View source for Jonathan Winters

{{Short description|American comedian, actor and artist (1925–2013)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2017}}<!--[[WP:STRONGNAT]]-->
{{Infobox comedian
| name        = Jonathan Winters
| image       = Jonathan Winters - publicity.jpg
| caption     = Winters in 1963
| birth_name  = Jonathan Harshman Winters III
| birth_date  = {{Birth date|1925|11|11}}
| birth_place = [[Dayton, Ohio]], U.S.
| death_date  = {{Death date and age|2013|04|11|1925|11|11|mf=y}}
| death_place = [[Montecito, California]], U.S.
| spouse      = {{marriage|Eileen Schauder|1948|2009|reason=d.}}
| children    = 2
| medium      = Stand-up, film, television, books
| active      = 1949–2013
| genre       = [[Character comedy]], [[Improvisational theatre|improvisational comedy]]
| subject     =
| website     = {{URL|http://www.jonathanwinters.com/}}
| module             = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes
| allegiance    = United States
| branch        = [[United States Marine Corps|United States Marines]]
| serviceyears  = 1943–1946
| rank          = [[Corporal#United_States|Corporal]]
| battles = {{tree list}}
* '''[[World War II]]'''
** [[Pacific War]]
{{tree list/end}}
}}}}

'''Jonathan Harshman Winters III''' (November 11, 1925&nbsp;– April 11, 2013) was an American comedian, actor, author, television host, and artist. He started performing as a stand-up comedian before transitioning his career to acting in film and television. Winters received numerous accolades including two [[Grammy Awards]], a [[Primetime Emmy Award]], as well as a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in 1960,<ref name="LA Times obit" /> the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]] in 1973,<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/}}</ref> and the [[Mark Twain Prize for American Humor]] in 1999.

Beginning in 1960, Winters recorded many classic [[comedy album]]s for the [[Verve Records]] label including ''[[The Wonderful World of Jonathan Winters]]'' (1960). He also had [[#Discography|records released every decade]] for over 50 years, receiving 11 Grammy nominations, including eight for [[Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album|Best Comedy Album]], during his career. From these nominations, he won the [[Grammy Award for Best Album for Children#1970s|Grammy Award for Best Album for Children]] for his contribution to [[List of The Little Prince adaptations#Vinyl record|an adaptation]] of ''[[The Little Prince]]'' in 1975 and the [[38th Annual Grammy Awards#Spoken|Grammy Award for Best Spoken Comedy Album]] for ''Crank(y) Calls'' in 1996.

With a career spanning more than six decades, Winters also appeared in hundreds of television shows and films, including eccentric characters on ''[[The Steve Allen Show]]'', ''[[The Garry Moore Show]]'', ''The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters'' (1972–74), ''[[Mork & Mindy]]'', and ''[[Hee Haw]]''. 

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]].  During Winters' January 26, 1964 appearance as the 'mystery guest' on CBS-TV's [[What's My Line?]], host [[John Charles Daly|John Daly]] congratulated him on making the preliminary list of 10 nominees for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the 'Lennie Pike' role.  Ultimately, he did not make it to the 'short list' of five official finalists.

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]]''. Winters was presented with a Pioneer [[TV Land Award]] by [[Robin Williams]] in 2008. 

He also voiced [[List of The Smurfs characters#Smurfs|Grandpa Smurf]] on ''[[The Smurfs (1981 TV series)|The Smurfs]]'' TV series from 1986 to the show's conclusion in 1989. Over twenty years later, Winters was introduced to a new generation through voicing [[Papa Smurf]] in ''[[The Smurfs (film)|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 [[Screen printing|silkscreens]] and sketches, in many [[Art exhibition|gallery shows]]. He wrote several books including his book of short stories entitled ''[[#Bibliography|Winters' Tales]]'' (1988).<ref name="Post obit" />

==Early life==
Winters was born in [[Dayton, Ohio]], to Alice Kilgore Rodgers and Jonathan Harshman Winters II, <!-- Do not change to Jr., he was named after his grandfather   --> an insurance agent who later became an investment broker.<ref name="film reference" /><ref name="beverly" /> He was a descendant of Valentine Winters, founder of the Winters National Bank in [[Dayton, Ohio]]. Of [[English people|English]] and [[Scottish-Irish American|Scottish-Irish]] ancestry,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8Jt0hg_6uc | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130418073836/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8Jt0hg_6uc&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=2013-04-18 | url-status=dead|title=The LLS w/ Craig Ferguson 9/1/08 -5 of 7 Jonathan Winters |publisher=YouTube |date=September 2, 2008 |access-date=April 15, 2013}}</ref> Winters had described his father as an alcoholic who had trouble holding a job. His grandfather, a frustrated [[comedian]], owned the Winters National Bank, which failed as the family's fortunes collapsed during the [[Great Depression]].{{cn|date=June 2024}}

When he was seven, his parents separated. Winters' mother took him to [[Springfield, Ohio|Springfield]], Ohio, to live with his maternal grandmother.<ref name="Huffingtonpost obit" /><ref name="Happier Days" /> "Mother and dad didn't understand me; I didn't understand them," Winters told [[Jim Lehrer]] on ''[[PBS NewsHour|The News Hour with Jim Lehrer]]'' in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://parade.condenast.com/154823/dotsonrader/robin-williams-discusses-his-first-experience-with-alcoholics-anonymous/|title=Robin Williams Discusses His First Experience with Alcoholics Anonymous|author=Parade|work=Parade|date=September 12, 2013|access-date=October 20, 2014}}</ref> "So consequently it was a strange kind of arrangement." Alone in his room, he created characters and interviewed himself. A poor student, Winters continued talking to himself and developed a repertoire of strange sound effects. He often entertained his high school friends by imitating a race at the [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]].<ref name="Boston Globe obit" />

In another television interview, Winters described how deeply he was hurt by his parents' divorce. He fought youthful tormentors who ridiculed him for not having a father in his life. When the tormentors were not around, he would go to a building or tree and weep in despair. Winters said that he learned to laugh at his situation but admitted that his adult life had been a response to sorrow.<ref>{{cite book |author=James Dobson |author-link=James Dobson |title=What wives wished their husbands knew about women |publisher=[[Wheaton, Illinois|Wheaton]], [[Illinois]]: Tyndale House Publishers |year=1975 |page=167 |isbn=0-8423-7890-1}}</ref>

During his senior year at [[South High School (Springfield, Ohio)|Springfield High School]], Winters [[Dropping out|quit school]], joined the [[U.S. Marine Corps]] at the age of seventeen and served {{frac|2|1|2}} years in the [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater|Pacific Theater]] during [[World War II]].<ref name="beverly"/><ref name="Corps Stories" /><ref name="Springfield News Sun" /> Upon his return, he attended [[Kenyon College]]. He later studied [[cartoonist|cartooning]] at [[Dayton Art Institute]], where he met Eileen Schauder, whom he married on September 11, 1948. He was a brother of the [[Delta Kappa Epsilon]] fraternity (Lambda chapter).

