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 Michael Winslow was born September 6 in Spokane, Washington on Fairchild Air Force Base. During his childhood he felt, growing up on the Air Force Base made it difficult to have friends, so he created imaginary friends, dogs, cats, trucks and just about anything that would keep him occupied for the moment. His mom tells stories about how with his mouth, he could imitate airplane noises, jet engines, basically anything that made a sound, he could recreate it!
After graduating from High School and having a short-lived moment in college, he had his first professional performance at a club/theater in Boulder, Colorado named Tulagi's. While performing at Tulagi's he opened for a group called "Nova" an Italian Rock Fusion Band. Michael heard through the grapevine that the group was a fan of Jimmy Hendrix, so he thought; why not imitate Jimmy, especially because Jimmy Hendrix, The Doors, Tommy Bolin and other famous bands had played there. When Michael got on stage with his mother's Afro wig, he won the crowd over despite his nervousness. The audience was flabbergasted with his rendition of "Purple Haze", the standing ovation and the applause from the audience was overwhelming and from that moment on he knew his calling was to be an entertainer!!!
It was at this point that Michael packed his bags and hitchhiked to Venice Beach, California where he was homeless for a short time while auditioning for the "Gong Show" hosted by the infamous Chuck Barris. Believe it or not, Michael won a whooping $516.32, which allowed him enough money to buy a vehicle, and head to Los Angeles, California to soon conquer all the local comedy clubs. After seeing Michael perform, a gentleman by the name of Bud Friedman featured him in the famous EVENING AT THE IMPROV (which we now know as the Improv Comedy Clubs).
It wasn't until 1984 when he finally got his "big chance". Director Hugh Wilson and producer Paul Manslanski came to see Michael perform at Long Beach Theater were he was opening for the unparalleled Count Basie & his Orchestra. Wilson and Manslanski were blown away by Michael's performance! They immediately wrote him into the script of the unforgettable "Police Academy I through VII". The movie immediately became an instant success and so did Michael! With his celebrity status on the rise, he played a part in Mel Brooks "Spaceballs". Michael was also heard but not seen when he gave the voice to Stripe, the evil little creature, in "Gremlins".
His credits don't stop there; he has done voice-overs for Disney and Universal Studios rides like "Back to the Future" and "Terminator" and you can also hear him in the Television Hits "Robo Chicken and Family Guy". Michael's most recent Geico commercial and appearance on Jay Leno are a continuous reminder that this man has over 10,000 voices. Michael will appear in the upcoming National Lampoons movie RoboDoc that premiered early May 2008.
Michael Winslow, an actor, a comedian, a master of vocal gymnastics, has the ability to imitate over 10,000 sound effects, his remarkable versatility will surely delight any audience!
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