Deborah Winters
Encyclopedia
Deborah Winters is an American actress and businesswoman. Winters is probably most remembered for her roles in Kotch
, The People Next Door
, Class of '44
, and The Winds of War.
, the daughter of Ralph Winters, head of television casting for Universal Studios
for 28 years and actress Penny Edwards
. She began her film and television career at age five after moving to New York where she attended the Professional Children's School
. She later commenced professional training at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting
, New York
. She returned to Los Angeles
in 1968, where she studied acting under Lee Strasberg
at the Lee Strasberg Institute. Winters continued working, appearing in commercials for Kinney Shoes, Gulf Oil
, Lincoln-Mercury
, Quaker Oats and others. In 1966, she received her first major screen role in the Fred Coe
comedy-drama, Me, Natalie
.
, opposite Patty Duke
, James Farentino
and Martin Balsam
. She followed shortly afterwards with a second co-starring role opposite Michael Douglas
in his first film, the 1969 Hail, Hero!
, directed by David Miller
. This was followed by a starring role in the CBS Playhouse production of The People Next Door which led to the motion picture remake the following year.
The People Next Door (1970 film)
received positive reviews. Roger Ebert
said in his Chicago Sun-Times
review, "Deborah Winters, is disturbing at first because you think she's too mannered. Gradually the mannerisms become indispensable to the characterization."
Jack Lemmon
cast Winters as the female lead opposite Walter Matthau
in his sole directorial debut, Kotch
in 1971. Time
wrote of Winters in its October 11, 1972 review, “Winters is one of the few young actresses with comic timing.” Winters continued acting with starring roles in film and episodic television including the Lottery
(TV series), Days of Our Lives
and Matt Houston
.
Winters had one of the starring roles in the 1983 television mini-seriesThe Winds of War.
In 1986, she was cast as the female lead in The Lamp)
followed by The Outing
in which she played three separate roles. The Outing initially opened to weak reviews but has since achieved a substantial cult following as had an earlier starring role in Blue Sunshine
.
In 1994, Winters appeared in Little Girl Lost
with Tess Harper
. She followed with a starring role in Intercontinental Releasing Corporation
’s Behind the Mask
.
Winters was given the female lead opposite actors Hugh O'Brian
, Dick Van Patten
, Richard Roundtree
, and Richard Anderson
in the 1999 documentary television series, Y2K – World in Crisis
and in the follow-up series, The Road Ahead.
After competing work in the two documentary television series, Winters decided to leave the film industry once more, permitting her to remain close at home. However, when her son reached high school age, Deborah decided to return to work. Only this time, it was not to be in film or television. It was real estate.
, Clear Lake/Nasa in September 2000.
Winters maintains membership in numerous professional associations including the Screen Actors Guild
, National Association of Realtors
, Texas Association of Realtors, Houston Association of Realtors and Kiwanis International.
Kotch
Kotch is a 1971 American comedy film which tells the story of an elderly man who runs away so as not to be put into a nursing home, and strikes up a friendship with a pregnant teenage girl. It stars Walter Matthau, Deborah Winters, Felicia Farr, Charles Aidman and Ellen Geer.The film was adapted...
, The People Next Door
The People Next Door
The People Next Door is an American situation comedy which aired briefly on CBS as part of its Fall 1989 schedule.-Synopsis:Set in Covington, Ohio, The People Next Door stars Jeffrey Jones, previously regarded as a character actor, as cartoonist Walter Kellogg, a man whose imagination was so vivid...
, Class of '44
Class of '44
Class Of '44 is the 1973 sequel to Summer of '42.The film is a slice-of-life style autobiography of sorts, depicting Herman Raucher's first year in college, where he falls in love with Julie under the shadow of the growing threat of WW II...
, and The Winds of War.
Early life
Deborah Winters was born on November 27, 1953 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, the daughter of Ralph Winters, head of television casting for Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
for 28 years and actress Penny Edwards
Penny Edwards
Penny Edwards is a Welsh cyclist. She represented Wales in the MTB and Road Race at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. She is also a solicitor who has worked in Cardiff, New Zealand and London. Edwards competed with the Women’s GB Cycling Squad in World Cup Races in Spain, Italy, France and...