==Early career==
{{Moresources | section|date=June 2024}}
[[File:Jonathan Winters Gambrinus Beer.jpg|thumb|"Johnny" Winters promoting Gambrinus Beer in the early 1950s for [[August Wagner Breweries|August Wagner Breweries, Inc.]] on [[WBNS-TV]] in Columbus, Ohio]]
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.<ref name="beverly"/><ref>''Person to Person'' interview by [[Edward R. Murrow]] (March 14, 1958)</ref> His performance led to a disc jockey job, where he was supposed to introduce songs and announce the temperature.<ref name="beverly"/> Gradually his [[ad lib]]s, personae, and antics took over the show. He began acting along with developing comedy routines while studying at [[Kenyon College]] in [[Gambier, Ohio]]. He was also a local radio personality on [[WING]] (mornings, 6 to 8) in [[Dayton, Ohio]], and at [[WIZE]] in Springfield, Ohio. He performed as "Johnny Winters" on [[WBNS-TV]] in [[Columbus, Ohio]], for {{frac|2|1|2}} years. Jerome R. "Ted" Reeves, then program director for WBNS-TV, arranged for his first audition with [[CBS]] in [[New York City]].<ref name="YT"/>

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, staying with friends in Greenwich Village. After obtaining Martin Goodman as his agent, he began stand-up routines in various New York nightclubs. His earliest network television appearance was in 1954 on ''[[Chance of a Lifetime (1950s TV series)|Chance of a Lifetime]]'', hosted by [[Dennis James]] on the [[DuMont Television Network]], where Winters again appeared as "Johnny Winters".{{cn|date=June 2024}}

Winters made [[History of television|television history]] in 1956 when [[RCA Corporation|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."<ref name="Huffingtonpost obit" />

His big break occurred (with the revised name of Jonathan) when he worked for [[Alistair Cooke]] on the [[CBS Television]] Sunday morning show ''[[Omnibus (US TV series)|Omnibus]]''.<ref name="YT">Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/Mndv-c6JTyY Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130422034121/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mndv-c6JTyY&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mndv-c6JTyY|publisher=[[YouTube]]|title=A Jonathan Winters story that you've never heard (@ 2:55)}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 1957 he performed in the first color television show, a 15-minute routine sponsored by Tums.<ref>{{cite AV media|url=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=429304222782773803|title=Archive of American Television Interview with Jonathan Winters, Part 2 of 5|publisher=Google Video}}</ref>
[[File:Jonathan Winters 1956.JPG|thumb|upright|left|Winters performing a routine on ''[[The Colgate Comedy Hour|The NBC Comedy Hour]]'' (1956)]]
From 1959 to 1964, his voice was heard in a series of popular television commercials for [[Utica Club]] beer. In the ads, he provided the voices of talking beer steins named Shultz and Dooley. Later, he became a spokesman for [[Hefty]] brand trash bags, for whom he appeared as a dapper [[Waste collector|garbageman]] known for collecting "gahr-bahj," as well as "Maude Frickert" and other characters.<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObGR5AaqLkc&NR=1| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130200821/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObGR5AaqLkc&NR=1| archive-date=2014-01-30 | url-status=dead|publisher=YouTube|title= 1970's Hefty Scrap Bags (Jonathan Winters) Commercial}}</ref> Winters also appeared in commercials as a spokesman for other brands such as Good Humor ice cream and the California Egg Commission.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Staff |title=Manic comic Jonathan Winters dead at 87 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainment-us-jonathanwinters-idUSBRE93B0V220130413/ |website=Reuters |date=April 13, 2013 |access-date=January 9, 2025}}</ref>

Winters recorded many classic [[comedy album]]s for the [[Verve Records]] label, starting in 1960. Probably the best known of his characters from this period is "Maude Frickert", the seemingly sweet old lady with the barbed tongue (reportedly named for comedic actress [[Maudie Prickett]]). He was a favorite of [[Jack Paar]], who hosted ''[[The Tonight Show]]'' from 1957 to 1962, and appeared frequently on his television programs, even going so far as to impersonate then U.S. president [[John F. Kennedy]] over the telephone as a prank on Paar.

Winters had a dramatic role in ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' episode "[[A Game of Pool (1961)|A Game of Pool]]" (episode 3.5 aired on October 13, 1961). He also recorded [[Ogden Nash]]'s ''[[The Carnival of the Animals]]'' poems to [[Camille Saint-Saëns]]'s classical opus.

On ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' (1962–92), Winters usually performed in the guise of some character. [[Johnny Carson|Carson]] often did not know what Winters had planned and usually had to tease out the character's backstory during a comedic interview. Carson invented a character called "Aunt Blabby", who was similar to and possibly inspired by "Maude Frickert".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/jonathan-winters-dead-groundbreaking-improv-comic-was-87/|title=Fox News obituary|work=Fox News|access-date=October 20, 2014}}</ref>
[[File:Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Trailer10.jpg|thumb|''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' (1963)]]
Winters appeared in more than 50 movies and many television shows, including particularly notable roles in the film ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' and in the dual roles of Henry Glenworthy and his dark, scheming brother, the Rev. Wilbur Glenworthy, in the [[The Loved One (film)|film adaptation]] of [[Evelyn Waugh]]'s novel ''[[The Loved One (book)|The Loved One]].''<ref name="beverly"/> Fellow comedians who starred with him in ''Mad World,'' such as [[Arnold Stang]], said that in the long periods while they waited between scenes, Winters entertained them for hours in their trailer by becoming any character that they suggested to him.

From December 1967 to June 1969, Winters helmed his own hour-long weekly variety program on CBS (similar to the then-popular [[Red Skelton]] and [[Carol Burnett]] shows on the same network). ''The Jonathan Winters Show'' featured guest stars of comedy and music (e.g. [[The Doors]]), recurring sketches (often featuring Winters characters such as Maude Frickert, rural Elwood P. Suggins, drunk Harold Nermlinger, Norwegian Yorny Bjorny); and an audience-request section where Winters did impressions of persons, animals, etc. in various situations, ''e.g.'', John Wayne on the Moon. Choice bits from the latter were collected and released on a 1969 Columbia LP, "Stuff 'n' Nonsense".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Jonathan-Winters-Stuff-N-Nonsense/release/1748094 |title=Jonathan Winters - Stuff 'N Nonsense (1969, Vinyl) |website=Discogs.com |date=1969 |access-date=2020-03-18}}</ref> He later participated in [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[The American Sportsman]]'', hosted by [[Grits Gresham]], who took celebrities on hunting, fishing, and shooting trips to exotic places around the world.<ref name="Sportsman">{{cite web | title="The American Sportsman" Ernest Borgnine, Jonathan Winters (TV Episode 1974) | website=IMDb | date=6 January 1974 | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26376397/ | access-date=20 June 2024}}</ref>

