RW
Roland Winters
Actor, Writer, Additional Credits
Born November 22, 1904Died October 22, 1989 (84 years)
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". 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.
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". 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.
Movies & Shows on Plex
Known For
Filmography
| 2020 | Cane Fire · as Fred Gates In Blue Hawaii |
| 1978 | The Dain Curse (TV Series) · as Hubert Collinson |
| 1973 | Miracle on 34th Street · as Mr. Gimbel |
| 1973 | Adam's Rib (TV Series) · as Judge Ransom |
| 1970 | Loving · as Plommie |
| 1969 | The Debbie Reynolds Show (TV Series) · as Gov. Bartholomew |
| 1969 | Doc · as Watkins |
| 1967 | The Carol Burnett Show (TV Series) · as Various Characters |
| 1965 | The Smothers Brothers Show (TV Series) · as Leonard J. Costello |
| 1965 | Mister Roberts (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1965 | Green Acres (TV Series) · as Mr. Gerber |
| 1964 | Profiles in Courage (TV Series) · as Pickering |
| 1964 | Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (TV Series) |
| 1964 | Broadside (TV Series) · as Admiral Bronson |
| 1964 | The Addams Family (TV Series) · as Ralph J. Hulen |
| 1964 | Bewitched (TV Series) |
| 1964 | Archie · as Mr. Weatherbee |
| 1963 | Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre (TV Series) · as Walter Schaeffer |
| 1963 | The Farmer's Daughter (TV Series) · as Ingmar Engstrom |
| 1963 | Arrest and Trial (TV Series) · as Charles Connaught |
| 1963 | Vacation Playhouse (TV Series) · as Vincent J. Vincent |
| 1962 | The Lucy Show (TV Series) · as Dean Bennett |
| 1962 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (TV Series) · as Ivar West |
| 1962 | Follow That Dream · as Judge |
| 1961 | Everything's Ducky · as Capt. Bollinger |
| 1961 | Blue Hawaii · as Fred Gates |
| 1961 | Alcoa Premiere (TV Series) · as Granby |
| 1961 | Hazel (TV Series) · as Bixby |
| 1961 | The DuPont Show of the Week (TV Series) · as Henry Drummond |
| 1961 | The Defenders (TV Series) · as Jeff Brubaker |
| 1961 | |
| 1960 | The Iceman Cometh · as The General (piet Wetjoen) |
| 1960 | |
| 1960 | Cash McCall · as Gen. Andrew Danvers |
| 1959 | The Play of the Week (TV Series) |
| 1959 | Ford Startime (TV Series) · as Fannington |
| 1959 | Dennis the Menace (TV Series) · as Gabe Bromley |
| 1959 | Never Steal Anything Small · as Doctor |
| 1958 | Naked City (TV Series) · as Aubrey Hacker |
| 1957 | Jet Pilot · as Col. Sokolov |
| 1957 | Perry Mason (TV Series) · as Archer Bryant |
| 1957 | Date with the Angels (TV Series) · as Corey |
| 1957 | Top Secret Affair · as Sen. Burdick |
| 1956 | Broken Arrow (TV Series) · as James Perry |
| 1956 | Bigger Than Life · as Dr. Ruric |
| 1956 | Kaiser Aluminum Hour (TV Series) · as General Millet |
| 1955 | The 20th Century-Fox Hour (TV Series) · as Gil Warren |
| 1955 | The Millionaire (TV Series) · as Dexter |
| 1953 | So Big · as Klaas Pool |
| 1953 | A Lion Is in the Streets · as Prosecutor |
| 1953 | You Are There (TV Series) · as Theodore Roosevelt |
| 1952 | Omnibus (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1952 | She's Working Her Way Through College · as Fred Copeland |
| 1951 | Goodyear Television Playhouse (TV Series) · as George |
| 1951 | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (TV Series) · as Boss |
| 1951 | The Red Skelton Show (TV Series) · as Cobbler - Clem's Father |
| 1951 | Follow the Sun · as Dr. Graham |
| 1951 | Raton Pass · as Sheriff Perigord |
| 1951 | Inside Straight · as Alexander Tomson |
| 1950 | Sierra Passage · as Sam Cooper |
| 1950 | The West Point Story · as Harry Eberhart |
| 1950 | The Jack Benny Program (TV Series) · as General Sneed #1 |
| 1950 | To Please a Lady · as Dwight Barrington |
| 1950 | The Lux Video Theatre (TV Series) · as Dr. Sturgis |
| 1950 | Between Midnight and Dawn · as Leo Cusick |
| 1950 | Treasury Men in Action (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1950 | Convicted · as Vernon Bradley, Attorney |
| 1950 | The Underworld Story · as Stanley Becker |
| 1950 | The Web (1950) (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1950 | Killer Shark · as Jeffrey White |
| 1950 | Guilty of Treason · as Soviet Comissar Belov |
| 1950 | Robert Montgomery Presents Your Lucky Strike Theatre (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1949 | Malaya · as Bruno Gruber |
| 1949 | Captain Carey, U.S.A. · as Manfredo Acuto |
| 1949 | A Dangerous Profession · as Jerry 'mac' Mckay |
| 1949 | Once More, My Darling · as Col. Head |
| 1949 | Martin Kane, Private Eye (TV Series) · as Jake Barron |
| 1949 | Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet the Killer Boris Karloff · as T. Hanley Brooks |
| 1949 | I Remember Mama (TV Series) · as Uncle Chris |
| 1949 | The Sky Dragon · as Charlie Chan |
| 1948 | The Feathered Serpent · as Charlie Chan |
| 1948 | Kidnapped · as Capt. Hoseason |
| 1948 | Studio One (TV Series) · as Charles Brooks |
| 1948 | The Return of October · as Colonel Wood |
| 1948 | Cry of the City · as Ledbetter |
| 1948 | The Golden Eye · as Charlie Chan |
| 1948 | The Shanghai Chest · as Charlie Chan |
| 1948 | The Milton Berle Show (TV Series) |
| 1948 | Docks of New Orleans · as Charlie Chan |
| 1947 | The Chinese Ring · as Charlie Chan |
| 1947 | Kraft Television Theatre (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1947 | 13 Rue Madeleine · as Van Duyval |
| 1941 | Citizen Kane · as Newspaperman At Trenton Town Hall (uncredited) |