. She began her film and television career at age five after moving to New York where she attended the Professional Children's School
Professional Children's School
Professional Children's School is a not for profit, college preparatory school that was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an education to young people working on the New York stage, in Vaudeville, or "on the road."-History:...
. She later commenced professional training at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting
Stella Adler Studio of Acting
Stella Adler Studio of Acting is an acting school in New York founded by the actress and teacher Stella Adler -History:...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She returned to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1968, where she studied acting under Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective"...
at the Lee Strasberg Institute. Winters continued working, appearing in commercials for Kinney Shoes, Gulf Oil
Gulf Oil
Gulf Oil was a major global oil company from the 1900s to the 1980s. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies...
, Lincoln-Mercury
Lincoln-Mercury
Lincoln–Mercury was a collective name for the Lincoln and Mercury divisions of the Ford Motor Company, whose vehicles were typically sold side-by-side in a single dealership....
, Quaker Oats and others. In 1966, she received her first major screen role in the Fred Coe
Fred Coe
Fred Coe , nicknamed Pappy, was a television producer and director most famous for The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse in 1948-1955 and Playhouse 90 from 1957 to 1959...
comedy-drama, Me, Natalie
Me, Natalie
Me, Natalie is a 1969 American comedy-drama film directed by Fred Coe. The screenplay by A. Martin Zweiback is based on an original story by Academy Award-winner Stanley Shapiro, who previously wrote Pillow Talk, Lover Come Back, and That Touch of Mink for Doris Day...
.
Film and television career
Deborah Winters was first cast in the 1968 motion picture Me, NatalieMe, Natalie
Me, Natalie is a 1969 American comedy-drama film directed by Fred Coe. The screenplay by A. Martin Zweiback is based on an original story by Academy Award-winner Stanley Shapiro, who previously wrote Pillow Talk, Lover Come Back, and That Touch of Mink for Doris Day...
, opposite Patty Duke
Patty Duke
Anna Marie "Patty" Duke is an American actress of stage, film, and television. First becoming famous as a child star, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 16, and later starring in her eponymous sitcom for three years, she progressed to more mature roles upon playing Neely...
, James Farentino
James Farentino
James Farentino is an American actor. He has appeared in almost one hundred roles, among them in The Final Countdown, Jesus of Nazareth, and Dynasty.-Career:...
and Martin Balsam
Martin Balsam
Martin Henry Balsam was an American actor. He is known for his Oscar-winning role as "Arnold Burns" in A Thousand Clowns and his role as "Detective Milton Arbogast" in Psycho.- Early life :...
. She followed shortly afterwards with a second co-starring role opposite Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
in his first film, the 1969 Hail, Hero!
Hail, Hero!
Hail, Hero! is a 1969 film directed by David Miller, starring Michael Douglas, Deborah Winters and Peter Strauss, David Manber wrote the screenplay based on the novel by John Weston. The picture was produced by Harold D. Cohen...
, directed by David Miller
David Miller (director)
David Miller was an American movie director who directed such varied films as Billy the Kid with Robert Taylor and Brian Donlevy, Flying Tigers with John Wayne, and Love Happy with the Marx Brothers.-Filmography:* Bittersweet Love * Executive Action * Hail, Hero! * Hammerhead...
. This was followed by a starring role in the CBS Playhouse production of The People Next Door which led to the motion picture remake the following year.
The People Next Door (1970 film)
The People Next Door (1970 film)
The People Next Door is a 1970 film directed by David Greene. It stars Eli Wallach and Julie Harris.-Cast:*Eli Wallach as Arthur Mason*Julie Harris as Gerrie Mason*Deborah Winters as Maxie Mason*Stephen McHattie as Artie Mason...
received positive reviews. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
said in his Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
review, "Deborah Winters, is disturbing at first because you think she's too mannered. Gradually the mannerisms become indispensable to the characterization."
Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
cast Winters as the female lead opposite Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
in his sole directorial debut, Kotch
Kotch
Kotch is a 1971 American comedy film which tells the story of an elderly man who runs away so as not to be put into a nursing home, and strikes up a friendship with a pregnant teenage girl. It stars Walter Matthau, Deborah Winters, Felicia Farr, Charles Aidman and Ellen Geer.The film was adapted...
in 1971. Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
wrote of Winters in its October 11, 1972 review, “Winters is one of the few young actresses with comic timing.” Winters continued acting with starring roles in film and episodic television including the Lottery
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
(TV series), Days of Our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
and Matt Houston
Matt Houston
Matt Houston is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1982 to 1985. Created by Lawrence Gordon, the series was produced by Aaron Spelling.-Synopsis:...
.
Winters had one of the starring roles in the 1983 television mini-seriesThe Winds of War.
In 1986, she was cast as the female lead in The Lamp)
The Lamp (film)
The Lamp is a 1986 horror parody film written and produced by Warren Chaney and directed by Tom Daley. It stars Deborah Winters, James Huston, Andra St. Ivani and Scott Bankston. The film was produced by HIT Films and released by Skouras Films. The original movie from Skouras ran 104 minutes but...
followed by The Outing
The Outing (film)
The Outing is a 1987 horror film that is an edited and shortend version of the original motion picture, titled The Lamp . The picture was written and produced by Warren Chaney, directed by Tom Daley, and stars Deborah Winters and James Huston...
in which she played three separate roles. The Outing initially opened to weak reviews but has since achieved a substantial cult following as had an earlier starring role in Blue Sunshine
Blue Sunshine
Blue Sunshine is the only album by the British supergroup The Glove, which was first released in 1983. This album mainly served as a diversion for Robert Smith and Steven Severin when both of them were under heavy stress in their respective bands The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees...
.
In 1994, Winters appeared in Little Girl Lost
Little Girl Lost (TV movie)
Little Girl Lost is a two hour U.S. Television movie starring Tess Harper and Frederic Forrest. It tells the true story of a six-year-old girl who is removed from the loving care of her foster parents and returned to her abusive biological father. Her foster parents endure a long struggle to...
with Tess Harper
Tess Harper
Tess Harper is an American actress.-Early life:Born Tessie Jean Washam on August 15, 1950 in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. Her parents' names are Ed and Rosemary Washam. She grew up around lots of quilts and quilt makers. On her own time, she liked to sit on the porch-swing and read...
. She followed with a starring role in Intercontinental Releasing Corporation
Intercontinental Releasing Corporation
The Intercontinental Releasing Corporation , was an American media company, primarily involved in the production and distribution of films and television programs. IRC was founded in September 1974 as the larger film studios' grip on domestic and international distribution diminished...
’s Behind the Mask
Behind the Mask (1992 film)
Behind the Mask is a Sandpiper Productions 1992 film, released by Intercontinental Releasing Corporation in 1992 and by Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer in 1998. The production utilized a new emerging 3-D film technology for television at the time of its filming. The film was written and directed by Warren...
.
Winters was given the female lead opposite actors Hugh O'Brian
Hugh O'Brian
Hugh O'Brian is an American actor, known for his starring role in the ABC television series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp .-Early years and career:...
, Dick Van Patten
Dick Van Patten
Richard Vincent "Dick" Van Patten is an American actor, best known for his role as patriarch Tom Bradford on the television sitcom Eight is Enough. He began work as a child actor and was successful on the [New York] stage, appearing in more than a dozen plays as a teenager...
, Richard Roundtree
Richard Roundtree
Richard Roundtree is an American actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film Shaft and in its two sequels, Shaft's Big Score and Shaft in Africa .-Personal life:Born in New Rochelle, New York, Richard Roundtree graduated from...