Winters made memorable appearances on both ''[[The Dean Martin Show]]'' and ''[[The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast]]'', as well as being a regular on ''[[The Andy Williams Show]]''. He also performed regularly as a panelist on ''[[The Hollywood Squares]]''. In the mid-1970s, he appeared on ABC's ''[[Good Morning America]]'' doing humorous reviews of films.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/CjLJ0bmMqtI Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20190929173248/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjLJ0bmMqtI&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|author=Mike Rogers |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjLJ0bmMqtI&list=PLLcRf8RFxrRmxWhuweD1SDZrf5SYf8B8C |title=KABC-7 Nov-14-1975 Good Morning America | date=June 10, 2018 |publisher=[[YouTube]] |access-date=2020-03-18}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

During the late 1960s, Winters acted in several film comedies, most prominently ''[[The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming]]'' (1966), and ''[[Viva Max!]]'' (1969).<ref name="beverly"/> Additionally, he was a regular (along with [[Woody Allen]] and [[Jo Anne Worley]]) on a Saturday morning children's television program ''[[Hot Dog (TV series)|Hot Dog]]'' in the early 1970s. He also had his own [[Broadcast syndication|syndicated]] show called ''The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters'' from 1972 to 1974, the music director of which, [[Van Alexander]], was nominated for a [[25th Primetime Emmy Awards#Winners and Nominees|1973 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction of a Variety, Musical or Dramatic Program]].<ref name=IMBD.Com>{{cite web|title=IMDb|url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000223/1973|work=Primetime Emmy Awards|access-date=December 25, 2013}}</ref>

==1980s and 1990s career==
Jonathan Winters was a [[Guest appearance|guest star]] on ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' in 1980. That same year, he also appeared in ''[[I Go Pogo (film)|I Go Pogo]]'' (a.k.a. ''Pogo for President''). In 1981, he was a guest on the short-lived comedy series ''[[Aloha Paradise]]''.

In the [[Mork & Mindy#Fourth season|fourth and final season]] of the [[Science fiction|sci-fi]]-styled TV comedy ''[[Mork & Mindy]]'', Winters (one of [[Robin Williams]]'s idols) was brought in as Mork & Mindy's child, Mearth. Due to the different Orkan physiology, [[Mork & Mindy|Mork]] laid an egg, which grew and hatched into the much older Winters. It had been previously explained that Orkans aged "backwards," thus explaining Mearth's appearance and that of his teacher, Miss Geezba (portrayed by a then-11-year-old actress [[Louanne Sirota]]). Mork's infant son Mearth in ''Mork & Mindy'' was created in hopes of improving ratings and as an attempt to capitalize on Williams's comedic talents. Winters had previously guest-starred in Season 3, Episode 18, as Dave McConnell, Mindy's uncle. However, after multiple scheduling and cast changes, ''Mork & Mindy'''s fourth season was already quite low in the ratings and ended up being the show's last season.
[[File:Jonathan-Winters 1986.JPEG|thumb|upright|Winters performing at a [[USO]] show in 1986]]
Winters became a regular on ''[[Hee Haw]]'' during the 1983–1984 season. He was later the voice of [[Grandpa Smurf]] from 1986 to 1990 on the television series ''[[The Smurfs (1981 TV series)|The Smurfs]]''. Additionally, he did the [[voice acting|voice]] of Bigelow in the 1985 TV film ''[[Pound Puppies (TV special)|Pound Puppies]]'' and voice-acted on ''[[Yogi's Treasure Hunt]]'' in 1985, among other voice roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

In 1987, Winters was featured in [[NFL Films]]' ''[[Football Follies|The NFL TV Follies]]''. That same year he published ''Winters' Tales: Stories and Observations for the Unusual''. In 1991 and 1992, he had a supporting role on ''[[Davis Rules]]'', a sitcom that lasted two seasons (25 episodes), for which he won a [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series]]. He played Gunny Davis, an eccentric grandfather helping raise his grandchildren after his son lost his wife.

In addition to his live-action roles, he was a guest star on ''[[The New Scooby-Doo Movies]]'' (in an episode where he also voiced an animated version of his "Maude Frickert" character) and as the narrator in ''[[Frosty Returns]]'' which [[Frosty the Snowman (TV program)#Television rights|airs annually]] during the [[Christmas and holiday season|Christmas season]]. Winters also provided the voice for the thief in ''[[The Thief and the Cobbler]]''.

In 1994, Winters appeared as a fired factory worker (credited as "Grizzled Man") in ''[[The Flintstones]]''. In an interesting role reversal, he was the serious-minded secular police chief and uncle of the character Lamont Cranston (played by [[Alec Baldwin]]) in ''[[The Shadow (1994 film)|The Shadow]]''. That same year he voiced Stinkbomb D. Basset in the episode "Smell Ya Later" on ''[[Animaniacs]]''.

Winters received eleven Grammy nominations during his career, including eight for the [[Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album]]; he won the [[Grammy Awards of 1996#Spoken|Grammy Award for Best Spoken Comedy Album]] for ''Crank(y) Calls'' in 1996.<ref>Dagan, Carmel.
[https://variety.com/2013/tv/news/jonathan-winters-dead-at-87-1200354170/#1/jonathan-winters-in-1965/ “Comedian Jonathan Winters Dead at 87”], ''Variety'', April 12, 2013.</ref>

In 1996, Winters played himself in ''Bloopy's Buddies'', a children's TV series on [[PBS]] designed to teach children about health and nutrition and to encourage them to exercise.<ref>{{IMDb title|0403731|Bloopy's Buddies}}</ref>

In 1999, he was awarded the [[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts|Kennedy Center]]'s [[Mark Twain Prize for American Humor]], becoming the second recipient.

==Later years==
Winters had various roles and appeared in numerous television features throughout the early to mid-2000s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005565/filmoyear|title=Jonathan Winters (I) – Filmography by year|publisher=IMDb}}</ref> In 2000, Winters appeared in ''[[The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (film)|The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle]]''. In 2003, he appeared in the film ''[[Swing (2003 film)|Swing]]''.

