![]() | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject.(August 2021) |
William Winckler | |
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Born | California, US | October 3, 1964
Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, film director, film producer, actor, independent filmmaker, voice actor, businessman |
Years active | 1976-present |
William Winckler (born October 3, 1964 in California) is an American actor, businessman, director, producer, and independent filmmaker best known for writing, producing and directing cult movies, horror films and English dubbed animation. [1] He is the son of child actor Robert Winckler (often credited as Robert Winkler).
In the 1980s, Winckler appeared as an actor on TV series such as Remington Steele , Knight Rider , Murder, She Wrote , Doogie Howser, M.D. , Designing Women , The Fall Guy , and Short Ribbs starring Billy Barty. Winckler has also provided voice-over work, most notably Ultraman X in Ultraman X: The Movie. [2]
In 1984, he produced and directed the English version of the classic Tatsunoko Production Co. Ltd. anime series Tekkaman the Space Knight . He formed his own production company in 2001, producing and directing as the horror film Frankenstein vs. the Creature from Blood Cove , and the Russ Meyer movie star reunion comedy The Double-D Avenger . [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [2]
He produced all-new English movie versions of Toei Animation classics Gaiking , Danguard Ace , Space Pirate Captain Harlock , Fist of the North Star , Ashita no Nadja , Science Fiction Saiyuki Starzinger , Digimon Xros Wars , Yes! PreCure 5 , and Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro . [11]
North American DVD label Shout! Factory released nine of Winckler's English dubbed anime features from Gaiking, Starzinger, and Danguard Ace throughout 2013. [12] [13]
From 2015 through 2017, William Winckler wrote, produced and directed the American English language versions of Tsuburaya Productions' Ultra Series feature films. Among the movies are Ultraman X The Movie , Ultraman Ginga S The Movie , Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy , Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial , Ultraman Saga , and Ultra Fight Victory . Ultraman X The Movie is in commemoration to the 50th anniversary of the Ultra Series. [14] [2] [15]
Ultraman is a Japanese tokusatsu science fiction television series created by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, it is a follow-up to Ultra Q, though not technically a sequel or spin-off. Tsuburaya Productions produced 39 episodes that aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) and its affiliate stations from July 17, 1966, to April 9, 1967. Its premiere topped the average rating set by Ultra Q and kept climbing each week, marking the show as a success. It was also the first Japanese television series to use a bidding system for commercial rights, allowing multiple third-party companies to sponsor the show. This was following TBS's merchandising troubles with its predecessor.
Chiaki J. Konaka is a Japanese writer and novelist. He was the head writer of anime series such as Serial Experiments Lain, Digimon Tamers, and Hellsing, as well as the television drama Ultraman Gaia.
Dino Mech Gaiking is a Japanese Super Robot mecha anime series produced by Toei Animation. For distribution purposes, Toei refers to this television series as Dino-Mecha Gaiking or simply Gaiking.
The Ultra Series, also known as Ultraman, is a Japanese science fiction media franchise owned by Tsuburaya Productions, which began with the television series Ultra Q in 1966 and became an international pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into many television shows, films, comic books, and other media publications, becoming one of the most prominent productions in the Japanese tokusatsu and kaiju genres and pioneering the Kyodai Hero subgenre. The Ultraman series is centered on a fictional alien race of superheroes who often combat kaiju or other aliens.
Ultraseven is a Japanese tokusatsu science fiction television series created by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the third installment in the Ultra Series and was produced by Tsuburaya Productions. The series aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System from October 1, 1967 to September 8, 1968.
The☆Ultraman is a Japanese animated television series co-produced by Tsuburaya Production and Tokyo Broadcasting System and animated by Sunrise. The series aired on TBS Television affiliates on the Wednesday 7:00 PM time slot from April 4, 1979 to March 26, 1980, lasting a total of 50 episodes. It was the eighth installment in the Ultra Series and began airing four years after the end of Ultraman Leo.
Ultra Q is a 1966 Japanese tokusatsukaiju television series created by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, it is the first entry in the long-running Ultraman franchise and was broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) from January 2 to July 3, 1966, with a total of 28 episodes. This series was followed two weeks later by the more popular Ultraman (1966), the second entry in the franchise.
