Emerging from St. Louis, Missouri, Winkler entered the performing arts with stage work that included a 1968 appearance in The Great White Hope and later roles in August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1988) and Neil Simon's Proposals (1997-1998). Though his on-screen presence was often in supporting parts, such as the character Melvin in the 1991 comedy Doc Hollywood, he became widely recogni…