In 2004, ''[[Comedy Central]] Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time'' ranked Winters as the No. 18 greatest stand-up comedian.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.listology.com/list/comedy-central-100-greatest-standups-all-time|title=Comedy Central 100 Greatest Standups of all Time|publisher=Listology|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125061218/http://www.listology.com/list/comedy-central-100-greatest-standups-all-time|archive-date=November 25, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In 2005 and 2006, Winters appeared on ''[[Jimmy Kimmel Live!]]''.<ref>{{cite web |author=T.V.com |url=http://www.tv.com/shows/jimmy-kimmel-live/jonathan-winters-kenan-thompson-against-me-848952/ |title=Jimmy Kimmel Live – Season 4, Episode 120: Jonathan Winters, Kenan Thompson, Against Me! |publisher=TV.com |access-date=April 15, 2013 |archive-date=February 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226123624/http://www.tv.com/shows/jimmy-kimmel-live/jonathan-winters-kenan-thompson-against-me-848952/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=T.V.com |url=http://www.tv.com/shows/jimmy-kimmel-live/jonathan-winters-melissa-george-and-keyshia-cole-475756/ |title=Jimmy Kimmel Live – Season 3, Episode 62: Jonathan Winters, Melissa George, & Keyshia Cole |publisher=TV.com |access-date=April 15, 2013 |archive-date=July 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130717231304/http://www.tv.com/shows/jimmy-kimmel-live/jonathan-winters-melissa-george-and-keyshia-cole-475756/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2008, Winters was presented with a Pioneer [[TV Land Award]] by [[Robin Williams]]. That same year, [[PBS]] aired ''Pioneers of Television'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/pioneers-of-television/pioneering-people/jonathan-winters/ |title=Jonathan Winters &#124; Comedian &#124; Pioneers of Television |publisher=PBS |access-date=April 15, 2013}}</ref> and ''Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America'' in 2009,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/pbs-em-laugh-standup-job-article-1.421187 |title=PBS' 'Make 'em Laugh' does a standup job |publisher=NY Daily News |access-date=April 15, 2013 |location=New York}}</ref> both featuring Winters.

Winters was coaxed out of retirement to voice Papa Smurf in ''[[The Smurfs (film)|The Smurfs]]'' (2011), the first-ever animated/live-action Smurfs film, and later in ''[[The Smurfs 2]]'' (2013), his final film project.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=16735&count=0|title=Jonathan Winters to Voice Papa Smurf in "Smurfs" Movie|access-date=October 20, 2014|archive-date=March 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309183510/http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=16735&count=0|url-status=dead}}</ref> He died only nine days after he finished recording Papa's voice.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tmz.com/2013/04/12/jonathan-winters-photo-before-death-smurfs/|title=Papa Smurf Jonathan Winters -- La La La La La La ... Last Photos Before Death|website=TMZ|date=April 12, 2013 }}</ref>

Winters was originally cast in ''Big Finish'' (2014), during [[pre-production]]. It is a comedy set in a [[retirement home]]. His scheduled role was to appear alongside [[Jerry Lewis]] and [[Bob Newhart]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jonathan-winters-dies-at-87-438626 |title = Jonathan Winters Dies at 87|publisher=Hollywood Reporter | first=Duane|last=Byrge|date=April 12, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news/jonathan-winters-dead-dies-death-87-mork-and-mindy_3602528 |title = Legendary Film & TV Funnyman Jonathan Winters Dies, Aged 87|date = April 12, 2013|publisher=Contactmusic.com}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Jonathan and Eileen Winters had two children.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Grimes |first1=William |title=Jonathan Winters, Unpredictable Comic and Master of Improvisation, Dies at 87 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/13/arts/television/jonathan-winters-comedian-dies-at-87.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 12, 2013 |access-date=3 January 2021}}</ref>

In his interview with the [[Archive of American Television]], Winters reported that he spent eight months in a private [[psychiatric hospital]] in 1959 and again in 1961. The comic suffered from [[Major depressive episode|nervous breakdowns]] and [[bipolar disorder]].<ref name="Post obit" /> With unprecedented frenetic energy, Winters made obscure references to his illness and hospitalization during his [[Stand-up comedy|stand-up routines]], most famously on his 1960 comedy album, ''[[The Wonderful World of Jonathan Winters]]''. During his classic "flying saucer" routine, Winters casually mentions that if he was not careful, the authorities might put him back in the "zoo", referring to the institution.

"These voices are always screaming to get out," Winters told the ''[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]]''. "They follow me around pretty much all day and night." Winters could use his talents in [[voice-over]] roles. A devotee of [[Groucho Marx]] and [[Laurel and Hardy]], Winters once claimed, "I've done for the most part pretty much what I intended." He told ''[[U.S. News & World Report|U.S. News]]'', "I ended up doing comedy, writing, and painting.... I've had a ball, and as I get older I just become an older kid."<ref name="Huffingtonpost obit" />

Winters lived near [[Santa Barbara, California]], and was often seen browsing or "hamming" for the crowd at the [[antique]] and [[Gun shows in the United States|gun shows]] on the [[Ventura County Fair|Ventura County fairgrounds]]. He often entertained the tellers and other employees whenever he visited his local bank to make a deposit or withdrawal. Additionally, he spent his time painting and attended many [[art museum|gallery showings]], even presenting his art in one-man shows.

On January 11, 2009, Winters's wife of more than 60 years, Eileen, died at the age of 84 after a 20-year battle with [[breast cancer]].<ref>[http://www.mccrearyrecord.com/opinion/local_story_013141453.html?keyword=secondarystory Write On: "Behind Every Great Man..."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202203844/http://www.mccrearyrecord.com/opinion/local_story_013141453.html?keyword=secondarystory |date=February 2, 2009 }}, ''McCreary County Record'', January 13, 2009</ref>

==Death==
Winters died of [[death by natural causes|natural causes]] on the evening of April 11, 2013, in [[Montecito, California]], at the age of 87.<ref name="beverly"/><ref name="NY Times obit" /><ref name="Baltimore News Journal" />
He was survived by his two children and five grandchildren.<ref>{{cite news|author=William Grimes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/13/arts/television/jonathan-winters-comedian-dies-at-87.html |title=Jonathan Winters, Unpredictable Comedian, Dies at 87 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=April 12, 2013 |access-date=2020-03-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/entertainment/tv/tvguide/article/Comedian-Jonathan-Winters-Dies-at-87-4430400.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130413165813/http://www.seattlepi.com/entertainment/tv/tvguide/article/Comedian-Jonathan-Winters-Dies-at-87-4430400.php|title=Obituary|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|archive-date=April 13, 2013}}</ref> He was cremated, and his ashes were given to his family.

Fans of Winters placed flowers on his [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] star on April 12, 2013, at 1:30&nbsp;p.m.<ref name="CBS LA obit" />

Many comedians, actors, and friends gave personal tributes to Winters on [[social media]] shortly after his death. [[Robin Williams]] posted, "First he was my idol, then he was my mentor and amazing friend. I'll miss him huge. He was my Comedy Buddha. Long live the Buddha."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=802217&affid=100055 |title=Robin Williams, Steve Martin and more pay tribute to Jonathan Winters – MSN TV News |publisher=Tv.msn.com |access-date=April 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130415232848/http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=802217&affid=100055 |archive-date=April 15, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/04/12/comedians-pay-tribute-to-jonathan-winters/2078591/ |title=Comedians pay tribute to Jonathan Winters |work=USA Today |date=June 8, 2008 |access-date=April 15, 2013 |first1=Ann |last1=Oldenburg}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Pond |first=Steve |url=https://tv.yahoo.com/news/steve-martin-steve-carell-pee-wee-herman-pay-194755904.html?.tsrc=hellomotoar?date=20220323 |title=Steve Martin, Steve Carell, Pee-wee Herman Pay Tribute to 'Celestially Brilliant' Jonathan Winters – Yahoo! TV |date=April 12, 2013 |publisher=Tv.yahoo.com |access-date=April 15, 2013}}</ref> In September 2013, at the [[65th Primetime Emmy Awards]], Williams again honored the career and life of Winters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/09/22/tvs-big-names-reportedly-arguing-over-emmys-special-tribute-cory-monteith|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923013457/http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/09/22/tvs-big-names-reportedly-arguing-over-emmys-special-tribute-cory-monteith/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 23, 2013|title=FoxNews|work=Fox News|access-date=October 20, 2014}}</ref> The 2013 movie ''[[The Smurfs 2]]'' was dedicated to him.