Return of Ultraman is a Japanese tokusatsu science fiction television series produced by Tsuburaya Productions. The fourth entry in the Ultra series, the series aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System from April 2, 1971, to March 31, 1972. It became successful enough to inspire a second "Kaiju Boom" in Japan, with rival studios producing their own tokusatsu shows and Tsuburaya Productions producing additional Ultraman shows annually for the next three years. Prior to the series' release, Ultra Q, Ultraman, and Ultraseven were stand-alone titles however, Return of Ultraman is the first installment to unite the first three shows into an interconnected universe.
Ultraman Max is a Japanese Tokusatsu series produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Co., Ltd. Released as the 19th Ultra Series, it aired from July 2, 2005, until April 1, 2006. The show aimed to return to the fast-paced formula of encountering a new monster each week, similar to the previous series, with the exception of Ultraman Nexus. On October 10, 2014, Crunchyroll announced that the series would be broadcast on their streaming service starting on October 17, 2014, in the US, Canada, Latin America, UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
Sci-Fi West Saga Starzinger, known as Spaceketeers in the United States, is an anime series produced by Toei Animation. It is a sci-fi remake/adaptation of Wu Cheng'en's fantasy novel Journey to the West. It was directed by Yugo Serikawa and written by Leiji Matsumoto. It aired in Fuji TV in Japan from April 2, 1978, to August 24, 1979. In the United States, it was referred to as Spaceketeers and was part of Jim Terry's Force Five series. In the United Kingdom, it was referred to as Sci-Bots on VHS releases. In Latin America, it was known as El Galáctico.
Planetary Robot Danguard Ace is a Japanese science fiction anime series created by Leiji Matsumoto with Dan Kobayashi.
Riku Sanjo is a Japanese manga writer and screenwriter. He works as a story writer for manga, anime and live-action film. Sanjo graduated from Meiji University.
The Double-D Avenger is a 2001 American comedy film by William Winckler.
Isao Sasaki is a Japanese actor, voice actor, and singer.
Frankenstein vs. the Creature from Blood Cove is a 2005 horror film written and directed by William Winckler. It is the second film from William Winckler Productions. Filmed in black and white, the film is an homage to classic monster movies, harkening back to the days of Universal's "Monster Rally" heyday. The film was released direct to DVD in 2005 and has since gone on to acquire a growing fan base. Part of the success of the film to date has been the support it has received from horror hosts and fans of late night cinema, with a national syndicated showing on Mr. Lobo's Cinema Insomnia Halloween special as well as local airings on shows from the Horror Host Underground. The film was awarded the "Best Feature Film" award at the 2006 World Horror Convention.
Keiichi Hasegawa is a Japanese screenwriter from Atami, Japan.
Ultraman X The Movie is a Japanese superhero and kaiju film, serving as the film adaptation of the 2015 Ultra Series television series Ultraman X. It was released on March 12, 2016, in celebration to the 50th anniversary of the Ultra Series, as well as 50th anniversary of Ultraman and 20th anniversary of Ultraman Tiga, both appearing in this movie as supporting characters. The film was scheduled for release on January 8, 2017, in the United States along with Ultraman Ginga S The Movie as a double feature. Actors of the English dub were announced on December 10, 2016, by SciFi Japan. The American release also coincided with the Canadian release from William Winckler Productions.
Ultraman Ginga S The Movie is a Japanese tokusatsu superhero film, serving as the film adaptation of the 2014 Ultra Series television series Ultraman Ginga S. It was released on March 14, 2015 in Japan and legally screened in English dub by the Philippine cinema chain SM Cinema. The film was also released on January 8, 2017 in the United States along with Ultraman X The Movie as a double feature. Actors of the English dub were announced on December 10, 2016 by SciFi Japan. The American release also coincided with the Canadian release from William Winckler Productions.
Kyle Evan Rea is an American actor, voice-actor, filmmaker and producer, known for his voice-over roles in Fist of the North Star, Ultraman, Gaiking, Dangard Ace, and Space Pirate Captain Harlock. He’s acted in over 20 films, voice-acted in over 35 anime, live action and motion comic titles.
Ultraman Taro is the title character of the 1973 Ultra Series, Ultraman Taro. In the series, Ultraman Taro merged with Kotaro Higashi the latter loses his life during Astromons' rampage. After that, Kotaro joined the battle as a ZAT member and utilized Taro's power to fight against giant monsters while receiving assistance from either his fellow brothers-in-arms or his parents. In the final episode, Kotaro severed his connection to Taro and returned the Ultra Badge, as he wanted to continue living his life as a normal human. He is last seen traveling around the world.