Jeff Wincott
| Jeff Wincott | |
|---|---|
 Actor Jeff Wincott, fall 2015. | |
| Born |
Jeffrey Howard Piero Wincott 8 May 1956 Scarborough, Ontario, Canada |
| Education | Ryerson University |
| Occupation | Actor, director, writer, voice actor, producer |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouse(s) | Dr. Charlotte Mangum (m. 2003-present) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) |
Lucia Buzzetti (mother) William Wincott (father) |
| Family | Michael Wincott (brother) |
| Website | www.jeffwincott.com |
Jeff Wincott (born May 8, 1956) is a television and film actor. He is the older brother of actor Michael Wincott.
Acting career
Wincott began his career on the stages of Toronto playing Mark Smeaton in Anne of the Thousand Days. He then played Bogie in Play It Again, Sam, Wincott showed early on in his acting career that he was committed to any character he played. He started smoking non-filtered cigarettes that he ordered from New York, the same brand Humphrey Bogart smoked. S.E. Kure from the Bloor West Villager, a Toronto newspaper, wrote "A positive step by director Stephen Bragg was in the casting of Bogie. Jeff Wincott never failed a delighted audience with his impersonation. He had every gesture down pat; the slurred voice well-mimicked and the facial expressions twinning that of the famous actor. The dialogue however did not allow Wincott much interplay with the other actors. Isolated as a Humphrey Bogart impersonator, he was superb." Next portrayed the jolly northern Englishman Albert Godby in Still Life and the Irish conductor Bert Bentley in Red Peppers. Wincott spent a couple months doing summer stock at The Kawartha Summer Theatre. Also, touring with an acting company as the short-tempered Tybalt in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Next, Jeff landed the part of Wolf, in the Canadian Stage Premiere of Martin Sherman's play Bent.
Wincott's first TV role was on the sitcom King of Kensington (1978-1979) with Al Waxman as the rebel Jeff. His first feature film lines were with Madeline Kahn as the taxi driver in Happy Birthday Gemini (1980). Director Paul Lynch cast him in the horror film classic Prom Night (1980) as the jock Drew with Jamie Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielsen. He played Nicolas Cage's sculling opponent Riley, in the film The Boy in Blue (1986) Jeff had never sculled before and only trained for 3 days before filming began. Wincott's big break came as the Italian, hot-headed rookie, Detective Frank Giambone, in the TV series Night Heat (1984-1989) with Scott Hylands, Alan Royal and producer Sonny Grosso, whose real-life story was depicted in the film The French Connection. Some of the guest stars on Night Heat included Danny Aiello, Héctor Elizondo, David Carradine, Phyllis Diller among others. Night Heat was nominated 22 times including Primetime Gemini Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Wincott. Night Heat won the Gemini Award seven times including Best Dramatic Series in 1986 and 1987. Jeff guest starred with Andy Griffith in the two-hour season premiere of the TV series Matlock (1992) as Spencer Hamilton, who investigates the death of his brother.
When he auditioned for the film Martial Law 2 (1994), Wincott, a black belt in Taekwondo, was asked by the producer Pierre David, if he was a good fighter. Wincott's response, "I can stand you, and you, and you up and knock all three of you down." He was given the role on the spot. Wincott garnered rave reviews for his performance in the film. This paved the road for Wincott to become sought after not only as a martial artist, but one who could act. Wincott went on to star as the lead protagonist in martial arts and action films Deadly Bet (1992) and Mission of Justice (1992). On Wincott's notable fight scene in Mission of Justice, referred to as "the gauntlet", in which he fights 40 guys, he recalls, "They wanted me to do Kali stick fighting and I told them I had never been trained with them, so they spent 45 minutes teaching me for that big scene." For the film Martial Outlaw (1993), he trained a grueling three months twice a day in the gym, eating no sugar, no dairy products, no fruit or juices, or bread, shredding his body down to 8% body fat. Following, Wincott starred in Open Fire in 1994. Next, he portrayed the cold-blooded killer, and hit-man for hire, Harlin Garrett, in the film The Killing Machine (1994). Of his role as Harlin Garrett, Liz Braun from the Toronto Sun wrote, "Jeff Wincott manages to rise above the material." Wincott next starred in No Exit (1995), and for his role in Street Law (1995), he spent 18 hours the night before filming initiated, having hair extensions put in to achieve the right look for his John Ryan character, who is a pro-bono attorney and rides a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Then Wincott starred in the thriller The Donor (1995) as Billy Castle, who has his kidney taken out and sold on the black market without his consent. In the action film Last Man Standing (1995) he played a detective who finds himself caught between an organized crime gang and a ring of crooked cops. He starred with Michelle Johnson as the alcoholic Dr. Jack Davis in the film When the Bullet Hits the Bone (1996). Wincott also starred with Lance Henriksen as the murderous district attorney Michael Weinberg, in the film Profile For Murder (1996).