==Comedy style and legacy==
A pioneer of [[improvisation]]al [[stand-up comedy]] with a gift for [[Mimesis|mimicry]], [[Impersonator|impersonation]]s, various personalities, and a seemingly bottomless reservoir of creative energy, Winters was one of the first celebrities to go public with a personal [[Mental disorder|mental illness]] issue and felt stigmatized as a result.<ref name="Variety obit" /> According to [[Jack Paar]], "If you were to ask me the funniest 25 people I've ever known, I'd say, 'Here they are—Jonathan Winters.'{{Space double}} He also said of Winters, "Pound for pound, the funniest man alive."<ref name="Variety obit" />

With his round, rubber-faced mastery of [[Impressionist (entertainment)|impressions]] (including ones of [[John Wayne]], [[Cary Grant]], [[Groucho Marx]], [[James Cagney]], and others) and [[improvisation]]al comedy, Winters became a staple of [[Late night television in the United States|late-night television]] with a career spanning more than six decades. With notable honors, many television shows, films, and [[Stand-up comedy|comedy circuit]] appearances, Winters was known to start his stage shows by commanding an applauding audience that had risen to its feet to: "Please remain standing throughout the evening."<ref name="Post obit" />

Winters performed a wide range of characters: [[hillbilly|hillbillies]], arrogant city slickers, nerve-shattered airline pilots trying to hide their fear, disgruntled [[Western (genre)|westerners]], judgmental [[Martian]]s, little old ladies, nosy gas station attendants, a hungry cat eyeing a mouse, the oldest living airline stewardess, and more. "I was fighting for the fact that you could be funny without telling jokes," he told ''[[The New York Times]]'', adding that he thought of himself foremost as a writer and less as a stand-up comedian. He named [[James Thurber]]'s sophisticated absurdity as influential and said he idolized writers with a gift for humor.<ref name="Post obit" />

Two of his most memorable characters, cranky granny "Maude Frickert" and [[Yokel|bumpkin]] farmer "Elwood P. Suggins" ("I think eggs 24 hours a day"), were born from his early television routines. [[Robin Williams]] once told ''[[Playboy]]'' why Winters inspired him. "It was like seeing a guy behind a mask, and you could see that his characters were a great way for him to talk about painful stuff," he said. "I found out later that they are people he knows—his mother, his aunt. He's an artist who also paints with words. He paints these people that he sees."<ref name="Post obit" />
[[File:Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Trailer18.jpg|thumb|Jonathan Winters crashes through a wall in ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' (1963)]]

Onstage and off, Winters was wildly unpredictable. He was often viewed by [[Film producer|producers]] as a liability, leading to a scattershot, though memorable, film career. On television, his two self-titled variety shows displayed him in dazzling form as a [[sketch comedy|sketch comic]] and [[impersonator]].<ref name="Post obit" />

Winters was an [[Artistic inspiration|inspiration]] for performers such as [[Johnny Carson]], [[Billy Crystal]], [[Tracey Ullman]], [[Lily Tomlin]], [[Steve Martin]], [[Jim Carrey]], and [[Jimmy Kimmel]]. Robin Williams credited Winters as his comedy mentor, and the two co-starred on ''[[Mork & Mindy]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/robin-williams-remembers-comic-legend-jonathan-winters-18947090|title=Robin Williams Remembers Comic Legend Jonathan Winters|format = Video| work= ABC News}}</ref>

In a 1991 interview with the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', Winters likened the [[Show business|entertainment industry]] to the [[Olympic Games|Olympics]], with actors standing on boxes to receive [[gold medal|gold]], [[silver medal|silver]], and [[bronze medals]]. Winters claimed, "I think my place is inside the box, underneath the guy receiving the gold medal. They're playing the national anthem and I'm fondling a platinum medallion."<ref name="Post obit" />

==Quotations==
*"If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to meet it."<ref name=Quotes>{{cite web|title=Jonathan Winters – Quotes|url=http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/8149.Jonathan_Winters|website=Goodreads.com|access-date=August 15, 2014}}</ref>
*"I couldn't wait for success, so I went ahead without it."<ref name=Quotes />
*"Behold the turtle; the only time he makes progress is when he sticks out his head."<ref>“Certifiably Johnathan” videoComedy/Documentary-2007.</ref>

