Dean Winters
{{Short description|American actor (born 1964)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name =
| image = DeanWintersOct10.jpg
| caption = Winters in 2010
| birth_name = Dean Gerard Winters
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|7|20|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = New York City, U.S.
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1995–present
| relatives = Scott William Winters (brother)
}}
Dean Gerard Winters (born July 20, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Ryan O'Reily on the HBO prison drama Oz and his roles in the TV series Millennium, Rescue Me, 30 Rock, Sex and the City, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as portraying "Mayhem" in a series of Allstate Insurance commercials. He co-starred in one season of the CBS Network cop drama series Battle Creek and had a recurring role as "The Vulture" on the comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He also appeared in the 2023 Netflix film The Out-Laws and the 2024 AMC series Monsieur Spade.
Early life
Winters was born in New York City on July 20, 1964.{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/meet-allstates-mayhem-dean-winters-2012-4?op=1|title=Meet Mayhem: The Man Who Made Insurance Interesting|publisher=Business Insider|date=April 19, 2012|access-date=March 14, 2014}} He was raised on Long Island. He is of Irish and Italian descent, and speaks fluent Italian. He has two brothers, actor Scott and writer Bradford, and a sister, Blair.{{cite web|title=Dean Winters' profile at|work=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=January 4, 2011|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/participant.jsp?spid=537831&apid=0}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Winters spent his teenage years in Scottsdale, Arizona. He attended Chaparral High School and graduated from Brophy College Preparatory, a Jesuit school in Phoenix, in 1982, and from Colorado College in 1986.
Career
Winters has appeared in two of the Law & Order television series: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, where he was a regular in the first season, and as a guest star in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Purgatory". He also made an appearance in Season 2 of the television series Sex and the City as John McFadden. More than ten years after his final appearance on SVU, he again portrayed Detective Brian Cassidy in the 13th-season finale "Rhodium Nights", became a recurring character in the 14th season and, in the 15th season, also became Captain Olivia Benson's love interest. He has also made guest appearances on Homicide: Life on the Street, Third Watch, NYPD Blue, CSI: Miami and as Dennis Duffy in 30 Rock as well as previously having an accompanying role in Rescue Me.
He starred in the 1999 romantic comedy Undercover Angel with Yasmine Bleeth and the 2002 direct-to-video horror film Hellraiser: Hellseeker. He played Tom in P.S. I Love You. Winters played Detective Sam Tyler's father in the US version of Life on Mars. He also played Charley Dixon, Sarah Connor's love interest, in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.{{cite web|title=Dean Winters: Charley Dixon| website=IMDb |url= https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0851851/characters/nm0935921?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t10/|access-date=December 13, 2018}}
Winters performed stand-up comedy at Catch a Rising Star, The Comic Strip, and the Comedy Cellar alongside notable comedians Jerry Seinfeld, Paul Reiser, and Chris Rock. An HBO comedy special led him to the role he portrayed on Oz, the HBO-produced prison drama.
Winters was cast in the ABC drama pilot Happy Town, from the creators of October Road, but was replaced by Steven Weber after shooting the pilot.{{cite web|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/slew-pilots-flesh-casts-79667/|title=Slew of pilots flesh out casts|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|date=February 22, 2009|access-date=January 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227115917/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i2f1cb016d0c1784492ced5f59ee6542e|archive-date=February 27, 2009}}{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/guide.aspx?id=in_and_out|title=Guide|publisher=TheFutonCritic.com|access-date=May 20, 2010}}
Winters was away from acting until 2010, when Tina Fey brought him back to 30 Rock. Also that year, Winters was introduced as "Mayhem", a recurring character in a television and radio advertising campaign for Allstate Insurance created by the advertising agency Leo Burnett Chicago.{{cite web|title=2010: Allstate disrupts insurance industry with introduction of "Mayhem"|publisher=thedrum.com|url=https://www.thedrum.com/news/2016/06/21/marketing-moment-82-allstate-disrupts-insurance-industry-introduction-mayhem|access-date=December 13, 2018}} In 2019, Fey joined Winters in a series of "Mayhem" commercials.{{Cite web|url=https://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/tina-fey-takes-drivers-seat-allstates-new-mayhem-spots/2212301|title=Tina Fey takes the driver's seat in Allstate's new Mayhem spots|date=November 1, 2019|website=adage.com}}
Winters played Avi in John Wick. Winters co-starred in one season of the CBS cop drama series Battle Creek, playing a small-town police force detective opposite Josh Duhamel, the FBI resident agent assigned to the town. The series was canceled in May 2015. He had a recurring role on Brooklyn Nine-Nine as The Vulture and had a supporting role as a divorce attorney on the HBO series Divorce.{{cite web|title=Dean Winters: Tony Silvercreek | website=IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4304864/characters/nm0935921?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t9/|access-date=December 13, 2018}}
In 2018, he was cast as Mr. Town in the second season of Starz's American Gods.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/06/american-gods-season-2-dean-winters-mr-town-devery-jacobs-sam-black-crow-kahyun-kim-new-media-starz-neil-gaiman-1202402680|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612144229/https://deadline.com/2018/06/american-gods-season-2-dean-winters-mr-town-devery-jacobs-sam-black-crow-kahyun-kim-new-media-starz-neil-gaiman-1202402680/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 12, 2018|website=Deadline|title=Dean Winters cast as Mr. Town in the second season of 'American Gods'|date=June 4, 2018|access-date=July 21, 2018}}
In 2019, he was in the film Framing John DeLorean.
