''Winchell'' is a 1998 American

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

directed by

Paul Mazursky Irwin Lawrence "Paul" Mazursky (April 25, 1930 – June 30, 2014) was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. Known for his dramatic comedies that often dealt with modern social issues, he was nominated for five Academy Awards: three t ...

and written by

Scott Abbott Charles Scott Abbott is the co-inventor of the board game Trivial Pursuit along with Chris Haney (Trivial Pursuit), Chris Haney. Abbott is the owner of the North Bay Battalion hockey team of the Ontario Hockey League. For his work in building th ...

, based on the 1976 book ''Winchell, His Life and Times'' by Herman Klurfeld. It stars

Stanley Tucci Stanley Tucci Jr. ( ; born November 11, 1960) is an American actor and filmmaker. Involved in acting from a young age, he made his film debut in John Huston's ''Prizzi's Honor'' (1985), and continued to play a variety of supporting roles in film ...

Walter Winchell Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and co ...

, with

Glenne Headly Glenne Aimee Headly (March 13, 1955 – June 8, 2017) was an American actress. She was widely known for her roles in '' Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'', ''Dick Tracy'', and ''Mr. Holland's Opus''. Headly received a Theatre World Award and four Joseph J ...

Paul Giamatti Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti (; born June 6, 1967) is an American actor and film producer. He first garnered attention for his breakout role in '' Private Parts'' as Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton, leading to supporting roles in ''Saving Private R ...

Xander Berkeley Alexander Harper Berkeley (born December 16, 1955) is an American actor and voice actor. Since beginning his career in the early 1980s, he has appeared in over 200 film and television projects. His film roles include '' Terminator 2: Judgment Da ...

Kevin Tighe Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant ''Kevan'' is anglicized from , an ...

, and

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...

in supporting roles. The film won three

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for Tucci, who also received a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

and a

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

nomination for his performance.

Premise

The film follows Walter Winchell from his early days as a tabloid gossip columnist to his rise as he takes on the United States' most powerful

propagandist Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

Cast

as Dallas Wayne *

as Herman Klurfeld *

as Gavreau *

William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

* Frank Medrano as Melvin Diamond *

Vic Polizos Nicholas Victor Polizos (born August 12, 1947) is an American film, television and theatre actor. He is known for playing the recurring role of "Detective Frank Richmond" on four episodes of the American legal drama television series ''Boston L ...

as Sam Hague *

John F. O'Donohue John F. O'Donohue is an American actor and former police officer who played Sgt. Eddie Gibson in the television series '' NYPD Blue''. Career A twenty-year veteran of the New York Police Department, his first acting role was that of an armed g ...

as Harry *

Michael Greene Michael Harris Greene (November 4, 1933 – January 10, 2020) was an American actor who was active from the 1960s through the 1990s. Career Greene was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Gladys () and Harry Greene. Early in his caree ...

as Bellamy * Rod McCary as Emcee *

Victoria Platt Victoria Gabrielle Platt (born on November 21, 1972) is an American actress. Career Platt began her career appearing in an episode of NBC sitcom ''The Cosby Show'' in 1985 and the following year made her big screen debut in the musical drama film ...

Josephine Baker Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalised French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her adopted Fran ...

Paula Cale Paula Cale (born June 2, 1970) is an American actress best known for her role as Joanie Hansen on the television series ''Providence''. Early life Cale was born Paula Korologos in Great Falls, Virginia. Her father, Tom C. Korologos, worked as a ...

as Mrs. Klurfeld * Jason Huber as

Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television personality, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New York ...

* Paul Jenkins as Lawrence Newman *

as Winchell's Father *

Megan Mullally Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She is best known for playing Karen Walker on the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'' (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award no ...

as June Winchell * Mary Portser as Janet Winchell

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* 1998 films 1998 drama films 1998 television films 1990s biographical drama films American biographical drama films Biographical television films American drama television films 1990s English-language films Biographical films about journalists Biographical films about radio people Cultural depictions of Franklin D. Roosevelt Cultural depictions of Josephine Baker Cultural depictions of William Randolph Hearst Films about mass media owners Films about media manipulation Films about newspaper publishing Films about tabloid journalism Films based on biographies Films directed by Paul Mazursky Films scored by Bill Conti Films set in New York City Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot in New York City HBO Films films Television films based on books 1990s American films {{US-tv-drama-film-stub