==Filmography==

===Television and film===
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
*1956–1957: ''[[The Jonathan Winters Show (1956 TV series)|The Jonathan Winters Show]]'' {{small|Winters also credited as [[Screenwriter|writer]] for episodes 1.2 & 1.3}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/jonathan-winters|title=Jonathan Winters Interview |publisher=Archive of American Television|work=Emmy TV Legends|date=October 22, 2017 }}</ref>
*1960: ''[[Alakazam the Great]]'' ([[voice actor|voice]]) as Sir Quigley Broken Bottom (English version)
*1961: "[[A Game of Pool (1961)|A Game of Pool]]" (episode of ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'') as James Howard "Fats" Brown
*1963: ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' as Lennie Pike
*1964: ''The Jonathan Winters Special'' ([[TV special]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=wintersjona&title=WINTERS,%2520JONATHAN%2520-%2520The%2520Museum%2520of%2520Broadcast%2520Communications|title=Winters, Jonathan – The Museum of Broadcast Communications|publisher=museum.tv}}{{Dead link|date=July 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
*1965: ''The Jonathan Winters Show'' (2 specials)
*1965: ''[[The Loved One (film)|The Loved One]]'' as Henry Glenworthy / Rev. Wilbur Glenworthy
*1966: ''[[The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming]]'' as Norman Jonas
*1966: ''[[Penelope (1966 film)|Penelope]]'' as Professor Klobb
*1967: ''Guys 'n' Geishas'' ([[Danny Thomas]] special)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atvaudio.com/ata_category_search.php|title=Welcome to Archival Television Audio, INC|publisher=atvaudio.com}}</ref>
*1967: ''[[Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad (film)|Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad]]'' as Dad (Narrator)
*1967: ''[[Eight on the Lam]]'' as Police Sgt. Jasper Lynch / Mother Lynch
*1967–1969: ''The Jonathan Winters Show'' (TV series)<ref name="LA Times obit" />
*1968: ''Now You See It, Now You Don't'' (TV film) as Jerry Klay<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/jonathan-winters|title=Jonathan Winters Interview |date=October 22, 2017 |publisher=emmytvlegends.org}}</ref>
*1969: ''[[Viva Max!]]'' as General Billy Joe Hallson
*1970: ''[[The Wonderful World of Jonathan Winters]]'' (TV special) as Himself
*1970–1971: ''[[Hot Dog (TV series)|Hot Dog]]'' as Himself
*1972: ''[[The New Scooby-Doo Movies]]'' as Himself and Maude Frickert
*1972–1974: ''The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters'' ([[Broadcast syndication|syndicated]] TV show)<ref name="NY Times obit" /><ref name="NY Times WW credits" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/shows/Wacky-World-Jonathan-Winters/4534|title=The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters on DVD|publisher=TVShowsOnDVD.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114211456/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/shows/Wacky-World-Jonathan-Winters/4534|archive-date=November 14, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
*1976: ''Jonathan Winters Presents 200 Years of American Humor'' (TV special)<ref name="Variety obit" /><ref name="Yahoo! bio" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://tv.nytimes.com/show/52157/Jonathan-Winters-Presents-200-Years-of-American-Humor/overview|title=Jonathan Winters Presents 200 Years of American Humor – TV Special|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/468640/jonathan-winters-presents-200-years-of-american-humor|title=Jonathan Winters Presents 200 Years of American Humor (1976)|publisher=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref>
*1976: ''Freedom Is'' (TV special); voices
*1977: ''[[Walt Disney anthology television series|The Wonderful World of Disney]]'': ''[[Halloween Hall o' Fame]]'' (TV special); host
*1977: ''[[Yabba Dabba Doo! The Happy World of Hanna-Barbera]]'' (TV special) as himself
*1979: ''[[The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh]]'' as H.S. / Harvey Tilson
*1980: ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' (season 4, episode 16)
*1980: ''[[I Go Pogo (film)|I Go Pogo]]'' as Porky Pine / Molester Mole / Wiley Catt (voice)
*1980: ''More Wild, Wild West'' (TV film)<ref>{{cite book|title=More Wild Wild West (VHS)|asin=6301805380}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/474114/more-wild-wild-west|title=More Wild Wild West (1980)|publisher=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> as Albert Paradine II
*1981: ''[[Mork & Mindy]]'' (recurring role) as Mearth
*1984: ''E. Nick: A Legend in His Own Mind'' as Emerson Foosnagel III<ref name="HistoryForSale" />
*1985: ''[[Alice in Wonderland (1985 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' (in two-part TV film) as [[Humpty Dumpty]] (voice) 
*1985: ''[[Yogi's Treasure Hunt]]'' (additional voices)
*1986: ''[[The Longshot]]'' as Tyler
*1986: ''Say Yes'' as W. D. Westmoreland
*1986: ''[[The Smurfs (1981 TV series)|The Smurfs]]'' as Grandpa Smurf
*1986: ''King Kong: The Living Legend'' (TV special); host<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tv.yahoo.com/shows/king-kong-the-living-legend/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130630174459/http://tv.yahoo.com/shows/king-kong-the-living-legend/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-06-30|title=King Kong: The Living Legend|publisher=Yahoo! TV}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://tv.nytimes.com/show/52666/King-Kong-The-Living-Legend/overview|title=King Kong: The Living Legend – TV Special|work=The New York Times}}</ref>
*1987: ''[[The Little Troll Prince|The Little Troll Prince: A Christmas Parable]]'' as King Ulvik a.k.a. Left Head (voice)
*1988: ''[[Moon over Parador]]'' as Ralph
*1988: ''[[The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley]]'' as Roger Gustav and Mr. Freebus (voice)
*1989: ''[[Hanna-Barbera's 50th: A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration]]'' as himself (TV special) 
*1990: ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' as Sappy Stanley (voice, in episode "Who Bopped Bugs Bunny")
*1990: ''[[Rick Moranis in Gravedale High]]'' as Coach Cadaver
*1991: ''[[Little Dracula (TV series)|Little Dracula]]'' as [[Igor (character)|Igor]], Granny
*1991: ''[[The Story of Holly and Ivy|The Wish that Changed Christmas]]'' as Owl (voice on TV special)
*1991: ''[[Davis Rules]]'' as Gunny Davis
*1992: ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation]]'' as Wade Pig / [[Superman]] (voice)
*1992: ''[[Frosty Returns]]'' ([[narrator]])
*1992: ''Spaced Out!''; host (also [[executive producer]]) {{small|(features comics such as [[Bonnie Hunt]], [[Carrot Top]] and others)}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000YC15A8|title=Spaced Out|via=Amazon}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://tv.yahoo.com/shows/jonathan-winters-spaced-out/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130630173045/http://tv.yahoo.com/shows/jonathan-winters-spaced-out/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-06-30|title=Jonathan Winters: Spaced Out|publisher=Yahoo! TV}}</ref>
*1993: ''Precious Moments: Timmy's Special Delivery'' as Dogs / Worker #1 (voice; Christmas movie)
*1994: ''[[Animaniacs]]'' as Stinkbomb D. Basset (voice, in episode "Smell Ya Later")
*1994: ''Christopher and Holly a.k.a. The Bears Who Saved Christmas'' as Charlie the Compass (voice)
*1994: ''[[Yogi the Easter Bear]]'' as Ranger Mortimer (voice)
*1994: ''[[The Flintstones (film)|The Flintstones]]'' as Grizzled Man
*1994: ''[[The Shadow (1994 film)|The Shadow]]'' as Wainwright Cranston
*1995: ''[[The Thief and the Cobbler|Arabian Knight]]'' as The Thief (Miramax version) (voice)
*1996: ''[[Bloopy's Buddies]]''
*2000: ''[[The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (film)|The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle]]'' as Whoppa Chopper Pilot / Ohio Cop with Bullhorn / Jeb<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/adventures_of_rocky_and_bullwinkle/|title=The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref>
*2003: ''[[Swing (2003 film)|Swing]]'' as Uncle Bill
*2004: ''[[Comic Book: The Movie]]'' as Wally (Army Buddy #2)
*2004: ''Tell Them Who You Are'' ([[documentary film]]) as Himself<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jonathan_winters/|title=Jonathan Winters |publisher= Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref>
*2006: ''[[Cattle Call (film)|National Lampoon's Cattle Call]]'' as Thomas the Studio Tour Guide
*2007: ''[[Certifiably Jonathan]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.certifiablyjonathan.com |title=Jonathan Winters Film |publisher=Certifiably Jonathan |access-date=April 5, 2011}}{{Dead link |date=March 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> ([[Feel Good Film Festival#Celebrities honored|honored celebrity at FGFF]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/certifiably-jonathan/|title=Certifiably Jonathan|publisher= Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref>
*2011: ''[[The Smurfs (film)|The Smurfs]]'' as [[Papa Smurf]] (voice)
*2013: ''[[The Smurfs 2]]'' as Papa Smurf (voice, released posthumously)
{{div col end}}

