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David Winters (April 5, 1939 – April 23, 2019) was an English-American actor, dancer, choreographer, producer, film distributor, director and screenwriter. 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. He received some attention in Broadway musicals for his roles in West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959). In the film adaptation of West Side Story (1961) he was cast as A-rab. It became the highest grossing motion picture of that year, and won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

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. He was a common collaborator of Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret including their hit film Viva Las Vegas (1964). Other dance choreography credits include T.A.M.I. Show (1964), Send Me No Flowers (1964), Billie (1965), and A Star Is Born (1976). For the TV movie Movin' with Nancy (1967), his choreography was nominated in the category Special Classification of Individual Achievements at the Emmys.

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). His first theatrical release was the concert film Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare (1975) and his second the sport comedy Racquet (1979). He also directed The Last Horror Film (1982), starring Joe Spinell. Another directorial effort was the teenage romance skateboarding film Thrashin' (1986), starring Josh Brolin. 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). He produced the historical epic The King Maker (2005). He also produced, directed, and co-starred in Welcome 2 Ibiza (2003) and Dancin': It's On! (2015).

Stage

Actor

• On Your Toes (1954).
• Sandhog. (1954)
• Shinbone Alley (1957).
• West Side Story (1957).
• Gypsy (1959).
• One More River (1960).
• Billy Liar (1963).

Associate director

• Of Love Remembered (1967).

Director and choreographer

• Goosebumps (1980).

Selected filmography

Actor

• Studio One (1950, TV Series) - Tom Boyne (uncredited)
• The United States Steel Hour (1954, TV Series)
• Roogie's Bump (1954) - Andy
• Rock, Rock, Rock! (1956) - Melville
• Naked City (1958, TV Series) - Marty Nemo
• The Last Angry Man (1959) - Lee Roy (uncredited)
• West Side Story (1961) - A-rab (Jets)
• The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor (1961, TV Series) - Billy Joe Temple
• Take Her, She's Mine (1963) - Lester (uncredited)
• Captain Newman, M.D. (1963) - Patient (uncredited)
• The New Interns (1964) - Hood
• Burke's Law (1965, TV Series) - Special Agent James Martin (uncredited)
• The Crazy-Quilt (1966)
• Love on a Rooftop (1967, TV Series) - Augie
• The Last Horror Film (1982) - Stanley Kline
• Welcome 2 Ibiza (2003) - Uncle Sam
• Blackbeard (2006, TV Mini-Series) - Silas Bridges
• Hanuman klook foon (2008) - Stephan
• Teddy Bear (2012) - Scott
• Dragonwolf (2013) - Brutus
• Dancin': It's On! (2015) - Hal Sanders (final film role)

Choreographer

• Viva Las Vegas (1964)
• T.A.M.I. Show (1964)
• Send Me No Flowers (1964)
• Pajama Party (1964)
• Shindig! (1964)
• Girl Happy (Uncredited, 1965)
• Tickle Me (1965)
• Billie (1965)
• Bus Riley's Back in Town (1965)
• Kitten with a Whip (1965)
• Hullabaloo (1965)
• Made in Paris (1966)
• Lucy in London (1966)
• MJ's (1966)
• The Swinger (1966)
• Go (1967)
• Movin' with Nancy (1967)
• Monte Carlo: C'est La Rose (1968)
• Ann-Margret: From Hollywood with Love (1969)
• The Spring Thing (1969)
• The Special London Bridge Special (1972)
• A Star Is Born (1976)
• Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
• Roller Boogie (1979)
• Dancin': It's On! (2015)

Director/Producer/Writer

Film

Executive producer only

Television

Video

Notes

1. ^ Credited as Maria Danté
2. Upon the first shooting day, it was announced to director David Winters that his father passed. Being emotionally troubled and with the funerals to attend, Winters was unable to perform his duties and passed it on to his assistant director Neal Sundstorm. However, he was informed that the investors had agreed to the film only if Winters was its director, and could face litigation, hence his credit.

References

1. Sandomir, Richard (2019-05-03). "David Winters, Energetic Dancer Turned Choreographer, Dies at 80 (Published 2019)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
2. "Flatbush Boy, Gaining Fame On TV, Is Still A Kid A Home". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 62: 6. March 4, 1954.
3. "Roogie's Bump | TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
4. "Sondheim.com – Putting it together since 1994". www.sondheim.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
5. "Sondheim.com – Putting it together since 1994". www.sondheim.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
6. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
7. Pirie, David (1981). Anatomy of the Movies. Macmillan Publishing Co. p. 254. ISBN 0-02-597540-4.
8. Grant, Barry Keith (2012). The Hollywood Film Musical. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 100. ISBN 9781405182539.
9. Crosby, Joan (April 11, 1965). "The 'Watusi' Has A Choreographer?". Santa Cruz Sentinel.
10. Smith, Gary (July 21, 1965). "All The Hullaballoo To Return". The Salina Journal.
11. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
12. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
13. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
14. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
15. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
16. "Movin' With Nancy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
17. "Award-winning Producer Burt Rosen Dies". Television Academy. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
18. "TEC, TV Packager Enter Tie". Billboard. April 26, 1969.
19. Brown, Les (1971). ""Raquel!"". Television: The Business Behind the Box. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. p. 187, 188. ISBN 978-0-15-688440-2.
20. Ingle, Zachary; Sutera, David M. (2013). Identity and Myth in Sports Documentaries: Critical Essays. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-8108-8789-3.
21. "Welcome To My Nightmare: Review". TVGuide.com. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
22. "Racquet | TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
23. "Last Horror Film, The (1984) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
24. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
25. Marill, Alvin H. (October 11, 2010). Movies Made for Television: 2005–2009. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7659-0.
26. Dargis, Manohla (August 21, 2012). "'Teddy Bear,' With the Danish Bodybuilder Kim Kold". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
27. "The King Maker (2005)". BFI. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
28. "Welcome 2 Ibiza (2002) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
29. SIMMONS, TONY. "At long last, 'Dancin' to shine on local screens". Panama City News Herald. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
30. "On Your Toes Broadway @ 46th Street Theatre – Tickets and Discounts". Playbill. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
31. "Sandhog Broadway @ Phoenix Theatre – Tickets and Discounts". Playbill. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
32. "Shinbone Alley Broadway @ Broadway Theatre – Tickets and Discounts". Playbill. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
33. "Sondheim.com – Putting it together since 1994". www.sondheim.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
34. "Sondheim.com – Putting it together since 1994". www.sondheim.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
35. "One More River Broadway @ Ambassador Theatre – Tickets and Discounts". Playbill. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
36. "Tickets on sale for 'Liar'". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. January 23, 1963. pp. C-3.
37. "Of Love Remembered Broadway @ ANTA Theatre – Tickets and Discounts". Playbill. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
38. "TGIF The Great Index to Fun". The San Francisco Examiner. June 25, 1980.
39. "Future action film hero to star in an indie movie". New Sunday Times. The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd. May 20, 1996. Retrieved August 25, 2024.

External links

• David Winters on screen and stage at IMDb 

• Director filmographies
• Male actor filmographies