Dean Winters
Dean Winters
Dean Winters is an American actor. Best known for his role as Ryan O'Reily on the HBO prison drama Oz, he has also appeared on such television series as Rescue Me, 30 Rock, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as the character "Mayhem" in a series of Allstate Insurance commercials. Winters co-starred with Josh Duhamel in one season of the CBS Network series cop drama Battle Creek...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionTV Actor
Date of Birth20 July 1964
CityNew York City, NY
CountryUnited States of America
I've done a few jobs out there for the money, and I find those jobs have come back to haunt me.
I've definitely become more aware of the penal system and more aware of what life could be like inside a prison.
I've been in scenes with my brother where I've been absolutely emotionally terrified to go somewhere. But because he's my brother, I feel safe.
School and I never seemed to walk hand in hand.
I've always been drawn to stories involving brothers, which started with my first viewing of Sean Penn's, 'The Indian Runner.' This subsequently lead to my working with my two brothers, Scott & Brad. I couldn't imagine a greater gift in the business.
My brother and I worked in eight bars as the brother bartenders.
New York being the greatest walking city in the world, I tend to walk everywhere as long as I am afforded the time.
When there's not ten feet of snow on the ground, I ride my bike down the streets of New York, and I literally hear two things out of car windows as cabs pass by me: They either yell, 'Hey, dummy,' or 'Hey, Mayhem.'
Unfortunately, in the Hollywood way, respect comes in the form of a trophy a lot of the time.
I wanted to become an actor so I didn't have to put on a suit and sell insurance.
The best thing an actor can bring to a role is himself - that's no secret.
for me the most fun of my career is to bring a little bit of irreverence to characters. And, you know, I don't think that the producers were expecting me to be as irreverent as I am.
I was born and raised in New York and I'm of an age where I want to just be home. But, you know, when you sign up to be an actor it's like joining the circus and the circus is not always going to be in your hometown.
You don't really think The Terminator exists, but you want him to exist.