Personal life
Winters has neuropathy, resulting in numbness and sensitivity issues in his hands and feet. In 2009, Winters contracted a bacterial infection and went into cardiac arrest. He underwent multiple surgeries and developed gangrene, resulting in the amputation of two of his toes and half of one of his thumbs.{{Cite web |date=November 2, 2021 |title=Dean Winters is in constant pain from multiple amputations |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/dean-winters-amputations-pain-b1950234.html |access-date=April 1, 2024 |website=The Independent |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=France |first=Lisa Respers |date=November 3, 2021 |title=Dean Winters living in pain after multiple amputations |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/03/entertainment/dean-winters-pain-amputations |access-date=April 1, 2024 |website=CNN |language=en}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| rowspan="2"|1997
| Cleet | |
| Lifebreath
| Chrystie's Lover | |
| 1999
| Harrison Tyler | |
| 2001
| Snipes | Bobby Starr | |
| 2002
| Trevor | Direct to video |
| rowspan="2"|2004
| Brooklyn Bound | Danny | |
| Love Rome
| Dean | |
| rowspan="2"|2006
| Randy | |
| Dead Calling
| Nick | |
| 2007
| Tom | |
| rowspan="3"|2009
| Ken Curtis | |
| Splinterheads
| Reggie | |
| Today's Special
| Steve | |
| 2013
| Jake Kelly | |
| rowspan="2"|2014
| Gun Dealer | |
| John Wick
| Avi | |
| 2016
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows | Bartender | |
| 2017
| Detective Frazier | |
| rowspan="2"|2018
| Blake | |
| Father of the Year
| Geoff | |
| 2019
| John Valestra | Documentary |
| 2020
| Dean Bostick | |
| rowspan="2"|2021
| Palmer | Jerry | |
| Christmas vs. the Walters
| Brian Walters | |
| 2023
| Vince Millen | |
| 2024
| Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Three | Captain Storm (voice) | Direct-to-video |
| 2025
| Det. Higgins | |
= Television =
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 1995–1996
| Homicide: Life on the Street | Tom Marans | 3 episodes |
| rowspan="2"|1996
| Larry | Episode: "Where'd the Van Gogh?" |
| The Playroom
| Unknown | Short |
| 1997
| Nick Wilkinson | Television film |
| 1997–1999
| Young Michael Lanyard/Mr. Crocell | 2 episodes |
| 1997–2003
| Oz | Series regular; 56 episodes |
| 1998
| Paul Delaney | Episode: "Rat Trap" |
| rowspan="2"|1999
| John McFadden | Episode: "The F**k Buddy" |
| Saturday Night Live
| Ryan O'Reily | Uncredited; Episode: "Jerry Seinfeld/David Bowie" |
| 1999, 2011–2014, 2018–2019
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Recurring role |
| 2001
| Deadline | Des Lonegan | Episode: "Shock" |
| rowspan="2"|2002
| Bill Stram | Episode: "The Unforgiven" |
| The Twilight Zone
| Gordon | Episode: "Future Trade" |
| 2004
| Ned McGarth | Television film |
| 2004–2011
| Johnny Gavin | Main role |
| 2005
| Episode: "10-7" |
| 2006–2012
| 30 Rock | Recurring role |
| 2008
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Mike Stoat | Episode: "Purgatory" |
| rowspan="2"|2008–2009
| Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | Charley Dixon | Recurring role |
| Life on Mars
| Vic Tyler | 3 episodes |
| 2012
| Casey Brinkley | Episode: "Preschool Auction" |
| 2013
| Westside | Robbie Carver | Television film |
| 2013–2019
| Detective Keith 'The Vulture' Pembroke | Recurring role |
| 2014
| Edward | Voice role; Episode: "News Glances with Genevieve Vavance" |
| 2015
| Russ Agnew | Main role |
| 2016
| Bunny | Episode: "Kimmy Kidnaps Gretchen!" |
| 2016–2018
| Divorce | Tony Silvercreek | Recurring role |
| 2017–2019
| Andrew | Voice role |
| rowspan=4|2019
| Birdman | Episode: "The Dream of the Four Policemen" |
| Wayne
| Daddy/Bobby Lucetti | Recurring roles |
| American Gods
| Mr. Town | Episode: "The Beguiling Man" |
| City on a Hill
| Ralph Hook | Episode: "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City" |
| 2021
| Nick | 3 episodes |
| 2022
| Jeff Lowe | Limited series |
| rowspan="2"|2024
| Father Morgan | Miniseries |
| So Help Me Todd
| Dick Franks | Episodes: "Dial M for Margaret" & "Is the Jury Out?" |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{wikimedia|collapsible=true}}
- {{IMDb name|id=0935921|name=Dean Winters}}
{{Portal bar|Arizona|Film|New York (state)|New York City|Television|United States}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winters, Dean}}
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:Colorado College alumni
Category:Male actors from New York City
Category:Male actors from Scottsdale, Arizona