Wincott portrayed the genetically engineered Eric Devereaux in the made for TV movies Universal Soldier II (1998) and III (1999). In the second film, he wanted to do his own stunt for his death scene, in which two metal plates (one behind and one in front) are squibbed. When the squibs went off, the plates squeezed his chest and he lost his breath. The impact knocked Wincott unconscious and he fell to the ground, the camera's were still rolling thinking this was a brilliant performance, then, not realizing he wasn't acting the director yelled cut and came to his aid. He starred with Adrien Brody in the romantic comedy film The Undertaker's Wedding (1997), where he played Italian Mafia hit man Rocco, who fakes his own death. He guest starred in the Vancouver based crime TV series Cold Squad (1999), giving a chilling performance as the sadistic serial killer, Thomas Brown. Wincott followed up with another role as psychotic killer who takes a family hostage in the film Pressure Point (2001) with Michael Madsen.
Director Clark Johnson featured him in the film S.W.A.T. (2003) with Samuel Jackson and Colin Farrell, playing SWAT sniper Ed Taylor. Wincott guest starred on the TV series JAG (2003), 24 (2003) with Kiefer Sutherland and NCIS (2005) with Mark Harmon. He played the ruthless drug leader Leo, in the independent film Lake City (2006) with Sissy Spacek and Drea de Matteo. Then appeared in the film The Invasion (2007), starring Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. Wincott had a cameo in the final episode of the TV series The Wire playing undercover officer Johnny Weaver. Director Tony Scott (Top Gun,True Romance) featured him in the film Unstoppable (2009) with Denzel Washington to play Chris Pine's older brother, Jesse. He guest starred with Jim Caviezel as the corrupt Lieutenant Gilmore on the TV show Person of Interest (2011). Griffin Dunne directed him in The Good Wife (2012) with Julianna Margulies.
In 2008, Wincott began recurring as Jimmy Cacuzza, leader of the Cacuzza crime family who buys guns from SAMCRO on the TV series Sons Of Anarchy (Seasons 1, 5 and 6). He was hired by Rockstar Games as the voice actor and motion capture artist Casey in the video game Grand Theft Auto V (2013). Director Dan Pritzker cast him to play real life Chicago mobster Johnny Collins, Louis Armstrong's music manager, in the soon to be released film Bolden! He is recurring as ESU Captain Mancuso on Blue Bloods with Tom Selleck. In 2015 Wincott has a lead role in the miniseries The Lizzie Borden Chronicles as Marshal Hilliard, starring Christina Ricci and Clea DuVall. In 2016 Wincott will be recurring as Detective Lucas in the new upcoming HBO miniseries The Night Of starring John Turturro.
Directing
In 2016 Wincott made his directorial debut with the short film Behind Bars which he also wrote, produced and starred in. Behind Bars has been officially selected for Reel Recovery Film Festival, Big Apple Film Festival's Made in New York Filmmakers Showcase, and a finalist in Just 4 Shorts.
Personal life
Wincott's brother is actor Michael Wincott. Jeff has two sons: Tyler (born 1996) and Wolfgang (born 2009), with his wife Charlotte. They live in New York.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Happy Birthday Gemini | Taxi Driver | |
| 1980 | Prom Night | Drew | |
| 1980 | Quest for Fire | Stunt Double (uncredited) | |
| 1985 | The Big Deal | Ted Powers | |
| 1986 | The Boy in Blue | Riley | |
| 1991 | Sharkskin (short) | Tony Dots | |
| 1992 | Martial Law 2 | Detective Sean Thompson | |
| 1992 | Deadly Bet | Angelo | |
| 1992 | Mission Of Justice | Kurt Harris | |
| 1993 | Martial Outlaw | Agent Kevin White | |
| 1994 | Open Fire | Alec McNeil | Also Associate Producer |
| 1994 | The Killing Machine | Harlin Garrett | Also Associate Producer |
| 1995 | No Exit | John Stoneman | Also Associate Producer |
| 1995 | Street Law | John Ryan | Also Associate Producer and Fight Choreographer |
| 1995 | The Donor | Billy Castle | Also Associate Producer |
| 1995 | Last Man Standing | Detective Kurt Bellmore | Also Co-Producer |
| 1996 | Whiskey, Riddles, and Dandelion Wine | Roger | |
