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Roland Winters
Actor

Roland Winters

22 Nov 1904Born
22 Oct 1989Died
84Age at death
63Credits

Biography

Roland Winters (born Roland Winternitz) was an American actor who played many character parts in films and television but today is best remembered for portraying Charlie Chan in six films in the late 1940s.

Monogram Pictures eventually selected Winters to replace Sidney Toler in the Charlie Chan film series. Winters was 44 when he made the first of his six Chan films, The Chinese Ring in 1947 and ending with Charlie Chan and the Sky Dragon (also known as Sky Dragon) in 1949. His other Chan films were "Docks of New Orleans", "Shanghai Chest", "The Golden Eye" and "The Feathered Serpent".

Read the full biography

He also had character roles in three other feature films while he worked on the Chan series.

Yunte Huang, in Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History, noted differences in the actors' appearances, especially that Winters' "tall nose simply could not be made to look Chinese." Huang also cited the actor's age, writing, "at the age of forty-four, he also looked too young to resemble a seasoned Chinese sage."

In contrast to Huang, Ken Hanke wrote in his book, Charlie Chan at the Movies: History, Filmography, and Criticism, "Roland Winters has never received his due ... Winters brought with him a badly needed breath of fresh air to the series." He cited "the richness of the approach and the verve with which the series was being tackled" during the Winters era." Similarly, Howard M. Berlin, in his book, Charlie Chan's Words of Wisdom, commented that "Winters brought a much needed breath of fresh air to the flagging film series with his self-mocking, semi-satirical interpretation of Charlie, which is very close to the Charlie Chan in Biggers' novels."

After the series finished, Winters continued to work in film and television until 1982. He was in the movies So Big and Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, played Elvis' father in Blue Hawaii and a judge in the Elvis film Follow That Dream. He made appearances as the boss on the early TV series Meet Millie as the boss and the courtroom drama Perry Mason. In one episode of the Bewitched TV series, he played the normally unseen McMann of McMann and Tate. He also portrayed Mr. Gimbel in Miracle on 34th Street in 1973.

Known for

Filmography

  1. 1979You Can't Go Home AgainFilm: Judge Bland
  2. 1978The Dain CurseSeries: Hubert Collinson (2 episodes)
  3. 1973Miracle on 34th StreetFilm: Mr. Gimbel
  4. 1973Adam's RibSeries: Judge Ransom (1 episode)
  5. 1970LovingFilm: Plommie
  6. 1969DocFilm: Watkins
  7. 1967The Carol Burnett ShowSeries: Various Characters (1 episode)
  8. 1964Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.Series: Dan Merrill (1 episode)
  9. 1964The Addams FamilySeries: Ralph J. Hulen (1 episode)
  10. 1964BewitchedSeries: McMann (1 episode)
  11. 1964ArchieFilm: Mr. Weatherbee
  12. 1962Big Deal in LaredoFilm: Henry Drummond
  13. 1962The Lucy ShowSeries: Dean Bennett (1 episode)
  14. 1962The Alfred Hitchcock HourSeries: Ivar West (1 episode)
  15. 1962Follow That DreamFilm: Judge
  16. 1961Everything's DuckyFilm: Capt. Bollinger
  17. 1961Blue HawaiiFilm: Fred Gates
  18. 1961The DefendersSeries: Jeff Brubaker (1 episode)
  19. 1961A String of BeadsFilm
  20. 1960The Iceman ComethSeries: The General (Piet Wetjoen) (2 episodes)
  21. 1960Cash McCallFilm: Gen. Andrew Danvers
  22. 1960The Computer Comes to MarketingFilm: Ned
  23. 1959Play of the WeekSeries (1 episode)
  24. 1959StartimeSeries: Fannington (1 episode)
  25. 1959Never Steal Anything SmallFilm: Doctor
  26. 1957Jet PilotFilm: Col. Sokolov
  27. 1957Perry MasonSeries: Archer Bryant (1 episode)
  28. 1957Top Secret AffairFilm: Sen. Burdick
  29. 1956Bigger Than LifeFilm: Dr. Ruric
  30. 1956Broken ArrowSeries: James Perry (1 episode)
  31. 1953So BigFilm: Klaas Pool
  32. 1952She's Working Her Way Through CollegeFilm: Fred Copeland
  33. 1951Schlitz Playhouse of StarsSeries: Boss (1 episode)
  34. 1951Follow the SunFilm: Dr. Graham
  35. 1951Raton PassFilm: Sheriff Perigord
  36. 1951Inside StraightFilm: Alexander Tomson
  37. 1950Sierra PassageFilm: Sam Cooper
  38. 1950The West Point StoryFilm: Harry Eberhart
  39. 1950The Jack Benny ProgramSeries: General Sneed #1 (1 episode)
  40. 1950To Please a LadyFilm: Dwight Barrington
  41. 1950Lux Video TheatreSeries: General Millet, Greenleaf (1 episode)
  42. 1950Between Midnight and DawnFilm: Leo Cusick
  43. 1950ConvictedFilm: Vernon Bradley, Attorney
  44. 1950The Underworld StoryFilm: Stanley Becker
  45. 1950Killer SharkFilm: Jeffrey White
  46. 1950Captain Carey, U.S.A.Film: Manfredo Acuto
  47. 1950Guilty of TreasonFilm: Soviet Comissar Belov
  48. 1949MalayaFilm: Bruno Gruber
  49. 1949A Dangerous ProfessionFilm: Jerry 'Mac' McKay
  50. 1949Once More, My DarlingFilm: Col. Head
  51. 1949Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Killer, Boris KarloffFilm: T. Hanley Brooks
  52. 1949Sky DragonFilm: Charlie Chan
  53. 1949Tuna ClipperFilm: E.J. Ransom
  54. 1948The Feathered SerpentFilm: Charlie Chan
  55. 1948KidnappedFilm: Capt. Hoseason
  56. 1948The Return of OctoberFilm: Colonel Wood
  57. 1948Cry of the CityFilm: Ledbetter
  58. 1948The Golden EyeFilm: Charlie Chan
  59. 1948The Shanghai ChestFilm: Charlie Chan
  60. 1948Docks of New OrleansFilm: Charlie Chan
  61. 1947The Chinese RingFilm: Charlie Chan
  62. 1947Kraft Television TheatreSeries (1 episode)
  63. 1941Citizen KaneFilm: Newspaperman at Trenton Town Hall (uncredited)

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.