biography

Dana Wynter Born Dagmar Winter on June 8, 1931, in Berlin, Germany, lovely Dana Wynter was the daughter of a respected surgeon and grew up in England and Rhodesia. She studied at Rhodes University in South Africa for a year but soon abandoned her studies to take up acting in England. By the time she was 20 years old, Wynter was being cast in bit parts in British films, including White Corridors (1951; with Petula Clark) and The Woman's Angle (1952; with Lois Maxwell and Joan Collins). Leaving London for New York in 1953, Wynter found work in television and on Broadway. Getting noticed by talent scouts for 20th Century Fox, she signed a contract with the studio in early 1955. Her first film for the studio was the drama The View from Pompey's Head (1955; with Richard Egan and Cameron Mitchell), yet it was a film she did on loan-out to Allied Artists for which she is best remembered: the science fiction classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956; with Kevin McCarthy and Carolyn Jones).

Dana WynterDana Wynter

LEFT: Glamorous late 1950s shot of Dana Wynter. RIGHT: Late 1960s portrait

Despite a 20-year difference in their ages, Wynter married celebrated Hollywood attorney Greg Bautzer in 1956, and the couple welcomed the birth of their son, Mark, in 1960. The marriage proved to be a difficult one, and Wynter and Bautzer separated in 1966, eventually divorcing in 1967, but maintained a good relationship throughout the years. During her marriage, Wynter continued her acting career, even after being released from 20th Century Fox following the release of Sink the Bismarck! (1960; with Kenneth More). With no studio backing and film roles drying up for many actors, Wynter made the switch to television, appearing in guest star spots on The Virginian, Burke's Law, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, among other series.

the films of dana wynter

The View from Pompey's Head (1955)

Richard Egan and Dana WynterRichard Egan and Dana WynterCameron Mitchell and Dana Wynter

LEFT and CENTER: With Richard Egan in the 20th Century Fox drama The View from Pompey's Head. RIGHT: With Cameron Mitchell

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Dana Wynter and Kevin McCarthyKing Donovan, Dana Wynter, Carolyn Jones, and Kevin McCarthy

LEFT: From the classic Allied Artists science fiction flick Invasion of the Body Snatchers with Kevin McCarthy. RIGHT: With King Donovan, Carolyn Jones, and Kevin McCarthy

Something of Value (1957)

Rock Hudson and Dana Wynter

From the MGM war drama Something of Value with Rock Hudson

Fraulein (1958)

Dolores Michaels and Dana Wynter

From the 20th Century Fox romance Fralulein with Dolores Michaels

In Love and War (1958)

Dana Wynter and Bradford Dillman

With Bradford Dillman in the 20th Century Fox drama In Love and War

Shake Hands with the Devil (1959)

James Cagney and Dana Wynter

With James Cagney in the drama Shake Hands with the Devil, shot on location in Ireland

Sink the Bismarck! (1960)

Dana Wynter and Kenneth More

From the 20th Century Fox war drama Sink the Bismarck! with Kenneth More

On the Double (1961)

Danny Kaye and Dana Wynter

From the Paramount comedy On the Double with Danny Kaye in one of his last theatrically released films

The List of Adrian Messenger (1963)

Dana Wynter

From the Universal mystery The List of Adrian Messenger

Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963-1967 NBC TV Series)

Jack Lord and Dana Wynter

With Jack Lord in a 1965 episode of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre titled The Crime

My Three Sons (1960-1972 CBS TV Series)

Dana Wynter and Fred MacMurray

With series star Fred MacMurray in a 1966 episode of My Three Sons titled From Maggie with Love

Danger Has Two Faces (1968)

Robert Lansing and Dana Wynter

With Robert Lansing in Danger Has Two Faces, a film created from edited episodes of the 1966-1967 ABC TV series The Man Who Never Was

If He Hollers, Let Him Go! (1968)

Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, and Raymond St. Jacques

With Kevin McCarthy and Raymond St. Jacques in the interesting crime drama If He Hollers, Let Him Go!

