Biography for
Jonathan Winters (I) More at IMDb Pro »

Date of Birth

11 November 1925, Dayton, Ohio, USA

Birth Name

Jonathan Harshman Winters Jr.

Height

5' 10" (1.78 m)

Mini Biography

Jonathan was born in 1925. His father, also Jonathan, was a banker who became an alcoholic after being crushed in the Great Depression. His parents divorced in 1932. Jonathan and his mother then moved to Springfield to live with his grandmother. There his mother remarried and became a radio personality. Jonathan joined the Marines during his senior year of high school. Upon his discharge, he entered Kenyon College & later transferred to Dayton Art Institute. He met his wife, Eileen Schauder, in 1948 and married a month later. They remain married today. They have a son, Jay, who is a contractor, and a daughter, Lucinda, who is a talent scout for movies.

Jonathan got his start in show business by winning a talent contest. This led to a children's TV show in Dayton in 1950. He also then got a game show and a talk show. Denied a requested raise, he & his wife moved to New York with only $56 in their pocket. Two months later, he was getting night club bookings.

Jonathan suffered nervous breakdowns in 1959 and 1961. He made 10 comedy recordings for which he was nominated for the Grammy 10 times and won once.

IMDb Mini Biography By: John Sacksteder

Spouse

Eileen Schauder

(11 September 1948 - present) 2 children

Trivia

An accomplished abstract painter.

Served in the Marines during World War II.

Wrote a collection of short stories entitled "Winters Tales".

Was voluntarily institutionalized twice in his life (and even made light of it in his stand-up comic act).

Has painted a series of abstractionist artwork which was collected into a book titled "Hang Ups".

Considered by many to be one of the finest improvisational comics ever.

Very close friend of Robin Williams (the two paired up for the TV show "Mork & Mindy" (1978) with much of their material ad-libbed).

Mr. Winters made his semi-annual visit to the "Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show" for an autograph session and to meet his fans.

According to the book "Tomorrow I Die", Winters appeared in the short film "Screen Test of Mike Hammer" as a wino. This short film also featured Jack Stang and Bettye Ackerman. Stills are found in the aforementioned book.

Is of Native American ancestry.

He was awarded The Annual Kennedy Centre Mark Twain Prize.

Father of Jay Winters and Lucinda Winters.

Appeared in a series of television commercials for "Hefty Bags" in the 1970s.

In 2000, he won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, presented annually by the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

Personal Quotes

"If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it."

Salary

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)

$130,000

Where Are They Now

(November 2002) Does impromptu, funny, free comedy routines the first Sunday of each month during the Ventura County Antique Fair Grounds. In November/December 2002 in San Francisco on the set of the feature film Swing (2003/I), directed by Martin Guigui where he plays the character of Uncle Bill.

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