | |
2000 | Rhythm and Blues | |
2003 | Devil's Harvest |
Year | Film | Director | Producer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1966 | Lucy in London | No | Co-producer | TV movie |
1967-1968 | The Monkees | Yes | No | TV series;
Directed 2 episodes |
1968 | Where the Girls Are | Yes | No | TV movie |
The Ann-Margret Show | Yes | Yes | TV special | |
1969 | The Spring Thing | No | Yes | TV movie |
The Leslie Uggams Show | No | Yes | TV series | |
Ann-Margret: From Hollywood to Love | Yes | Yes | TV special | |
1970 | Raquel | Yes | Executive | |
The Darin Invasion | No | Executive | ||
The Sonny and Cher Nitty Gritty Hour | No | Yes | ||
The George Kirby Show | No | Executive | ||
1970-1971 | The Barbara McNair Show | No | Executive | TV series |
1971 | Once Upon a Wheel | Yes | Yes | TV documentary |
The 5th Dimension Traveling Sunshine Show | No | Executive | TV special | |
Story Theatre | No | Yes | TV series;
1 episode | |
1971-1973 | Rollin' on the River | No | Yes | TV series;
Also executive producer |
1972 | George | No | Executive | TV series;
1 episode |
The Special London Bridge Special | Yes | Yes | TV movie | |
Half the George Kirby Comedy | No | Associate | TV series | |
Timex All-Star Swing Festival | No | Executive | TV special | |
1973 | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Yes | Executive | TV movie |
Old Faithful | No | Yes | ||
Saga of Sonora | No | Yes | ||
1976 | The Lisa Hartman Show | No | Yes | TV special |
1984 | Steadfast Tin Soldier | Yes | No | TV movie |
Year | Film | Director | Producer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1982 | Yoga Moves | No | Yes | |
1984 | That Was Rock | Yes | No | Concert video compilation |
Love Skills: A Guide to the Pleasures of Sex | Yes | No | Erotic documentary | |
1985 | Girls of Rock & Roll | Yes | No | Video documentary |
1990 | Fatal Skies | No | Co-producer | Direct to DVD film |
That's Action | No | Executive | Video documentary |
David Winters (April 5, 1939 – April 23, 2019) was an English-American actor, dancer, choreographer, producer, film distributor, director and screenwriter. [1] Winters participated in over 150 television series, television specials, and motion pictures. His accolades include two Emmy Award nominations, a Peabody Award, a Christopher Award, and many more. At a young age, he was seen acting in film and television projects such as Lux Video Theatre, Naked City, Mister Peepers, Rock, Rock, Rock, and Roogie's Bump. [2] [3] He received some attention in Broadway musicals for his roles in West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959). [4] [5] In the film adaptation of West Side Story (1961) he was cast as A-rab. [6] It became the highest grossing motion picture of that year, and won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. [7] [8]
While Winters continued acting, he gained recognition for his dance choreography. He was frequently seen on television with his troupe David Winters Dancers in various variety shows most notably Hullabaloo (1965-1966) where he'd choreograph popularized several dances in the 1960s. [9] [10] He was a common collaborator of Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret including their hit film Viva Las Vegas (1964). [11] Other dance choreography credits include T.A.M.I. Show (1964), Send Me No Flowers (1964), Billie (1965), and A Star Is Born (1976). [12] [13] [14] [15] For the TV movie Movin' with Nancy (1967), his choreography was nominated in the category Special Classification of Individual Achievements at the Emmys. [16]
Winters eventually became a director and a producer starting with a streak of star-studded TV specials including Raquel! (1970) and Once Upon a Wheel (1971). [17] [18] [19] [20] His first theatrical release was the concert film Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare (1975) and his second the sport comedy Racquet (1979). [21] [22] He also directed The Last Horror Film (1982), starring Joe Spinell. [23] Another directorial effort was the teenage romance skateboarding film Thrashin' (1986), starring Josh Brolin. [24] In the mid 1980s, Winters opened his own production and distribution specializing in action films company, Action International Pictures. Up to the mid-2000s Winters continued producing films.
