Edward Dean Winter (June 3, 1937 – March 8, 2001) was an American actor. He is best known for his recurring role, Colonel Samuel Flagg, in the television series ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. T ...

'' from 1973 to 1979. His other notable television roles were as U.S. Air Force investigator Capt. Ben Ryan in season 2 of '' Project U.F.O.'' (1978–1979); and in '' Hollywood Beat'' (1985), ''

9 to 5 Working(laboring) time is the period of time that a person spends at paid labor. Unpaid labor such as personal housework or caring for children or pets is not considered part of the working week. Many countries regulate the work week by law, s ...

'' (1986–1988), and ''

Herman's Head ''Herman's Head'' is an American sitcom that aired on the Fox network from September 8, 1991, until April 21, 1994. The series was created by Andy Guerdat and Steve Kreinberg, and produced by Witt/Thomas Productions in association with Touch ...

'' (1991–1994). Winter received two Tony Awards for Best Featured Actor in a Musical nominations for his performances in the original productions of ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dinin ...

'' (1966) and '' Promises, Promises'' (1968). He also appeared in films such as ''

A Change of Seasons ''A Change of Seasons'' is an EP by progressive metal band Dream Theater, first released on September 19, 1995, through East West Records. It comprises the 23-minute title track and a collection of live cover songs performed at a fan club con ...

'' (1980), '' Porky's II: The Next Day'' (1983) and ''

The Buddy System The buddy system is a procedure in which two individuals, the "buddies", operate together as a single unit so that they are able to monitor and help each other. As per Merriam-Webster, the first known use of the phrase "buddy system" goes as far ...

'' (1984).

Early career

Winter was born in

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura ( Spanish for " Saint Bonaventure"), is a city on the Southern Coast of California and the county seat of Ventura County. The population was 110,763 at the 2020 census. Ventura is a popular tourist ...

and began his acting career in

Ashland, Oregon Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population was 21,360 at the 2020 ...

as a member of the cast of the

Oregon Shakespeare Festival The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is a regional repertory theatre in Ashland, Oregon, United States, founded in 1935 by Angus L. Bowmer. The Festival now offers matinee and evening performances of a wide range of classic and contemporary pla ...

. During the 1961 season, he played Claudius in ''Hamlet'' and stayed for an extended repertory season where he appeared in ''The Boyfriend'' and ''Rashomon''. He went on to early successes on Broadway. Winter was twice nominated for

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Musical). The first was in 1967, as Ernst Ludwig in ''

'', then in 1969 as J.D. Sheldrake in '' Promises, Promises''. He moved on to television, appearing on the daytime serials '' The Secret Storm'' and ''

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''.

Later career

Winter was cast on ''

'' as Lt. Col. (later Col.) Flagg, becoming one of the program's more memorable and popular recurring characters. He appeared in seven episodes as Flagg during the show's 11-year run. The Flagg character was an intelligence agent (claiming to be C.I.A. several times) who brought a stereotypically paranoid, conspiracy-driven approach to his tasks. In some episodes his character was particularly vicious. Before his introduction as Flagg, Winter had appeared on the series as Captain Halloran. A number of fans have expressed the belief that Captain Halloran might have been one of Flagg's many

aliases A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

, especially as he said to Dr. Freedman, "we played poker once," which Captain Halloran had. However, this is debatable, as Halloran was a reasonably amiable character, whilst every other persona Flagg adopted was highly antagonistic, regardless of the alias. Winter reprised the role of Col. Flagg in an episode of the spin-off series ''

AfterMASH ''AfterMASH'' is an American sitcom television series produced as the first spin-off (second overall) and a continuation of ''M*A*S*H'' that aired on CBS from September 26, 1983 to May 31, 1985. It was developed as the sequel series as it takes ...

'' in 1984. In 1985 he appeared in the pilot episode of '' Misfits of Science'' as an army officer who is killed trying to stop an insane general, played by

Larry Linville Lawrence Lavon Linville (September 29, 1939 – April 10, 2000) was an American actor known for his portrayal of the surgeon Major Frank Burns on the television series ''M*A*S*H''. Early life and education Linville was born in Ojai, California ...

. Winter also appeared in the TV show ''

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

'', Season 2 Episode 7. He played Alice's possible boyfriend, Jack. Winter was a recurring character in the first season of the prime time sitcom ''

Soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are us ...

'' in 1977–78, portraying Congressman Walter McCallum, who was having an affair with the Tates' daughter, Eunice. In 1974, he played a

pedophile Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of pubert ...

in the ''

Marcus Welby, M.D. Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...

'' episode "

The Outrage ''The Outrage'' is a 1964 American Western film directed by Martin Ritt and starring Paul Newman, Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Edward G. Robinson and William Shatner. It is a remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1950 Japanese film ''Rashomon'', based ...

". The same year, he appeared in the films ''

The Parallax View ''The Parallax View'' is a 1974 American political thriller film produced and directed by Alan J. Pakula, and starring Warren Beatty, Hume Cronyn, William Daniels and Paula Prentiss. The screenplay by David Giler and Lorenzo Semple Jr. was base ...

