Jonathan Winters

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Lore & Background

Winters was born in Dayton, Ohio, to Alice Kilgore Rodgers and Jonathan Harshman Winters II, an insurance agent who later became an investment broker. He was a descendant of Valentine Winters, founder of the Winters National Bank in Dayton, Ohio. When he was seven, his parents separated. Winters' mother took him to Springfield, Ohio, to live with his maternal grandmother. 'Mother and dad didn't understand me; I didn't understand them,' Winters told Jim Lehrer on *The News Hour with Jim Lehrer* in 1999. 'So consequently it was a strange kind of arrangement.' Alone in his room, he created characters and interviewed himself. During his senior year at Springfield High School, Winters quit school, joined the U.S. Marine Corps at the age of seventeen and served 2½ years in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Upon his return, he attended Kenyon College. He later studied cartooning at Dayton Art Institute, where he met Eileen Schauder, whom he married on September 11, 1948. Winters's career started from a lost wristwatch about six or seven months after his marriage to Eileen in 1948. The newlyweds couldn't afford to buy another one; then Eileen read about a talent contest in which the first prize was a wristwatch and encouraged Jonathan to 'go down and win it.' She was certain he could, and he did. His performance led to a disc jockey job. After promising his wife that he would return to Dayton if he did not make it in a year, and with $56.46 in his pocket, he moved to New York City. His big break occurred when he worked for Alistair Cooke on the CBS Television Sunday morning show *Omnibus*. Winters made television history in 1956 when RCA broadcast the first public demonstration of color videotape on *The Jonathan Winters Show*. Author David Hajdu wrote in *The New York Times* (2006), 'He soon used video technology 'to appear as two characters,' bantering back and forth, seemingly in the studio at the same time. You could say he invented the video stunt.'

Beginning in 1960, Winters recorded many classic comedy albums for the Verve Records label including *The Wonderful World of Jonathan Winters* (1960). He also had records released every decade for over 50 years, receiving 11 Grammy nominations, including eight for Best Comedy Album. From these nominations, he won the Grammy Award for Best Album for Children for his contribution to an adaptation of *The Little Prince* in 1975, and the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Comedy Album for *Crank(y) Calls* in 1996. For his role as 'Lennie Pike' in the 1963 comedy film *It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World*, he received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. In 1991, Winters won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for playing Gunny Davis in the short-lived sitcom *Davis Rules*. In 2002, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance as Q.T. Marlens on *Life with Bonnie*. In 2008, Winters was presented with a Pioneer TV Land Award by Robin Williams. He also voiced Grandpa Smurf on *The Smurfs*. Over twenty years later, Winters was introduced to a new generation through voicing Papa Smurf in *The Smurfs* (2011) and *The Smurfs 2* (2013). Winters died nine days after recording his dialogue for *The Smurfs 2*. The film was dedicated to his memory. Winters also spent time painting and presenting his artwork, including silkscreens and sketches, in many gallery shows. He wrote several books including his book of short stories entitled *Winters' Tales* (1988).

Reader's Guide

Jonathan Winters is significant for his pioneering work in improvisational comedy and character creation, influencing generations of comedians. His career, spanning more than six decades, included stand-up, television, film, voice acting, and writing. He received 11 Grammy nominations, winning two: Best Album for Children for an adaptation of *The Little Prince* (1975) and Best Spoken Comedy Album for *Crank(y) Calls* (1996). He won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for *Davis Rules* (1991) and was nominated for another for *Life with Bonnie* (2002). His role in the 1963 comedy film *It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World* earned him a Golden Globe nomination. In 1999, he received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. His use of video technology to appear as two characters simultaneously is noted as an early video stunt. Winters' legacy includes a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1960) and a Pioneer TV Land Award presented by Robin Williams (2008). His work introduced him to new generations through voice roles in *The Smurfs* franchise.

Did You Know?

• Winters' career started when he won a talent contest for a lost wristwatch about six or seven months after his marriage in 1948.
• He made television history in 1956 when RCA broadcast the first public demonstration of color videotape on *The Jonathan Winters Show*.
• He served 2½ years in the Pacific Theater during World War II after joining the U.S. Marine Corps at age seventeen.
• Winters died nine days after recording his dialogue for *The Smurfs 2* (2013), and the film was dedicated to his memory.
• He received 11 Grammy nominations, including eight for Best Comedy Album, over his career.