, and Richard Anderson
Richard Anderson
Richard Norman Anderson is an American actor in film and television, known to TV audiences as Steve Austin's and Jaime Sommers' boss, Oscar Goldman, in both The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman TV series and their three subsequent TV movies: The Return of the Six-Million-Dollar Man...
in the 1999 documentary television series, Y2K – World in Crisis
Y2K – World in Crisis
Y2K – A World in Crisis is a 1999 documentary television series produced by Studio W and Warren Chaney Productions for network and cable broadcast. The series was written and directed by Warren Chaney and starred Hugh O'Brian, Dick Van Patten, Richard Anderson, Richard Roundtree and Deborah...
and in the follow-up series, The Road Ahead.
After competing work in the two documentary television series, Winters decided to leave the film industry once more, permitting her to remain close at home. However, when her son reached high school age, Deborah decided to return to work. Only this time, it was not to be in film or television. It was real estate.
Real estate and business life
Throughout her life, Winters was a businesswoman. She was a co-owner of a restaurant in Malibu, California and frequently worked behind the cameras and in business departments for film and television productions. Winters studied for the Texas State Realtor's exam in 1999 and received her license the following year. She joined Keller Williams RealtyKeller Williams Realty
Keller Williams Realty is a real estate franchise organization in the United States and Canada. It has its headquarters in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1983 by Gary Keller and Joe Williams....
, Clear Lake/Nasa in September 2000.
Personal life
Deborah Winters grew up in New York and Los Angeles, the daughter of a film and television family. She later relocated to Houston, Texas where she continued her film and television career while starting a new one in real estate. Throughout her career, Winters frequently alternated between her careers and that of raising a family.Winters maintains membership in numerous professional associations including the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
, National Association of Realtors
National Association of Realtors
The National Association of Realtors , whose members are known as Realtors, is North America's largest trade association. representing over 1.2 million members , including NAR's institutes, societies, and councils, involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries...
, Texas Association of Realtors, Houston Association of Realtors and Kiwanis International.
Filmography
- Me, NatalieMe, NatalieMe, Natalie is a 1969 American comedy-drama film directed by Fred Coe. The screenplay by A. Martin Zweiback is based on an original story by Academy Award-winner Stanley Shapiro, who previously wrote Pillow Talk, Lover Come Back, and That Touch of Mink for Doris Day...
(1966) - Hail, Hero!Hail, Hero!Hail, Hero! is a 1969 film directed by David Miller, starring Michael Douglas, Deborah Winters and Peter Strauss, David Manber wrote the screenplay based on the novel by John Weston. The picture was produced by Harold D. Cohen...
(1969) - The People Next Door (1970 film)The People Next Door (1970 film)The People Next Door is a 1970 film directed by David Greene. It stars Eli Wallach and Julie Harris.-Cast:*Eli Wallach as Arthur Mason*Julie Harris as Gerrie Mason*Deborah Winters as Maxie Mason*Stephen McHattie as Artie Mason...
- Cilali Ibo Teksas fatihi (1971)
- KotchKotchKotch is a 1971 American comedy film which tells the story of an elderly man who runs away so as not to be put into a nursing home, and strikes up a friendship with a pregnant teenage girl. It stars Walter Matthau, Deborah Winters, Felicia Farr, Charles Aidman and Ellen Geer.The film was adapted...
(1971) - Class of '44Class of '44Class Of '44 is the 1973 sequel to Summer of '42.The film is a slice-of-life style autobiography of sorts, depicting Herman Raucher's first year in college, where he falls in love with Julie under the shadow of the growing threat of WW II...
(1973) - Six Characters in Search of an AuthorSix Characters in Search of an AuthorSix Characters in Search of an Author is a play by the Italian writer Luigi Pirandello.The play is a satirical tragicomedy. It was first performed in 1921 at the Teatro Valle in Rome, to a very mixed reception, with shouts from the audience of "Manicomio!" .Subsequently the play enjoyed a much...
(1976) - Tarantulas: The Deadly CargoTarantulas: The Deadly CargoTarantulas: The Deadly Cargo is a 1977 television horror film directed by Stuart Hagmann. The production stars Claude Akins, Charles Frank and Deborah Winters. Matthew Laborteaux and Pat Hingle costar...
(1977) - Blue Sunshine (film)Blue Sunshine (film)Blue Sunshine is a 1978 horror film directed and written by Jeff Lieberman and starring Zalman King and Deborah Winters. The film has become a cult item among horror fans, remembered mainly for its creatively weird atmosphere and offbeat plot...
