David Winters

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David Winters (* April 5, 1939 in London as David Weizer ; † April 23, 2019 in Fort Lauderdale , Florida ) was a British - American director , film producer , screenwriter , choreographer , actor and dancer .

life and career

David Winters was born into a Jewish family in London who moved to the United States in 1953. Since 1956 he was an American citizen. He was married to actress J'Len Winters, their son Alexander is an actor and model. Winters also had a relationship with Linda Lovelace . After residing in Thailand for over a decade , he moved to Fort Lauderdale from 2013 .

Even in his childhood and youth, Winters regularly took on roles in film, television and theater. He earned the money for dance lessons by shining shoes. Winters, a talented dancer, played on Broadway in the late 1950s in the world premieres of the successful musicals West Side Story and Gypsy . While he had played the role of "Baby John" on stage in West Side Story , he played another member of the Jets in the 1961 film adaptation of the same name, "A-Rab". In the following years he played supporting roles in a number of films and television series, before he concentrated on working behind the camera from the mid-1960s. Occasionally he was still active as an actor, for example in 2012 in the Danish independent film 10 Timer til Paradis , which won an award at the Sundance Film Festival .

Winters had been working as a choreographer in Hollywood films since the mid-1960s. The breakthrough here brought him Great Nights in Las Vegas with Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret , who is considered one of the best Elvis films. In the following time he was responsible for the dance numbers for other films by Presley and Ann-Margret. In addition to these two stars, he worked as a choreographer with other prominent names such as Diana Ross , Barbra Streisand (in the film A Star Is Born ), Nancy Sinatra , Raquel Welch and Alice Cooper . In 1968 and 1970 he was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work as a choreographer .

In 1966 he first worked as a producer on the television film Lucy in London with star comedian Lucille Ball in the title role. In the late 1960s, he was the director of two episodes of the television series The Monkees . In the 1970s he made several television specials and concert films , for example Alice Cooper in 1975 : Welcome to My Nightmare . Winters has worked as a director, screenwriter and producer on many B-movies . The horror comedy The Last Horror Film was secretly shot during the Cannes Film Festival and was quite successful in 1982. In 1986 Winters directed Trashin '- War of the Kids, one of the first skater films - the leading actor was Josh Brolin , who was at the beginning of his career , and the still largely unknown Red Hot Chili Peppers also appeared in the film. On the other hand, his science fiction film Space Mutiny , which is only known today because of its involuntary comedy , came to a flop .

From 1987 to the mid-1990s, Winters owned his own film studio Action International Pictures , later renamed West Side Studios , with which he produced several dozen B-films. During his stay in Thailand he produced The King Maker (2005), one of the most commercially successful Thai films of all time. His last project was the dance film Dancin ': It's On! where he was director, producer, screenwriter and supporting actor. In 2018 he published his autobiography Tough Guys Do Dance . He died in Florida in April 2019, a few weeks after his 80th birthday.

Filmography (selection)

As an actor

As a choreographer

As a director

  • 1968/1969: The Monkees (TV series, 2 episodes)
  • 1973: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (TV movie)
  • 1975: Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare
  • 1979: Raquet - Serve into happiness (Racquet)
  • 1982: Love to Kill (The Last Horror Film)
  • 1986: Mission Cobra
  • 1988: Guerrilla Force
  • 1986: Trashin 'Kids' War (Thrashin')
  • 1988: Space Mutiny
  • 2015: Dancin ': It's On!

Producer only

  • 1966: Lucy in London (TV movie)
  • 1987: Deadly Prey
  • 1987: Aerobicide
  • 1988: Space Mutiny
  • 1988: Phönix - The Warrior (Phoenix the Warrior)
  • 1989: Future Force
  • 1992: Crown witness in the crossfire (Armed for Action)
  • 1992: Double Threat - Deadly Desire (Double Threat)
  • 1994: Good Cop, Bad Cop (Raw Justice)
  • 2005: The King Maker

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ David Winters Biography (1939-). Retrieved January 23, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Alexander Winters (IMDb). Retrieved January 23, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Choreographer David Winters Opens Up About His New Film And His Love Of Fort Lauderdale. Retrieved January 23, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Choreographer David Winters Opens Up About His New Film And His Love Of Fort Lauderdale. Retrieved January 23, 2018 .
  5. ^ The Broadway League: David Winters - Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB. Retrieved January 23, 2018 .
  6. ^ Action International Pictures - CLG Wiki. Retrieved January 23, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Michael Rechtsshaffen: 'Dancin' It's On 'stumbles on drama scenes. Retrieved January 23, 2018 .
  8. ↑ bravewords.com: ALICE COOPER Pays Tribute To "Welcome To My Nightmare" Concert Film Director DAVID WINTERS - "I Could Not Have Found A More Kindred Spirit". Retrieved April 26, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Winters, David
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Weizer, David (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British-American director, film producer, screenwriter, choreographer, actor and dancer
DATE OF BIRTH April 5, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH April 23, 2019
Place of death Fort Lauderdale , Florida