Any Second Now (1969)

Dana Wynter and Stewart Granger

From the NBC TV movie Any Second Now with Stewart Granger

The F.B.I. (1965-1974 ABC TV Series)

Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and Dana Wynter

With series star Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in a 1970 episode of The F.B.I titled Deadly Reunion

Santee (1973)

Michael Burns and Dana Wynter

From Crown International western Santee with Michael Burns

Great Mysteries (1973-1974 ITV TV Series)

Anne Jackson and Dana Wynter

From the ITV series Great Mysteries in a 1974 episode titled Come Into My Parlour. Also pictured is Anne Jackson

McMillan & Wife (1971-1977 NBC TV Series)

Rock Hudson, Steve Forrest, and Dana Wynter

With series star Rock Hudson and Steve Forrest in a 1974 episode of McMillan & Wife titled The Man Without a Face

later years

Wynter appeared in films only sporadically following the early 1960s, with her last theatrically released film being the French adventure Le sauvage (1975; with Yves Montand and Catherine Deneuve). Although she was still getting good roles on television, Wynter wound down her career in the early 1980s after guest appearances on such shows as Magnum, P.I., Hart to Hart, and The Love Boat. She came out of retirement to make a guest appearance in the TV movie The Return of Ironside (1993; with Raymond Burr, Don Galloway, and Cliff Gorman) as a special favor to Raymond Burr, who was terminally ill. In her later years, she became an occasional columnist for various magazines and newspapers. Wynter passed away on May 5, 2011, at the age of 79 and was survived by her son, Mark.

filmography

FILM
The Return of Ironside (1993) with Raymond Burr, Don Galloway, and Cliff Gorman
The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana (1982) with Catherine Oxenberg, Olivia de Havilland, Ray Milland, and Stewart Granger
M Station: Hawaii (1980) with Jared Martin, Jo Ann Harris, Andrew Duggan, Andrew Prine, Jack Lord, and Lyle Bettger
Le sauvage (1975) with Yves Montand, Catherine Deneuve, and Tony Roberts
The Lives of Jenny Dolan (1975) with Shirley Jones, Stephen Boyd, James Darren, Farley Granger, George Grizzard, David Hedison, Stephen McNally, Ian McShane, Pernell Roberts, and Charles Drake
The Questor Tapes (1974) with Robert Foxworth, Mike Farrell, John Vernon, Lew Ayres, and James Shigeta
Santee (1973) with Glenn Ford, Jay Silverheels, John Larch, Robert Donner, X Brands, and Chuck Courtney
The Connection (1973) with Charles Durning, Ronny Cox, Zohra Lampert, Dennis Cole, and Heather MacRae
Airport (1970) with Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jean Seberg, Jacqueline Bisset, George Kennedy, Helen Hayes, Van Heflin, Maureen Stapleton, Barry Nelson, Lloyd Nolan, Barbara Hale, and Gary Collins
Triangle (1970) with Paul Richards, Charles Robinson, Tiffany Bolling, Ray Danton, Eve Brent, Peter Mamakos, and Ann Jillian
Any Second Now (1969) with Stewart Granger, Lois Nettleton, Joseph Campanella, Katy Jurado, Tom Tully, Marion Ross, and Francine York
Companions in Nightmare (1968) with Gig Young, Anne Baxter, Patrick O'Neal, Leslie Nielsen, Melvyn Douglas, Bettye Ackerman, Louis Gossett Jr., Stacy Harris, and Greg Mullavey
If He Hollers, Let Him Go! (1968) with Raymond St. Jacques, Kevin McCarthy, Barbara McNair, Arthur O'Connell, John Russell, Ann Prentiss, Royal Dano, and James Craig
Danger Has Two Faces (1968) with Robert Lansing, Murray Hamilton, and Alexander Davion
The List of Adrian Messenger (1963) with Kirk Douglas, George C. Scott, Herbert Marshall, and John Merivale
On the Double (1961) with Danny Kaye, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Margaret Rutherford, Diana Dors, Jesse White, and Gregory Walcott
Sink the Bismarck! (1960) with Kenneth More, Laurence Naismith, and Karel Stepanek
Shake Hands with the Devil (1959) with James Cagney, Don Murray, Glynis Johns, Michael Redgrave, and Sybil Thorndike
In Love and War (1958) with Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Hope Lange, Bradford Dillman, Sheree North, France Nuyen, Mort Sahl, and Joe Di Reda
Fraulein (1958) with Mel Ferrer, Margaret Hayes, Theodore Bikel, and Helmut Dantine
Something of Value (1957) with Rock Hudson, Wendy Hiller, William Marshall, Michael Pate, Ivan Dixon, and Sidney Poitier
D-Day the Sixth of June (1956) with Robert Taylor, Richard Todd, Edmond O'Brien, John Williams, and Jerry Paris
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) with Kevin McCarthy, King Donovan, Carolyn Jones, and Virginia Christine
The View from Pompey's Head (1955) with Richard Egan, Cameron Mitchell, Sidney Blackmer, Marjorie Rambeau, Rosemarie Stack, and Jerry Paris
It Started in Paradise (1952) with Jane Hylton, Ian Hunter, Terence Morgan, Martita Hunt, and Kay Kendall
The Crimson Pirate (1952) with Burt Lancaster, Nick Cravat, Eva Bartok, and Christopher Lee
The Woman's Angle (1952) with Cathy O'Donnell, Lois Maxwell, and Joan Collins
Bikini Baby (1951) with Dennis Price, Diana Dors, and Kay Kendall
White Corridors (1951) with Petula Clark

