Bernie Winters | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bernie Weinstein (1930-09-06)6 September 1930 |
| Died | 4 May 1991(1991-05-04) (aged 60) London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Comedian, musician, actor, TV presenter |
| Years active | 1957−1990 |
| Spouse | Siggi Winters |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Samuel Weinstein Rachel Bloomfield |
| Relatives | Mike Winters |
Bernie Winters (bornBernie Weinstein; 6 September 1930[1] – 4 May 1991) was an English comedian, actor, musician and TV presenter, and the comic foil of the double actMike and Bernie Winters with his older brother,Mike. Winters later performed solo, often with the aid of hisSt Bernard dog,Schnorbitz.
Bernie Winters was born Bernard Weinstein at the City of London Maternity Hospital, 102 City Road, Holborn, on 6 September 1930.[1] His father was a bookmaker. Winters served in the merchant navy and performed as a musician at dances and weddings before forming the double actMike & Bernie Winters with his brotherMike, who he called "Choochie-Face" on stage.[2] In October 1957, the duo appeared onSix-Five Special and were described in theDaily Mirror as top comics for Britain's teenage TV audience.[3] They had been recommended to the show's presenterJosephine Douglas byTommy Steele, with whom they had been on a stage tour. They both left the show the same day she did, 10 May 1958.
The two brothers split up in 1978 and Winters hosted his own comedy show,Bernie (1978–1980), for ITV. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Winters also presentedThe Big Top Variety Show, a television series of variety shows from a circus ring. In 1984 he presented the second series of the game showWhose Baby?. He became a regular on shows such asPunchlines andGive Us a Clue and gave an impression ofBud Flanagan on television and later on stage, withLeslie Crowther as Flanagan's partnerChesney Allen.
Winters was a member of the showbusiness fraternity theGrand Order of Water Rats.[4]
Winters appeared as himself in theLondon Weekend Television sitcomBottle Boys in 1985.
On 14 August 1990, after several months of discomfort and stomach pains, he had a nine-hour operation on his stomach to remove a tumour. Though he was never told, Winters' condition was already terminal, and he died on 4 May 1991 atThe London Clinic, aged 60.
He was cremated atGolders Green Crematorium in London on 8 May and his ashes interred in the Garden of Remembrance. Among mourners in attendance wereJohn Inman andRose-Marie.[5] A memorial plaque was erected in the crematorium's West Memorial Court.
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