Career
After its five-year run on American Broadcasting Company, The Real McCoys switched to Columbia Broadcasting System for its final season in 1962-1963 without the services of Kathleen Nolan as the young housewife, Kate McCoy. The series was created by Irving Pincus and directed by Hy Averback, with Richard Crenna later assuming some directing duties. In the last season on Columbia Broadcasting System, Winkelman, Lydia Reed as Hassie McCoy, and Tony Martinez as farmhand Pepino Garcia, all appeared less frequently than they had in the first years on American Broadcasting Company. Subsequently, Winkelman found few acting jobs and entered the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.
He was later a groundskeeper at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California.
Winkelman"s first television appearance was as 9-year-old Bruce Fuller in the 1955 television series The Great Gildersleeve. That same year, he also appeared in the Richard Boone series Medic on National Broadcasting Company. Even while appearing in the first season of The Real McCoys, young Winkelman appeared as Ben Palmer in the pilot episode, "The Willy Moran Story", on National Broadcasting Company"s Wagon Train, He also guest-starred on American Broadcasting Company"s Telephone Time, and on Columbia Broadcasting System"s Lassie during the Tommy Rettig years and the fantasy drama, The Millionaire.
He appeared on Darren McGavin"s Mickey Spillane"s Mike Hammer and on The Lone Ranger in the role of Chip Truett in the episode entitled "The Prince of Buffalo Gap". He guest-starred on two episodes in 1955 and 1956 of both National Broadcasting Company"s The Loretta Young Show and Columbia Broadcasting System"s Schlitz Playhouse of Stars.
Winkelman appeared in the American Broadcasting Company anthology, television Reader"s Digest, in a 1955 episode entitled "Ordeal at Yuba Gap".
In 1956, he appeared in two episodes of American Broadcasting Company"s Cavalcade of America anthology series, one entitled "The Boy Nobody Wanted". Winkelman"s film roles, some uncredited, were in The Big Knife, Bobby Ware Is Missing, Sincerely Yours, and The Indian Fighter (all 1955), and Ride Out for Revenge (1957). Winkelman"s last television appearances were in 1963 on Columbia Broadcasting System"s The Danny Thomas Show and National Broadcasting Company"s Mr.
Novak, in 1964 on National Broadcasting Company"s Kraft Suspense Theatre, and in 1965 on Columbia Broadcasting System"s unconventional comedy, The Munsters, in which he played himself.
Winkleman died at the age of 53, and his remains are interred at the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside County, California. Winkelman was a brother of actress Wendy Winkelman.