'' and ''

The Disappearance of Flight 412 ''The Disappearance of Flight 412'' is a 1974 made-for-television science fiction drama film starring Glenn Ford, Bradford Dillman, David Soul and Guy Stockwell. The film was shown as an NBC World Premiere Movie in 1974. Plot U.S. Air Force Colon ...

''. In 1976, he appeared in the crime comedy '' Special Delivery''. In 1975, he played Wes Greenfield in “The Bob Newhart Show” as an aspiring insurance company Executive. (Season 3, Episode 6 - The Gray Flannel Shrink). In 1976, he appeared in a season two episode of ''

Phyllis Phyllis is a feminine given name which may refer to: People * Phyllis Bartholomew (1914–2002), English long jumper * Phyllis Drummond Bethune (née Sharpe, 1899–1982), New Zealand artist * Phyllis Calvert (1915–2002), British actress * P ...

,'' playing a boyfriend of Phyllis who comes out as gay. He also appeared in two memorable episodes of ''

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

'' in 1981 as plastic surgeon Dr. Frank Waring, Mitch Cooper's mentor for a bit. In 1977, Winter appeared in an episode of ''

Lou Grant Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Ed Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), a half-hour light-hearted situation comedy in which the character ...

'' titled "Housewarming," as a reporter who beat his wife. The same year, he appeared in the popular TV movie '' The Gathering'', also starring

Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' a ...

, and "Never Con a Killer," the pilot for the crime drama '' The Feather and Father Gang''. In 1976, he appeared in ''

The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Moo ...

'', in which he played a congressman with a former tie to organized crime. He guest-starred in season one on ''

The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court ma ...

'' in the episode "Holiday in the Hills" and appeared in the season 5 episode "Road Games". Winter starred in the 1979 NBC primetime drama ''

Project UFO ''Project U.F.O.'' is an American television series which ran on NBC from 1978 to 1979. Running for two seasons of 13 episodes each, the show was based loosely on the real-life Project Blue Book. The show was created by Jack Webb, who pored throug ...

'' and was featured in the 1980 film ''

''. He appeared as the corrupt county commissioner Bob Gebhardt in the 1983 movie '' Porky's II: The Next Day'', the romantic comedy ''

'' (1984), and in '' From the Hip'' (1987), also directed by '' Porky's'' director

Bob Clark Benjamin Robert Clark (August 5, 1939 – April 4, 2007) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. He is best known for his work in the Canadian film industry throughout the 1970s and 1980s, where he was responsible ...

. In 1980 he played

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

in the TV movie ''

The Scarlett O'Hara War ''The Scarlett O'Hara War'' is a 1980 American made-for-television drama film directed by John Erman. It is based on the 1979 novel ''Moviola'' by Garson Kanin. Set in late 1930s Hollywood, it is about the search for the actress to play Scarlett ...

''. In 1982 he appeared in the '' Magnum, P.I.'' episode "Heal Thyself". Winter appeared in the season one episode of ''

'', titled "Holiday in the Hills" in 1983. In 1985 he guest-starred as Capt. Hennessey in Episode 14, Season 4, Rules of the Game, of ''

Cagney & Lacey ''Cagney & Lacey'' is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show is about two New York City police detectives who lead very di ...

''. Winter co-starred in the 1986 TV movie ''A Christmas Gift'' as Thomas Renfield, with co-star

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...

. Three years later he portrayed Las Vegas entertainer Johnny Roman in '' Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All''. Winter guest-starred in ''

The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty Wh ...

'' 1989 episode "Blind Date" as John Quinn, a blind man who dates Blanche despite her reservations due to his disability. He appeared on a 1991 episode of the television series '' Night Court'' as Clarence Egan. He appeared as Charlton 'Charlie' Chambers (as Ed Winter) in a 1990 episode of ''

Columbo ''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC fr ...

'', "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo". Winter had a recurring role on the Fox sitcom ''

'' from 1991 to 1994. Winter portrayed Mr. Crawford, an executive at Waterton Publishing, where the series lead character Herman Brooks ( William Ragsdale) worked. He appeared in the 1995 ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself and ...

'' episode "

The Beard "The Beard" is the 102nd episode of the NBC situation comedy ''Seinfeld''. This is the 16th episode for the sixth season. It aired on February 9, 1995. In this episode, Elaine Benes, Elaine falls in love with a gay friend while serving as a Beard ...

" playing Robert's boss. Winter was featured as the real-life character of Carl Lawson in a 1995 episode of UPN's '' Real Ghosts'', also known as '' Haunted Lives: True Ghost Stories''. He did voice work on such programs as '' The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest'', ''

Duckman ''Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man'' is an American adult animated sitcom that aired on the USA Network from March 5, 1994, through September 6, 1997. It was created and developed by Everett Peck, and is based on characters he created in his 19 ...