In his final years Winters continued acting most notably the television series Blackbeard (2006) and the film Teddy Bear (2012). [25] [26] He produced the historical epic The King Maker (2005). [27] He also produced, directed, and co-starred in Welcome 2 Ibiza (2003) and Dancin': It's On! (2015). [28] [29]
Year | Film | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1975 | Linda Lovelace for President | No | Yes | No | Erotic movie |
Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare | Yes | Yes | No | Concert movie | |
1977 | Young Lady Chatterly | No | Yes | No | |
1979 | Racquet | Yes | Yes | Story | Story uncredited |
1982 | The Last Horror Film | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
1985 | Mission Kill | Yes | Yes | Yes [a] | |
1986 | Thrashin' | Yes | No | No | |
1987 | Code Name Vengeance | Yes | Yes [a] | No | |
Rage to Kill | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
1988 | Space Mutiny | Yes [b] | Yes | Yes [a] | |
1994 | Raw Justice | No | Yes | No | Also executive producer |
1995 | Body Count | No | Yes | No | |
The Dangerous | Yes [a] | Yes | No | ||
1997 | Fight and Revenge | Yes | Yes | No | Lost film |
2003 | Welcome 2 Ibiza | Yes | Yes | No | |
2005 | The King Maker | No | Yes | No | |
2015 | Dancin': It's On! | Yes | Yes | Yes | Final film |
Year | Film | Notes |
---|---|---|
1976 | Once Upon a Girl... | Erotic animated movie |
1987 | Killer Workout | |
Mankillers | ||
Deadly Prey | ||
1988 | Night Wars | |
Death Chase | ||
Phoenix the Warrior | ||
Operation Warzone | ||
Hell on the Battleground | ||
Dead End City | ||
1989 | Order of the Eagle | |
Jungle Assault | ||
Deadly Reactor | ||
Rapid Fire | ||
The Bounty Hunter | ||
White Fury | ||
Time Brust: The Final Alliance | ||
Born Killer | ||
Future Force | ||
Shooters | ||
1990 | Deadly Dancer | |
The Lost Platoon | ||
The Revenger | Uncredited | |
Future Zone | ||
Invasion Force | ||
The Final Sanction | ||
Lock 'n' Load | ||
1991 | Firehead | |
Raw Nerve | ||
The Last Ride | ||
Presumed Guilty | ||
Maximum Breakout | ||
Dark Rider | ||
Cop-Out | ||
1993 | Night Trap | |
2000 | Rhythm and Blues | |
2003 | Devil's Harvest |
Year | Film | Director | Producer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1966 | Lucy in London | No | Co-producer | TV movie |
1967-1968 | The Monkees | Yes | No | TV series;
Directed 2 episodes |
1968 | Where the Girls Are | Yes | No | TV movie |
The Ann-Margret Show | Yes | Yes | TV special | |
1969 | The Spring Thing | No | Yes | TV movie |
The Leslie Uggams Show | No | Yes | TV series | |
Ann-Margret: From Hollywood to Love | Yes | Yes | TV special | |
1970 | Raquel | Yes | Executive | |
The Darin Invasion | No | Executive | ||
The Sonny and Cher Nitty Gritty Hour | No | Yes | ||
The George Kirby Show | No | Executive | ||
1970-1971 | The Barbara McNair Show | No | Executive | TV series |
1971 | Once Upon a Wheel | Yes | Yes | TV documentary |
The 5th Dimension Traveling Sunshine Show | No | Executive | TV special | |
Story Theatre | No | Yes | TV series;
1 episode | |
1971-1973 | Rollin' on the River | No | Yes | TV series;
Also executive producer |
1972 | George | No | Executive | TV series;
1 episode |
The Special London Bridge Special | Yes | Yes | TV movie | |
Half the George Kirby Comedy | No | Associate | TV series | |
Timex All-Star Swing Festival | No | Executive | TV special | |
1973 | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Yes | Executive | TV movie |
Old Faithful | No | Yes | ||
Saga of Sonora | No | Yes | ||
1976 | The Lisa Hartman Show | No | Yes | TV special |
1984 | Steadfast Tin Soldier | Yes | No | TV movie |
Year | Film | Director | Producer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1982 | Yoga Moves | No | Yes | |
1984 | That Was Rock | Yes | No | Concert video compilation |
Love Skills: A Guide to the Pleasures of Sex | Yes | No | Erotic documentary | |
1985 | Girls of Rock & Roll | Yes | No | Video documentary |
1990 | Fatal Skies | No | Co-producer | Direct to DVD film |
That's Action | No | Executive | Video documentary |