Deborah Winters is an American film and television actress and realtor who has appeared in films such as '' Kotch'', '' The People Next Door'', '' Class of '44'' and the television miniseries '' The Winds of War''.

Early life

Deborah Winters was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, the daughter of Ralph Winters, head of television casting for

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

for 28 years, and actress Penny Edwards.New York Times (Deborah Winters)
/ref> She began her film and television career at age five after moving to New York, where she attended the

Professional Children's School The Professional Children's School (PCS) is a not-for-profit, college-preparatory school geared toward working and aspiring child actors and dancers in grades four through twelve. The school was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an ac ...

. She later commenced professional training at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting,

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. She returned to

in 1968, where she studied acting under

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American acting coach and actor. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed ...

at the Lee Strasberg Institute. Winters continued working, appearing in commercials for Kinney Shoes,

Gulf Oil Gulf Oil was a major global oil company in operation from 1901 to 1985. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the Seven Sisters (oil companies), Seven Sisters oil companies. ...

, Lincoln-Mercury,

Quaker Oats The Quaker Oats Company, known as Quaker, is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois. As Quaker Mill Company, the company was founded in 1877 in Ravenna, Ohio. In 1881, Henry Crowell bought the company and launched a national ad ...

, and others. In 1966, she received her first major screen role in the

Fred Coe Frederick Hayden Hughs Coe (December 23, 1914 – April 29, 1979) was an American television producer and director most famous for '' The Goodyear Television Playhouse''/'' The Philco Television Playhouse'' in 1948-1955 and ''Playhouse 90'' from ...

comedy-drama, '' Me, Natalie''.

Film and television career

Winters was first cast in the 1968 motion picture '' Me, Natalie'', opposite

Patty Duke Anna Marie Duke (December 14, 1946 – March 29, 2016), known professionally as Patty Duke, was an American actress. Over the course of her acting career, she was the recipient of an Academy Awards, Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three ...

, James Farentino, and

Martin Balsam Martin Henry Balsam (November 4, 1919 – February 13, 1996) was an American actor. He had a prolific career in character roles in film, in theatre, and on television. An early member of the Actors Studio, he began his career on the New ...

. She followed shortly afterwards with a second co-starring role opposite

Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the ...

in his first film, the 1969 '' Hail, Hero!'', directed by David Miller. This was followed by a starring role in the '' CBS Playhouse'' production of ''The People Next Door'' which led to the motion picture remake the following year. ''The People Next Door'' received positive reviews.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

said in his ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

'' review, "Deborah Winters, is disturbing at first because you think she's too mannered. Gradually the mannerisms become indispensable to the characterization."

Jack Lemmon John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, he was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in comedy-drama films. He received num ...

cast Winters as the female lead opposite Walter Matthau in his sole directorial project, '' Kotch'' in 1971. ''Time'' wrote of Winters in its October 11, 1972, review, "Winters is one of the few young actresses with comic timing." Winters continued acting with starring roles in film and episodic television including '' Blue Sunshine'' (1977), '' The Outing'' (1987), and ''

Lottery! ''Lottery!'' is an American anthology series, anthologic Dramatic programming, drama that premiered on American Broadcasting Company, ABC on September 9, 1983. The series aired for one season of 17 episodes and starred Ben Murphy as Patrick Sea ...

''.

Personal life

Winters is married to Warren Chaney. , she worked as a real estate agent.

Selected filmography

Film

*'' Me, Natalie'' (1969) – Betty *'' Hail, Hero!'' (1969) – Becky *'' The People Next Door'' (1970) – Maxie Mason *'' Kotch'' (1971) – Erica Herzenstiel *''Cilali Ibo Teksas fatihi'' (1972) *'' Class of '44'' (1973) – Julie *'' Six Characters in Search of an Author'' (1976) – The Ingenue *'' Blue Sunshine'' (1977) – Alicia Sweeney *'' The Outing'' (1987) – Eve Ferrell / Young Arab Woman / Old Arab Woman *''Behind the Mask'' (1992) – Annie Strayton

Television

*'' Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo'' (1977) – Cindy Beck *''Crisis in Sun Valley'' (1978) – Sandy *'' The Winds of War'' (1983) – Janice Lacouture Henry *'' Little Girl Lost'' (1988) – File Clerk

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Winters, Deborah Living people American film actresses Actresses from Los Angeles Actresses from Houston American television actresses American stage actresses American voice actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses American real estate brokers Year of birth missing (living people)