TELEVISION SERIES
The Man Who Never Was, 1966-1967 ABC TV series. Wynter portrayed Eva Wainwright. Also in the cast was Robert Lansing

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Magnum, P.I., episode Foiled Again, originally aired November 11, 1982
Magnum, P.I., episode Double Jeopardy, originally aired February 25, 1982
Bracken, episode December, originally aired January 7, 1982
Aloha Paradise, episode Alex and Annie/Blue Honeymoon/Another Thing, originally aired February 25, 1981
The Love Boat, episode Gopher's Bride/Workaholic/On Second Thought, originally aired January 24, 1981
Hart to Hart, episode Ex-Wives Can Be Murder, originally aired January 20, 1981
Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, episode Diamonds Aren't Forever, originally aired June 27, 1980
Bracken, episode All Saints Day, originally aired February 10, 1980
Bracken, episode October, originally aired February 3, 1980
Bracken, episode September, originally aired January 27, 1980
Bracken, episode July, originally aired January 13, 1980
The Rockford Files, episode Lions, Tigers, Monkeys and Dogs: Parts 1 and 2, originally aired October 5 and 12, 1979
Fantasy Island, episode Goose for the Gander/The Stuntman, originally aired September 14, 1979
The Love Boat, episode Sounds of Silence/Cyrano de Bricker/Murder on the High Seas, originally aired March 17, 1979
W.E.B., episode Walk a Velvet Tightrope, originally aired September 28, 1978
City of Angels, episode Match Point, originally aired May 18, 1976
Ellery Queen, episode The Adventure of the Disappearing Dagger, originally aired April 4, 1976
Medical Center, episode Street Girl, originally aired October 20, 1975
Cannon, episode Search and Destroy, originally aired April 2, 1975
Cannon, episode Triangle of Terror, originally aired March 13, 1974
Great Mysteries, episode Come Into My Parlour, originally aired January 26, 1974
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, episode The Attacker, originally aired January 26, 1974
McMillan & Wife, episode The Man Without a Face, originally aired January 6, 1974
Ironside, episode In the Forests of the Night, originally aired September 27, 1973
Cannon, episode Catch Me If You Can, originally aired March 7, 1973
Medical Center, episode Vortex, originally aired February 28, 1973
O'Hara, U.S. Treasury, episode Operation: Mr. Felix, originally aired February 18, 1972
Hawaii Five-O, episode The Ninety-Second War: Part I, originally aired January 11, 1972
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, episode Until Proven Innocent, originally aired December 9, 1971
The F.B.I., episode The Deadly Gift, originally aired October 3, 1971
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, episode Pilot, originally aired September 12, 1971
Marcus Welby, M.D., episode False Spring, originally aired January 19, 1971
To Rome with Love, episode The Rose Garden, originally aired November 24, 1970
Medical Center, episode Witch Hunt, originally aired November 11, 1970
The F.B.I., episode Deadly Reunion, originally aired January 25, 1970
Ironside, episode Beyond a Shadow, originally aired December 11, 1969
Love, American Style, episode Love and the Big Leap/Love and the Former Marriage/Love and the Good Deal, originally aired November 24, 1969
Get Smart, episode Widow Often Annie, originally aired October 17, 1969