'', ''

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters ''Aaahh!!! Real Monsters'' is an American animated television series developed by Klasky Csupo for Nickelodeon. The show focuses on three young monsters—Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm—who attend a school for monsters under a city dump and learn to ...

'', ''

The Angry Beavers ''The Angry Beavers'' is an American animated television series created by Mitch Schauer for Nickelodeon. The series revolves around Norbert and Daggett Beaver, two young beaver brothers who have moved out of their parents' home to become bache ...

'', '' Fantastic Max'', ''

Paddington Bear Paddington Bear is a fictional character in children's literature. He first appeared on 13 October 1958 in the children's book ''A Bear Called Paddington'' and has been featured in more than twenty books written by British author Michael Bond, a ...

'' and the animated film ''Adventures in Odyssey: Shadow of a Doubt''.

Death

In 2001, Winter died in Woodland Hills, California, of complications from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms beco ...

. His ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean.

Filmography

* '' The Boston Strangler'' (1968) as Man in Hallway (uncredited) * ''Big Daddy'' (1973, TV movie) * ''

'' (1973-1979, TV Series) as Col. Samuel Flagg / Capt. Halloran * '' The Magician'' (1974, TV Series) as Ted Winters * ''

'' (1974) as Senator Jameson * ''

'' (1974, TV movie) as Mr. Cheer * '' Special Delivery'' (1976) as Larry Pierce * ''The Invasion of Johnson County'' (1976, TV movie) as Major Edward Fershay * ''

'' (1976, TV Series) as Brian Nordquist (senatorial candidate) * ''Never Con a Killer'' (1977, TV movie) as Deputy DA J.C. Hadley * ''The Girl in the Empty Grave'' (1977, TV movie) as Dr Peter Cabe * '' Maude'' (1977, TV episode, The Ecologist) as Perry Flannery * '' The Gathering'' (1977, TV movie) as Roger * ''

Soap (TV series) ''Soap'' is an American sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with ske ...

'' (1977-1978, TV Series) as Congressman Walter McCallum * ''Woman on the Run'' (1977, TV movie) as Daniel Frazier * ''Rendezvous Hotel'' (1979, TV movie) as Jim Becker * '' Mother and Daughter: The Loving War'' (1980, TV movie) as Doug * ''

'' (1980, TV movie) as Clark Gable * ''

'' (1980) as Steven Rutledge * ''The Big Black Pill'' (1981, TV movie) as Jerrold Farinpour * ''Fly Away Home'' (1981, TV movie) as Lieutenant Colonel Pace * ''Family in Blue'' (1982, TV movie) * ''The First Time'' (1982, TV movie) as Captain Michael McKenzie * ''Wait Until Dark'' (1982, TV movie) as Sam Hendrix * ''The 25th Man'' (1982, TV movie) as Captain Mike Houston * '' Porky's II: The Next Day'' (1983) as Commissioner Bob Gebhardt * ''

'' (1983-1985, TV Series) as Racketeer Johnny Royce / Reporter Mitchell Barnes * ''

'' (1983) as Jim Parks * ''The Last Honor of Kathryn Beck'' (1984, TV movie) as Carl Macaluso * ''Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun'' (1986, TV movie) as Jonathan Eastman * ''Stranded'' (1986, TV movie) as Tommy Claybourne * ''

There Must Be a Pony ''There Must Be a Pony'' is a 1986 American made-for-television drama film directed by Joseph Sargent. It is based on the novel of the same name by James Kirkwood Jr. Premise Marguerite Sydney is a celebrated Hollywood star attempting a comeback ...

'' (1986, TV movie) as David Hollis * ''The Christmas Gift'' (1986, TV movie) as Thomas A. Renfield * ''

Mathnet ''Mathnet'' is a segment on the children's television show ''Square One Television'' that follows the adventures of pairs of police mathematicians. It is a pastiche of ''Dragnet (1951 TV series), Dragnet''. Premise ''Mathnet'' is a pastiche of ...

'' (1987, TV segment from

Square One Television ''Square One Television'' (sometimes referred to as ''Square One'' or ''Square One TV'') is an American children's television program produced by the Children's Television Workshop (now known as Sesame Workshop) to teach mathematics and abstr ...

) as Clarence Sampson in ''The Problem of the Missing Baseball'' (pilot episode, filmed 1985) * '' From the Hip'' (1987) as Raymond Torkenson * ''

'' (1989, TV Series) as John Quinn * '' Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All'' (1989, TV movie) as Johnny Roman * ''Held Hostage: The Sis and Jerry Levin Story'' (1991, TV movie) as Bill Prentiss * ''The American Clock'' (1993, TV movie) as William Durant * ''Saved by the Bell: The College Years'' (1993, TV Series) as Mr. Burke

References

External links

* *
Edward Winter
at Internet Off-Broadway Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Winter, Edward 1937 births 2001 deaths American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors Neurological disease deaths in California Deaths from Parkinson's disease People from Ventura, California 20th-century American male actors