Edward Winter

Edward Dean Winter (June 3, 1937 – March 8, 2001) was an American actor. He is best known for his recurring role, Colonel Samuel Flagg, in the television series M*A*S*H from 1973 to 1979.

His other notable television roles were as U.S. Air Force investigator Capt. Ben Ryan in season 2 of Project U.F.O. (1978–1979); and in Hollywood Beat (1985), 9 to 5 (1986–1988), and Herman's Head (1991–1994).

Winter received two Tony Awards for Best Featured Actor in a Musical nominations for his performances in the original productions of Cabaret (1966) and Promises, Promises (1968). He also appeared in films such as A Change of Seasons (1980), Porky's II: The Next Day (1983) and The Buddy System (1984).

Early career Winter was born in Ventura, California and began his acting career in Ashland, Oregon as a member of the cast of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. During the 1961 season, he played Claudius in Hamlet and stayed for an extended repertory season where he appeared in The Boyfriend and Rashomon. He went on to early successes on Broadway. Winter was twice nominated for Tony Awards as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Musical). The first was in 1967, as Ernst Ludwig in Cabaret, then in 1969 as J.D. Sheldrake in Promises, Promises. He moved on to television, appearing on the daytime serials The Secret Storm and Somerset.

Later career Winter was cast on M*A*S*H as Lt. Col. (later Col.) Flagg, becoming one of the program's more memorable and popular recurring characters. He appeared in seven episodes as Flagg during the show's 11-year run. The Flagg character was an intelligence agent (claiming to be C.I.A. several times) who brought a stereotypically paranoid, conspiracy-driven approach to his tasks. In some episodes his character was particularly vicious. Before his introduction as Flagg, Winter had appeared in the Season 2 episode "Deal Me Out" as Cpt. Halloran. A number of fans have expressed the belief that Halloran might have been one of Flagg's many aliases, especially as he said to Dr. Freedman, "we played poker once," which Cpt. Halloran had. However, this is debatable, as Halloran was a reasonably amiable character, whilst every other persona Flagg adopted was highly antagonistic, regardless of the alias. Winter reprised the role of Col. Flagg in an episode of the spin-off series AfterMASH in 1984. In 1985 he appeared in the pilot episode of Misfits of Science as an army officer who is killed trying to stop an insane general, played by Larry Linville.

In 1974, he played a pedophile in the Marcus Welby, M.D. episode "The Outrage". The same year, he appeared in the films The Parallax View and The Disappearance of Flight 412. In 1976, he appeared in the crime comedy Special Delivery. In 1975, he played Wes Greenfield in The Bob Newhart Show as an aspiring insurance company Executive. (Season 3, Episode 6 - The Gray Flannel Shrink). In 1976, he appeared in a season two episode of Phyllis, playing a boyfriend of Phyllis who comes out as gay. He also appeared in two memorable episodes of Dallas in 1981 as plastic surgeon Dr. Frank Waring, Mitch Cooper's mentor. Winter also appeared in the TV show Alice, Season 2 Episode 7. He played Alice's possible boyfriend, Jack. Winter was a recurring character in the first season of the prime time sitcom Soap in 1977–78, portraying Congressman Walter McCallum, who was having an affair with the Tates' daughter, Eunice. In 1977, Winter appeared in an episode of Lou Grant titled "Housewarming," as a reporter who beat his wife. The same year, he appeared in the popular TV movie The Gathering, also starring Ed Asner, and "Never Con a Killer," the pilot for the crime drama The Feather and Father Gang. In 1976, he appeared in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in which he played a congressman with a former tie to organized crime. He guest-starred in season one on The A-Team in the episode "Holiday in the Hills" and appeared in the season 5 episode "Road Games".

Filmography

The Boston Strangler (1968) as Man in Hallway (uncredited) Big Daddy (1973, TV movie) M*A*S*H (1973–1979, TV Series) as Col. Samuel Flagg / Capt. Halloran The Magician (1974, TV Series) as Ted Winters The Bob Newhart Show (1974) as Wes Greenfield The Parallax View (1974) as Senator Jameson The Disappearance of Flight 412 (1974, TV movie) as Mr. Cheer Special Delivery (1976) as Larry Pierce The Invasion of Johnson County (1976, TV movie) as Major Edward Fershay The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1976, TV Series) as Brian Nordquist (senatorial candidate) Never Con a Killer (1977, TV movie) as Deputy DA J.C. Hadley The Girl in the Empty Grave (1977, TV movie) as Dr Peter Cabe Maude (1977, TV episode, The Ecologist) as Perry Flannery The Gathering (1977, TV movie) as Roger Soap (1977–1978, TV Series) as Congressman Walter McCallum Woman on the Run (1977, TV movie) as Daniel Frazier Rendezvous Hotel (1979, TV movie) as Jim Becker Lou Grant (1979, Episode 'Cop') Mother and Daughter: The Loving War (1980, TV movie) as Doug The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980, TV movie) as Clark Gable A Change of Seasons (1980) as Steven Rutledge The Big Black Pill (1981, TV movie) as Jerrold Farinpour Lou Grant (1981, Episode 'Business') Fly Away Home (1981, TV movie) as Lieutenant Colonel Pace Dallas (1981) as Dr. Frank Waring Family in Blue (1982, TV movie) The First Time (1982, TV movie) as Captain Michael McKenzie Wait Until Dark (1982, TV movie) as Sam Hendrix The 25th Man (1982, TV movie) as Captain Mike Houston Porky's II: The Next Day (1983) as Commissioner Bob Gebhardt The A-Team (1983–1985, TV Series) as Racketeer Johnny Royce / Reporter Mitchell Barnes The Buddy System (1983) as Jim Parks The Last Honor of Kathryn Beck (1984, TV movie) as Carl Macaluso Cagney & Lacey (1985, TV Series) as Capt. Jack Hennessey in Rules of the Game and Con Games Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun (1986, TV movie) as Jonathan Eastman Stranded (1986, TV movie) as Tommy Claybourne There Must Be a Pony (1986, TV movie) as David Hollis The Christmas Gift (1986, TV movie) as Thomas A. Renfield Mathnet (1987, TV segment from Square One Television) as Clarence Sampson in The Problem of the Missing Baseball (pilot episode, filmed 1985) From the Hip (1987) as Raymond Torkenson The Golden Girls (1989, TV Series) as John Quinn Murder, She Wrote (1989, TV Series) as Capt. Everett Larson in Smooth Operators Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All (1989, TV movie) as Johnny Roman Columbo: Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo (1990, TV movie) as Charlie Chambers Held Hostage: The Sis and Jerry Levin Story (1991, TV movie) as Bill Prentiss The American Clock (1993, TV movie) as William Durant Saved by the Bell: The College Years (1993, TV Series) as Mr. Burke Seinfeld Season 6, Episode 16, "The Beard" (1995) as Mr. Stevenson