Jonathan Winters
Stand-up comedian · 1925–2013

Jonathan Winters

Who Jonathan Winters is

American comedian, actor and artist from Dayton, Ohio, a pioneer of improvisational stand-up known for characters such as Maude Frickert and Elwood P. Suggins. A favorite of Jack Paar and a frequent character-driven guest of Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, he recorded comedy albums for Verve from 1960, hosted his own CBS variety show (1967–1969), played Mearth on Mork & Mindy and won an Emmy for Davis Rules. He won the Grammy for Crank(y) Calls in 1996 and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 1999.

At a glance

Born
1925
Died
2013
Style
Improvisation
Came up through
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Albums
Down to Earth, The Wonderful World of Jonathan Winters, Here's Jonathan and 3 more
Podcasts
Mouse Breath, Conformity and Other Social Ills and Winters' Tales: Stories and Observations for the Unusual
On screen
The Twilight Zone, The Jonathan Winters Show, The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters and 4 more
Official site
jonathanwinters.com ↗

Specials, shows and podcasts

Albums

On screen

Podcasts

Where they got their start

Came up the same way

Other comedians in SUCDb who came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson:

The Launching Pads: the shows the comedians came through →

Comedians like Jonathan Winters

Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.

Every stand-up comedian with a page, A to Z →

Career timeline

  1. 1925Born
  2. 1960Down to Earth (1960) Album
  3. 1960The Wonderful World of Jonathan Winters (1960) Album
  4. 1961The Twilight Zone ('A Game of Pool', 1961) On screen
  5. 1961Here's Jonathan (1961) Album
  6. 1962Another Day, Another World (1962) Album
  7. 1965Mouse Breath, Conformity and Other Social Ills (book, 1965) Book
  8. 1967The Jonathan Winters Show (host, CBS, 1967–1969) On screen
  9. 1969Stuff 'n Nonsense (1969) Album
  10. 1972The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters (host, syndicated, 1972–1974) On screen
  11. 1981Mork & Mindy (Mearth, 1981) On screen
  12. 1983Hee Haw (regular, 1983–1984) On screen
  13. 1986The Smurfs (voice of Grandpa Smurf, 1986–1990) On screen
  14. 1987Winters' Tales: Stories and Observations for the Unusual (book, 1987) Book
  15. 1991Davis Rules (Gunny Davis, 1991–1992) On screen
  16. 1995Crank(y) Calls (1995) Album
  17. 2013Died

Questions about Jonathan Winters

What podcast does Jonathan Winters host?

Mouse Breath, Conformity and Other Social Ills and Winters' Tales: Stories and Observations for the Unusual.

What TV shows and films are they in?

The Twilight Zone, The Jonathan Winters Show, The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters, Mork & Mindy, Hee Haw and The Smurfs, among 7 credits.

Where did they get their start?

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (frequent guest).

Who are some comedians like them?

Robin Williams (also in Mork & Mindy), George Lopez (also in The Smurfs), Jeff Foxworthy (also in The Smurfs), Shelley Berman (also in The Twilight Zone) and Al Lubel (also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson).

The full SUCDb record

The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with their place on the Legends ballots.

Their SUCDb record →Their own site ↗

Sources

Updated 5 October 2026 · the record checked 27 September 2026