David Winters - Biography

As a teenager, David Winters appeared in many television shows and Broadway productions, including "West Side Story", originating the role of Baby John. A few years later, he appeared as A-Rab in the movie version (West Side Story (1961)), recreating the special "Cool" dance sequence choreographed for him.

Once in Hollywood, Winters began to teach dance to actors, such as Ann-Margret and Raquel Welch. He also choreographed many major films, including five Elvis Presley films and Barbra Streisand's Une étoile est née (1976). He also choreographed and guest-starred in Movin' with Nancy (1967), earning his first of many Emmy Nominations, and was a regular singer/dancer and choreographer on Hullabaloo (1965). This catapulted him into television directing and producing and, in all, he has directed and produced over 200 shows, specials and movies, including the award-winning Once Upon a Wheel (1971), starring Paul Newman, and the musical Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1973) starring Kirk Douglas. For his television work, Winters has won the coveted Peabody Award, the Christopher Award and many Emmy Nominations.

In the 1980s he produced, directed, wrote and co-starred in Les frénétiques (1982), which he filmed during the Cannes Film Festival and which went on to win numerous awards including the Paris Film Festival Award, the Los Angeles Golden Scroll Award and the Sitges Film Festival Award.

He has directed, produced and distributed over 50 films, and his latest movie, Welcome 2 Ibiza (2003), won the Bangkok Film Festival Audience Award in November of 2002 for Best Picture.