It Takes a Thief, episode Guess Who's Coming to Rio, originally aired January 7, 1969
The Name of the Game, episode Lola in Lipstick, originally aired November 8, 1968
Dundee and the Culhane, episode The Widow's Weeds Brief, originally aired November 29, 1967
The Invaders, episode The Captive, originally aired November 28, 1967
Gunsmoke, episode Death Train, originally aired November 27, 1967
The F.B.I., episode A Sleeper Wakes, originally aired November 5, 1967
The F.B.I., episode The Defector: Parts 1 and 2, originally aired March 27 and April 3, 1966
The Wild Wild West, episode The Night of the Two-Legged Buffalo, originally aired March 11, 1966
Ben Casey, episode Smile, Baby, Smile, It's Only Twenty Dols of Pain, originally aired January 24, 1966
My Three Sons, episode From Maggie with Love, originally aired January 13, 1966
Run for Your Life, episode Where Mystery Begins, originally aired October 29, 1965
Convoy, episode Flight from Norway, originally aired September 24, 1965
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, episode The Crime, originally aired September 22, 1965
12 O'Clock High, episode The Cry of Fallen Birds, originally aired April 9, 1965
The Rogues, episode Our Men in Marawat, originally aired March 14, 1965
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, episode An Unlocked Window, originally aired February 15, 1965
Kraft Suspense Theatre, episode That Time in Havana, originally aired February 11, 1965
12 O'Clock High, episode Interlude, originally aired November 27, 1964
Wagon Train, episode The Barbara Lindquist Story, originally aired October 18, 1964
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, episode The Fifth Passenger, originally aired November 29, 1963
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed Wade Walker?, originally aired November 15, 1963
The Virginian, episode If You Have Tears, originally aired February 13, 1963
Wagon Train, episode The Lisa Raincloud Story, originally aired October 31, 1962
The Dick Powell Theatre, episode The Great Anatole, originally aired October 30, 1962
Wagon Train, episode The Lizabeth Ann Calhoun Story, originally aired December 6, 1961
Playhouse 90, episode The Wings of the Dove, originally aired January 8, 1959
Playhouse 90, episode The Violent Heart, originally aired February 6, 1958
Playhouse 90, episode The Gentleman from Seventh Avenue, originally aired January 30, 1958
Playhouse 90, episode Winter Dreams, originally aired May 23, 1957
Colonel March of Scotland Yard, episode Death in the Dressing Room, originally aired July 28, 1956
The 20th Century-Fox Hour, episode A Portrait of Murder, originally aired October 19. 1955
Studio One in Hollywood, episode It Might Happen Tomorrow, originally aired January 24, 1955
The United States Steel Hour, episode The Man with the Gun, originally aired October 12, 1954
Suspense, episode The Pistol Shot, originally aired June 15, 1954
Suspense, episode Operation: Barracuda, originally aired April 13, 1954
Robert Montgomery Presents, episode The Soprano and the Piccolo Player, originally aired November 30, 1953

dana wynter trailers now showing

Watch the trailers for Dana Wynter's 1956 horror film Invasion of the Body Snatchers and 1957 adventure Something of Value

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