===Short films===
*1968: ''The Early Birds'' (writer and voices)<ref name="HistoryForSale" />
*1975: ''Sonic Boom'' as Ed (performer)
*2000: ''[[Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big]]'' as The President (voice, as "Jonathon Winters")
*2002: ''[[Santa vs. the Snowman 3D]]'' as [[Santa Claus]] (voice)

==Discography==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
*1960: ''Down to Earth''
*1960: ''[[The Wonderful World of Jonathan Winters]]'' (reissued in 2003)
*1961: ''Here's Jonathan''
*1962: ''Another Day, Another World''
*1962: ''Humor Seen through the Eyes of Jonathan Winters''
*1964: ''Whistle Stopping with Jonathan Winters''
*1966: ''Movies Are Better Than Ever''
*1969: ''Jonathan Winters... Wings it!''
*1969: ''Stuff 'n Nonsense''
*1973: ''Jonathan Winters and Friends Laugh ... Live''
*1975: ''[[The Little Prince]]'' (featured in [[List of The Little Prince adaptations#Vinyl record|an adaptation]] with [[Richard Burton]])
*1987: ''Jonathan Winters Answers Your Telephone''
*1988: ''Finally Captured''
*1988: ''Winter's Tales'' (audio book)
*1989: ''Jonathan Winters Tells The Story Of Peter And The Wolf''
*1989: ''Hang-Ups Cal'90''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13304582-hang-ups-cal-90|title=Hang-Ups Cal'90 by Jonathan Winters |publisher=goodreads.com}}</ref>
*1990: ''Into the '90s''
*1992: ''Jonathan Winters is Terminator 3''
*1992: ''Paul Bunyan''
*1993: ''Best of Jonathan Winters'' ([[Compact Cassette|audio cassette]])<ref>{{cite book|title=Best of Jonathan Winters: Jonathan Winters: 9781558008410|isbn=1558008411}}</ref>
*1995: ''Crank(y) Calls''
*1995: ''[[The Thief and the Cobbler]]'' a.k.a. ''[[The Thief and the Cobbler#Arabian Knight (1995, Miramax)|Arabian Knight]]'' (voice of the Thief)
*2000: ''Outpatients''
*2006: ''Old Folks''
*2007: ''The Underground Tapes''
*2007: ''[[A Christmas Carol]]''
*2007: ''Maude Frickert'' [explicit]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000S4B4U8|title=Maude Frickert [Explicit&#93;: Jonathan Winters & Gary Owens: MP3 Downloads|website=Amazon }}</ref>
*2009: ''A Very Special Time''
*2011: ''Final Approach''
*2011: ''[[The Smurfs (film)|The Smurfs]]'' (voice of Papa Smurf)

{{Div col end}}

===Compilation===
*1963: ''Jonathan Winters' Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' (in conjunction with the [[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World|film of the same name]])

