Early 1950s-1967: Early roles, stage musicals, and dance choreography At age 12, Winters was shining shoes to pay for dance classes afraid his mother would not approve. She eventually caught him and made a deal to make him stop: if he did his
bar mitzvah, she would bring him to dance classes. In 1954, Winters acted in the film ''
Roogie's Bump. That year he performed in the first Broadway revival of On Your Toes'', directed by
George Abbott and choreographed by
George Balanchine. It opened on October 11, 1954, at the
46th Street Theatre, where it ran for 64 performances. On November 23 of that year he acted in another Broadway play called
Sandhog. In the musical, Winters alongside
Yuriko,
Eliot Feld, Muriel Mannings, and Betty Ageloff played a group of kids. Paul Affelder of
The Brooklyn Eagle praised all the performances, and found the kids talented. In 1956, Winters appeared in the film
Rock, Rock, Rock! In 1957, he performed in
Shinbone Alley. The Broadway production opened on April 13, 1957, at
The Broadway Theatre and closed on May 25, 1957, after 49 performances. Later that year, he played the role of Baby John in the original Broadway production of
West Side Story. Conceived, directed and choreographed by
Jerome Robbins, it ran for 732 performances before going on tour. The production was nominated for six
Tony Awards including Best Musical. On May 21, 1959, he starred as Yonkers in the original production of
Gypsy. The show was produced by
David Merrick and directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. Critic Frank Rich has referred to it as one of the more influential stagings of a musical in American theatrical history. The original production received eight Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical. It closed on March 25, 1961, after 702 performances and two previews. In 1960, he acted in the Broadway musical
One More River. In 1961, he appeared as A-Rab in the movie version of
West Side Story directed by
Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. He and Carole D'Andrea,
Jay Norman,
Tommy Abbott,
William Bramley and
Tony Mordente were the only actors to have been cast in both the original Broadway show and the motion picture. The film was the highest grossing motion picture of that year, going on to win 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. During that time and moving forward to 1967, he acted regularly on television, he was seen in
77 Sunset Strip,
Perry Mason,
The Dick Powell Show, and more. On January 30, 1963, the play
Billy Liar made its American premiere with Winters in the title role. Margaret Harford of the
Los Angeles Times liked the acting and said that Winters played the role with "coltish swagger". In 1964, he choreographed
George Sidney's
Viva Las Vegas starring
Elvis Presley and
Ann-Margret. Ann-Margret, who was his student at the time, recommended him for the job. That year Winters choreographed
Norman Jewison's
Send Me No Flowers, Don Weis'
Pajama Party, and
Steve Binder's
T.A.M.I. Show.
T.A.M.I. Show would go on to be deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States
Library of Congress and selected for preservation in 2006 in the
National Film Registry. He also had a role in the film
The New Intern. On September 21, the variety show
Shindig! premiered where Winters served as a choreographer. In 1965, he choreographed two musicals starring Elvis Presley:
Boris Sagal's
Girl Happy and
Norman Taurog's
Tickle Me. He also choreographed two Ann-Margret films: ''
Bus Riley's Back in Town and Kitten with a Whip''. Another choreographer credit was Don Weis'
Billie. That year, he started to perform on television with his troupe, named the David Winters Dancers. That year, on the tv show
Hullabaloo, he choreographed popular dances of the 1960s, including the
Watusi, and originated
the Freddy. In 1966, he co-produced and choreographed the
Lucille Ball television special
Lucy in London. Also that year he acted in
The Crazy-Quilt by
John Korty, and The David Winters Dancers also appeared in the television special ''MJ's''. Finally he choreographed two more Ann-Margret films Boris Sagal's
Made in Paris, and George Sidney's
The Swinger. In 1967, Winters directed two episodes of the television show
The Monkees. He choreographed Elvis Presley in
Easy Come, Easy Go. With the David Winters Dancers, he appeared on the television special
Go. That year, he was an associate director for the Broadway play
Of Love Remembered, directed by
Burgess Meredith. Also in 1967, for his choreography on the
Nancy Sinatra television special ''
Movin' with Nancy,'' he received an Emmy nomination in the category Special Classification of Individual Achievements.