| 1996 | When The Bullet Hits The Bone | Dr. Jack Davies | Also Associate Producer |
| 1996 | Profile For Murder | Michael Weinberg | |
| 1997 | The Undertakers Wedding | Rocco | |
| 1997 | Future Fear | Dr. John Denniel | |
| 2000 | Paper Bullets | Dickerson | |
| 2001 | BattleQueen 2020 | Spencer | |
| 2001 | Pressure Point | Rudy Wicker | |
| 2002 | Outside The Law | Michael Peyton | |
| 2003 | Stealing Candy | Spinell | |
| 2003 | S.W.A.T. | Ed Taylor | |
| 2007 | Decisive Moment (short) | Cliff Foust | Best Actor 48hr Film Festival Richmond, VA |
| 2007 | The Invasion | Transit Cop | |
| 2007 | Lustig (short) | German Sgt. | |
| 2008 | House of Fallen | Lucifer | |
| 2008 | Lake City | Leo | |
| 2009 | Neighborhood Watch (short) | Jeff | |
| 2010 | The Last Dinner (short) | Warden | |
| 2010 | Unstoppable | Jesse | |
| 2016 | Bolden! | Johnny Collins | Post-Production |
| 2016 | Behind Bars (short) | Kidd Brock | Writer, producer and director |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978–1979 | King of Kensington | Jeff | Episodes: "The Bet" "Born To Bogie" |
| 1979–1983 | The Littlest Hobo | Barry McLeod/Mel | Episodes: "Lumberjacks" "Wolf Hunt" "Silent Witness" |
| 1983–1984 | Hangin' In | Daryl/Carl/Paul | Episodes: "The Party" "The Hero" Video Fever" |
| 1984–1989 | Night Heat (96 episodes) | Detective Frank Giambone | (1986) Nominated – Gemini Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series |
| 1989 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Tom King | Episode: "Skeleton In The Closet" |
| 1989 | Matlock | Spencer Hamilton | Episodes: "Hunting Party: Part 1" "Hunting Party: Part 2" |
| 1990–1991 | Top Cops | Robert Challice/Rocky Bridges/Joe Partington | 3 Episodes |
| 1992 | Secret Service | Sheppard | Episodes: "A Teller of Tales" "Food for Thought" |
| 1991–1993 | Counterstrike | Lexington/Rik Allen | Episodes: "Muerte" "Hide and Seek" |
| 1998 | Universal Soldier II | Eric Devereaux | (TV movie) |
| 1999 | Universal Soldier III | Eric Devereaux | (TV movie) |
| 1999 | Cold Squad | Thomas Sterling Brown | Episode: "Dead End" |
| 2000 | Code Name: Eternity | Breed | Episode: "The Hunter" |
| 2000 | Earth: Final Conflict | Malley/Phantom | Episode: "Phantom Companion" |
| 2000–2002 | Relic Hunter | Rollin Harley/Jonathan Quelch | Episodes: "Under the Ice" "The Legend of the Lost" |
| 2002 | Mutant X | Grady Colt | Episode: "Whose Woods These Are" |
| 2003 | JAG | Captain Masters | Episode: "Complications" |
| 2003 | 24 | Davis | Episodes: "Day 2: 2:00am-3:00am" "Day 2: 3:00am-4:00am" |
| 2005 | NCIS | Gunnery Sgt. Leeka | Episode: "Red Cell" |
| 2006 | Sons of Butcher | Ram Punchington/Duster Killby/Jack Nimble | Episodes: "Ridin' the Rocket" "Playin' the Part" "Teaching the Touches" "Fighting the Greek" |
| 2007 | Cleaverville | Michael | (TV movie) |
| 2008 | The Wire | Johnny Weaver | Episode "-30-" |
| 2009 | Drop Dead Diva | Security Chief | Episode: "Dead Model Walking" |
| 2009 | One Tree Hill | Attorney | Episode: "Some Roads Lead Nowhere" |
| 2011 | Person of Interest | Lieutenant Allan Gilmore | Episode: "The Fix" |
| 2012–2015 | Blue Bloods | ESU Captain Mancuso | Episodes: "Family Business" "Occupational Hazards" |
| 2012 | The Good Wife | Tim Resnick | Episode: "Battle of The Proxies" |
| 2008–2013 | Sons of Anarchy | Jimmy Cacuzza | Episodes: "Seeds" "Andare Pescare" "Huang Wu" |
| 2014 | The Lizzie Borden Chronicles | Marshal Hilliard | 6 Episodes |
| 2016 | The Night Of | Detective Lucas | 5 Episodes |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Gemini Award | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Night Heat | Nominated |
Video Games
| Year | Title | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Grand Theft Auto V | Casey |
Theatre Work
| Year | Title | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Red Peppers | Bert Bentley | |
| 1976 | Still Life | Albert Godby | |
| 1977 | Anne of a Thousand Days | Mark Smeaton | |
| 1978 | Romeo and Juliet | Tybalt | |
| 1979 | Play It Again, Sam | Bogie | |
| 1980 | Bent | Wolf/Kapo |
References
External links
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