===Video releases===
*1968: ''Jonathan Winters: The Lost Episodes'' ([[VHS]]) {{small|(rare TV footage from the 1950s and 1960s including [[Mickey Rooney]], [[Art Carney]], [[Dinah Shore]], [[Jack Paar]], [[Louis Nye]] and others)}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00027EK8O|title=Jonathan Winters: The Lost Episodes|via=Amazon}}</ref>
*1986: ''Say Yes'' (VHS)<ref>{{cite book|title= Say Yes (VHS)|asin=6302874505}}</ref>
*1986: ''Jonathan Winters: Madman of Comedy'' (VHS)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005O5IY|title=Jonathan Winters:Madman of Comedy|date=August 14, 2001 |via=Amazon}}</ref>
*1987: ''On The Ledge'' (VHS)<ref>{{cite book|title=Jonathan Winters – On The Ledge (VHS)|asin=630178510X}}</ref>
*1991: ''Johnny Carson (with Jonathan Winters and Robin Williams)'' <ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/qzv6EhE7Cbo Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20180821082712/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzv6EhE7Cbo Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzv6EhE7Cbo |title=Robin Williams on Carson w/ Jonathan Winters 1991 |date=July 17, 2018 |publisher=[[YouTube]] |access-date=2020-03-18}}{{cbignore}}</ref> (On Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination)
*1995: ''Jonathan Winters: Gone Fish'n'' (VHS/[[DVD]]) {{small|Winters also credited as [[editing|editor]]}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jonathanwinters.com/books.html|title=Jonathan Winters: Books|publisher=jonathanwinters.com|access-date=April 14, 2013|archive-date=May 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504134355/http://www.jonathanwinters.com/books.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*2000: ''The Unknown Jonathan Winters: On the Loose'' (VHS/DVD)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004U0FQ|title=The Unknown Jonathan Winters: On the Loose|website=Amazon |date=September 5, 2000 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004U0T7|title=The Unknown Jonathan Winters - On the Loose|date=September 5, 2000|via=Amazon}}</ref>
*2005: ''Jonathan Winters: Rare and Riotous'' (VHS/DVD)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007L86L2|title=Jonathan Winters: Rare and Riotous|date=May 10, 2005 |via=Amazon}}</ref>
*2007: ''Certifiably Jonathan'' (DVD) {{small|(features [[Howie Mandel]], [[Tim Conway]], [[Jimmy Kimmel]], [[Sarah Silverman]] and others)}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006WDHEEE|title=Certifiably Jonathan|date=March 6, 2012 |via=Amazon}}</ref>
*2011: ''Jonathan Winters: Birth of a Genius'' (DVD)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MYDA6I|title=Jonathan Winters: Birth of a Genius|date=August 2, 2011 |via=Amazon}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
* ''Mouse Breath, Conformity and Other Social Ills'' (1965) ([[hardcover]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007EI6I2|title=Mouse breath, conformity, and other social ills|first=Jonathan|last=Winters|date=January 1, 1965|publisher=Bobbs-Merrill|via=Amazon}}</ref>
* ''Winters' Tales: Stories and Observations for the Unusual'' ([[First edition|1st edition]] 1987)/ (2nd edition 1993) / (3rd edition 2001) ([[paperback]])<ref name="GoodReads1" /><ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ZTXV5G|title=Winters' Tales: Jonathan Winters: 9780394759784|website=Amazon |date=January 1987 |publisher=Vintage Books |isbn=978-0-394-75978-4 }}</ref>
* ''Hang-Ups: Paintings by Jonathan Winters'' (1st edition 1988) (hardcover)<ref>{{cite book|title=Hang-Ups: Paintings by Jonathan Winters (9780394570242)|isbn=0394570243|last1=Winters|first1=Jonathan|year=1988|publisher=Random House }}</ref>
* ''Jonathan Winters: After The Beep '' (1989) (paperback)<ref>{{cite book|title=Jonathan Winters: After The Beep: Jim B. Smith: 9780399515354|isbn=0399515356|last1=Winters|first1=Jonathan|last2=Smith|first2=Jim B.|year=1989|publisher=Perigee Books }}</ref>
* ''Jonathan Winters' [[A Christmas Carol]]'' (first aired on [[NPR]] in 1990,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/product-description/1598875329|title=A Christmas Carol (9781598875324): Charles Dickens, Mimi Kennedy, Jonathan Winters, Laurence Olivier, Susan Stamberg|website=Amazon |date=September 5, 2007 |publisher=HighBridge Audio |isbn=978-1-59887-532-4 }}</ref> published on CD ([[audiobook]]) September 5, 2007) <ref>{{cite book|title=Publisher: HighBridge Company; Unabridged, Fully Dramatized; 1 hour on 1 CD edition (September 5, 2007) ISBN 1598875329|isbn=1598875329}}</ref>
* ''Maude Frickert Tells All'' (2010) (hardcover)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15235334-maude-frickert-tells-all|title=Maude Frickert Tells All by Jonathan Winters |publisher=goodreads.com}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name="Baltimore News Journal">{{cite web|title=Jonathan Winters dead at 87|url=http://www.baltimorenewsjournal.com/2013/04/12/jonathan-winters-dead-at-87/|work=BaltimoreNewsJournal.com|access-date=April 12, 2013|archive-date=April 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130426094344/http://www.baltimorenewsjournal.com/2013/04/12/jonathan-winters-dead-at-87/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="beverly">[http://bhcourier.com/comedian-jonathan-winters-dies-87/ Comedian Jonathan Winters Dies At 87] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924141351/http://bhcourier.com/comedian-jonathan-winters-dies-87/ |date=September 24, 2016 }}, ''[[The Beverly Hills Courier]]'', April 12, 2013</ref>
<ref name="Boston Globe obit">{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2013/04/12/jonathan-winters-comedian-who-inspired-comics-dies/90B7sF0Dbed6wR2qCjddZI/story.html|title=Jonathan Winters, comedian who inspired comics, dies at 87|work=The Boston Globe}}</ref>
<ref name="CBS LA obit">{{cite web|url=http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/04/12/groundbreaking-improv-comic-jonathan-winters-dies/|title=Groundbreaking Improv Comic Jonathan Winters Dies|date=April 12, 2013 |publisher=CBS Los Angeles}}</ref>
<ref name="film reference">{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/96/Jonathan-Winters.html|title=Jonathan Winters Biography (1925–)|publisher=Film Reference}}</ref>
<ref name="GoodReads1">{{cite web|url=http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8149.Jonathan_Winters|title=Jonathan Winters (Author of Winters' Tales)|publisher=goodreads.com}}</ref>
<ref name="HistoryForSale">{{cite web|url=http://www.historyforsale.com/html/prodetails.asp?documentid=9061&page=42|publisher=HistoryForSale|title= Art & Architecture Autographs JONATHAN WINTERS}}</ref>
<ref name="Huffingtonpost obit">{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/12/jonathan-winters-dead_n_3070474.html|title=Jonathan Winters Dead: 'Mork and Mindy' Star Dies At Age 87|publisher=Huffington Post | first=Stephanie|last=Marcus|date=April 12, 2013}}</ref>
<ref name="NY Times WW credits">{{cite news|url=http://tv.nytimes.com/show/161055/Wacky-World-of-Jonathan-Winters/overview|title=Wacky World of Jonathan Winters|work=The New York Times}}</ref>
<ref name="NY Times obit">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/13/arts/television/jonathan-winters-comedian-dies-at-87.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|title=Jonathan Winters, Funny Man and Comedic Inspiration, Dies at 87|last=Grimes|first=William|date=April 12, 2013|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=April 12, 2013 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
<ref name="LA Times obit">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-jonathan-winters-improvisational-comedy-20130412,0,6053628.story|title=Remembering Jonathan Winters, the 'father of improvisational comedy'|work=Los Angeles Times | first=Deborah|last=Vankin|date=April 12, 2013}}</ref>
<ref name="Springfield News Sun">{{cite web|url=http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/news/local/comedian-actor-jonathan-winters-dies/nXKwJ/ |title = Springfield legend Winters dies at 87 |publisher = springfieldnewssun.com}}</ref>
<ref name="Variety obit">{{cite news|title=Comedian Jonathan Winters Dead at 87|author=Carmel Dagan|date=April 12, 2013|url=https://variety.com/2013/tv/news/jonathan-winters-dead-at-87-1200354170/#1/jonathan-winters-in-1965/|publisher=Variety|access-date=April 14, 2013}}</ref>
<ref name="Post obit">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/jonathan-winters-improv-genius-who-created-memorable-characters-for-late-night-tv/2013/04/12/2f19a034-b474-11e0-98cc-1310098c2cc9_story_1.html |title = Jonathan Winters, comedian behind memorable characters on late-night TV, dies at 87|newspaper=The Washington Post | first=Megan|last=Buerger|date=April 15, 2013}}</ref>
<ref name="Yahoo! bio">{{cite web|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/person/jonathan-winters/biography.html|title=Jonathan Winters Biography|publisher=Yahoo! Movies}}</ref>
<ref name="Happier Days">{{cite book | last1 = Brant | first1 = Marley | title = Happier Days: Paramount Television's Golden Sitcoms | publisher = Random House Digital | year = 2006 | page = 128 | isbn = 978-0823089338}}</ref>
<ref name="Corps Stories">{{cite web |url=http://www.corpsstories.com/WintersJonathan.htm |title=Marine Corps Stories – Famous Marines |publisher=Corpsstories.com |access-date=April 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303202107/http://www.corpsstories.com/WintersJonathan.htm |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb name|0005565}}
* {{Official website|http://www.jonathanwinters.com}}
* [http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/jonathan-winters Interview] with the [[Archive of American Television]]
* video: {{YouTube|For2X31-x-M|Montage of live performances}} Tribute to Jonathan Winters at the 2003 Orinda Film Festival; 14 minutes
* video: {{YouTube|bDDXjZ2wLxw|"Jonathan Winters roasts Ronald Reagan"}}, on Dean Martin Roasts TV show, 3 minutes
* video: {{YouTube|sUO6-Byrel0|Jonathan Winters on the Jack Paar Show}}, stand-up comedy routine, 1964
* [http://www.wtfpod.com Marc Maron interviews Jonathan Winters - WTF Podcast Episode 173 - May 2011]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130414231943/http://www.xojane.com/entertainment/jonathan-winters-biography Marc Maron on the genius of Jonathan Winters and his "possession of a comic muse perpetually at war with the darkness of his mind"], Entertainment, xojane, 2013.04.12

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{{succession box | before = [[Jack Angel]]| title = [[Papa Smurf|Voice of Papa Smurf]]| years = 2011-2013; ''[[The Smurfs (film)|The Smurfs]]'' and ''[[The Smurfs 2]]''| after = [[Mandy Patinkin]]}}
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{{Navboxes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Winters, Jonathan}}
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