1968 to 1986: Subsequent choreography, producing and directing In 1968, he co-founded the production company Winters/Rosen which specialized in television specials. He choreographed and directed
The Ann-Margret Show. That year, separately from Winters/Rosen, he choreographed and performed with his troupe on the television special ''
Monte Carlo: C'est La Rose,'' hosted by Princess
Grace Kelly. In 1969, Winters directed and choreographed
Ann-Margret: From Hollywood With Love (for which Winters received an Emmy nomination for dance choreography). Also that year, he produced and choreographed
The Spring Thing. On April 26, 1970
CBS released
Raquel Welch's first television special
Raquel!, Winters produced, directed and choreographed. On the day of the premiere, the show received a 51% share on the National ARB Ratings and an overnight New York Nielsen Rating of 58% share. In 1971, he produced and directed
Once Upon a Wheel, a documentary on auto racing. It is hosted and narrated by actor
Paul Newman. Winters said that at the time Newman had publicly stated he didn't want to do television and turned it down for this reason until he pitched his vision to him. The project marked Newman's return to television after a decade long absence, and his first time as the lead of a program. During post-production, Winters said that Newman, who liked what he saw, gave him the idea to add some footage to sell it as a theatrical film worldwide. Upon its release, the documentary generally received good reviews for its directing, pace, photography, music, and human interest stories. That same year, he was an executive producer for
The 5th Dimension's television special
The 5th Dimension Traveling Sunshine Show. In 1972, he produced, directed and choreographed the television special
The Special London Bridge Special, starring
Tom Jones, and
Jennifer O'Neill. That year, he produced
Timex All-Star Swing Festival (which won the Peabody Award and a Christopher Award for Winters as its producer), a live concert with performances by jazz musicians
Ella Fitzgerald,
Duke Ellington,
Dave Brubeck,
Benny Goodman,
Gene Krupa, etc. In 1973, he directed, choreographed and produced the television movie
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, starring
Kirk Douglas. At the Emmy Awards it was nominated for outstanding achievement in makeup, costume design, and music direction. In 1975, Winters directed the
Alice Cooper concert film
Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare. That same year, he produced the comedy
Linda Lovelace for President. In 1976, he choreographed
Frank Pierson's
A Star Is Born, starring
Barbra Streisand. The following year he choreographed credits 22 episodes of TV show
Donny & Marie. That year he also served as a creative consultant on
Don Taylor's The Island of Dr. Moreau. In 1978, he choreographed Steve Binder's
Star Wars Holiday Special. In 1979 Winters directed the tennis sport comedy
Racquet, starring
Bert Convy. That same year, he choreographed
Mark L. Lester's
Roller Boogie. Also in 1979,
Diana Ross In Concert premiered on television, Winters conceived and directed the stage production. In 1980. Winters directed and choreographed the stage show
Goosebumps. In 1981, he choreographed and was creative consultant for the
Diana Ross television special
Diana. In 1982, he produced, directed, wrote, and co-starred in the horror comedy
The Last Horror Film, starring
Joe Spinell and
Caroline Munro. It played in film festivals, where it won and received several nominations. It is praised for its unique blend of self-reflexive horror, humor, and inventive filmmaking. Critics highlight its avant-garde approach, using the
Cannes Film Festival as a backdrop for a slasher plot that cleverly reflects on the film industry. The movie is described as an entertaining and nostalgic treat for horror fans and a daring guerilla-style production. Many regard it as a cult classic of the genre. In 1984 he directed the documentary
That Was Rock, hosted by
Chuck Berry, and a television adaptation of
Steadfast Tin Soldier. Also that year he worked as an artistic adviser on the film
Blame it on the Night. In 1985, he directed
Girls of Rock & Roll. In 1986, Winters directed the
sports film Thrashin, starring
Josh Brolin, and
Pamela Gidley. Set in Los Angeles, it's about Cory (Brolin), a teenage competitive skateboarder, and his romance with Chrissy (Gidley). With a notable soundtrack, the film maintains a following. Prior to the casting of Brolin, Winters wanted
Johnny Depp to play Cory. That same year, directed the action film
Mission Kill, with
Robert Ginty.
1987 to 2019: Later works In 1987, Winters opened the production company,
Action International Pictures. He hired director
David A. Prior, with whom he would work regularly moving forward. That year they released
Deadly Prey,
Aerobicide, and
Mankillers. In 1988, he directed the action film
Rage to Kill starring
James Ryan. That year also saw the release of the
space opera science fiction film Space Mutiny. While being the credited director, Winters disowned the film. According to him, upon the first shooting day, he was informed that his father had passed. Being emotionally troubled and with a funeral to attend, Winters was unable to perform his duties and passed it on to his assistant director Neal Sundstorm. However, he was informed that the investors had agreed to the film only with Winters as its director, and could face litigation if he withdrew, hence the credit. The film has the reputation of being an amusing, unintentionally funny, and campy B-movie. That year, Winters produced
Dead End City, Death Chase, Night Wars, and
Phoenix The Warrior. In 1989, the action film
Code Name Vengeance was released, with Winters directing and producing. Robert Ginty played the lead. Winters would go on to produce
The Bounty Hunter (1989),
Order of Eagle (1989)
, Future Force (1989),
Time Burst - The Final Alliance (1989),
Deadly Reactor (1989)
, Hell on the Battleground (1989), Jungle Assault (1989)
, The Revenger (1990)
, Fatal Skies (1990),''
Future Zone (1990), Deadly Dancer
(1990),
Operation Warzone
(1990),
Rapid Fire (1990), The Shooters
(1990), The Final Sanction
(1990), Lock 'n' Load
(1990), Born Killer
(1990),
Invasion Force
(1990),
Firehead (1991), Dark Rider
(1991), Raw Nerve (1991), Maximum Breakout
(1991),
Cop-Out
(1991),
Presumed Guilty
(1991),
The Last Ride
(1991), White Fury
(1991),
Center of the Web
(1992), Armed for Action
(1992),
Blood on the Badge
(1992),
and Double Threat
(1993).'' In 1993, AIP was re-branded as West Side Studios with the intent to take a mainstream direction. Under that banner, he produced
Night Trap (1993),
Raw Justice (1994),
The Dangerous (1995), and
Codename: Silencer (1995). In 1999, Winters produced
Rhythm & Blues. In 2002, he produced, directed, and co-starred the comedy film
Welcome 2 Ibiza, which won the
Bangkok Film Festival Audience Award. In 2005, he produced period film
The King Maker. In 2012, Winters acted in the art house film,
Teddy Bear. In 2015, ''
Dancin': It's On!,
a dance film, premiered which Winters directed. For this project, he said he reconnected with his original passion for dancing. The film stars winners and runners-up of the tv shows, So You Think You Can Dance, and Dancing with the Stars,'' with
Witney Carson as its lead. In 2018, Winters released his memoir
Tough Guys Do Dance. == Death ==