(1978) - Crisis in Sun Valley (1978)
- The Winds of War (TV miniseries) (1983)
- The Lamp (film)The Lamp (film)The Lamp is a 1986 horror parody film written and produced by Warren Chaney and directed by Tom Daley. It stars Deborah Winters, James Huston, Andra St. Ivani and Scott Bankston. The film was produced by HIT Films and released by Skouras Films. The original movie from Skouras ran 104 minutes but...
(1986) - The Outing (film)The Outing (film)The Outing is a 1987 horror film that is an edited and shortend version of the original motion picture, titled The Lamp . The picture was written and produced by Warren Chaney, directed by Tom Daley, and stars Deborah Winters and James Huston...
(1987) - Fatal Mission (1990)
- Behind the Mask (1992)
- Little Girl LostLittle Girl Lost (TV movie)Little Girl Lost is a two hour U.S. Television movie starring Tess Harper and Frederic Forrest. It tells the true story of a six-year-old girl who is removed from the loving care of her foster parents and returned to her abusive biological father. Her foster parents endure a long struggle to...
(1994) - America: A Call to GreatnessAmerica: A Call to GreatnessAmerica: A Call to Greatness is a 1995 docudrama feature from Paige-Brace Cinema, chronicling United States history from its inception through the 20th century. It stars Charlton Heston, Mickey Rooney, Deborah Winters, Peter Graves, Jane Russell, and Rita Moreno among others and was written,...
(1994)
Television
(Lead or starring roles only)- Insight (TV series)Insight (TV series)Insight was an Emmy-winning syndicated television series produced by Paulist Productions that aired 250 episodes from 1960 to 1983. The series presented half-hour dramas illuminating the contemporary search for meaning, freedom, and love...
(1969–1973) - Medical Center (TV series)Medical Center (TV series)Medical Center is a medical drama series which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1976.-Synopsis:The show starred James Daly as Dr. Paul Lochner and Chad Everett as Dr. Joe Gannon, surgeons working in an otherwise unnamed university hospital in Los Angeles. The show focused both on the lives of the doctors...
(1974) - Gemini Man (TV series) (1976)
- Lottery! (TV series) (1983)
- Matt Houston (TV series)The Nightmare ManThe Nightmare Man is a science fiction and horror television serial, produced by the BBC in 1981.An adaptation of the novel Child of Vodyanoi by David Wiltshire, The Nightmare Man is set on a small Scottish island with the population gripped by fear following a series of savage murders and the...
(1985) - Y2K – World in CrisisY2K – World in CrisisY2K – A World in Crisis is a 1999 documentary television series produced by Studio W and Warren Chaney Productions for network and cable broadcast. The series was written and directed by Warren Chaney and starred Hugh O'Brian, Dick Van Patten, Richard Anderson, Richard Roundtree and Deborah...
(TV series) (1999–2000) - The Road Ahead (TV Series) (1999–2000)
Theatre
- The Country Girl (role of Georgie)
- Close Ties (role of Anna)
- The Devil Passes (role of Mariam)
- It's a Wonderful Wife (role of Attorney Briggs)
See also
- Intercontinental Releasing CorporationIntercontinental Releasing CorporationThe Intercontinental Releasing Corporation , was an American media company, primarily involved in the production and distribution of films and television programs. IRC was founded in September 1974 as the larger film studios' grip on domestic and international distribution diminished...
- Penny Edwards
- David Greene (director)David Greene (director)L. David Syms-Greene , born Lucius David Syms Brian Lederman, was a British television director from Manchester, England, who emigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1953, where he trained in television production with the CBC, and then moved on to Hollywood, California.Greene's career began as a stage...
External links
- Deborah Winters Home Page
- Deborah Winters at Internet Movie Database
- Turner Classic MoviesTurner Classic MoviesTurner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
Database (Deborah Winters) http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/208041|37343/Deborah-Winters/filmography.html - Deborah Winters at Linkedin