http://www.examiner.com/tv-in-denver/a-break-out-performer-philip-winchester June 1st, 2011 12:16 pm MT
Kimberly Pierce
Watching Starz latest historical epic Camelot, there are a number of amazing performances from established young actors like Eva Green and Jamie Campbell Bower. However, if you have never heard the name Philip Winchester (Leontes), you are not alone. Despite being around Hollywood since 1998, this amazing and versatile actor has yet to gain the popularity he richly deserves.
Winchester's first role was in the 1998 Steven Segal film The Patriot, and he has had a number of roles in films like Flyboys and In My Sleep; however, the work which has allowed him toe greatest opportunity to show off his talents has been on television.
In series like Camelot, the SyFy miniseries Alice and the short lived NBC adventure Crusoe, Winchester demonstrates his immense talents with accents. The American actor is able to assume a realistic and convincing English accent, seeming right at home in a series like Camelot where he is acting alongside a number of British performers. A recent profile from the Bozeman Daily Chronicle mentions that while Winchester was born in the United States, his mother is British and he studied the acting craft at the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, all of this allowing him to assume a polished British accent when needed.
Winchester also appeared in one of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of "King Lear" in the role of Edmund. His performance, which aired on the PBS special Great Performances and later on DVD, featured Winchester alongside the great Ian McKellan in the lead role and under the direction of Sir. Trevor Nunn. Once again, Winchester seems perfectly at home in the very British production, and holds his own with the tremendously experienced and talented cast around him.
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Next up for Winchester is a project entitled Strike Back, a trailer can be viewed here. At first glance, it looks to be an intense military/espionage/action series coming out of the United Kingdom. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle describes the show, "...an action series focusing on a former U.S. Special Forces operative who teams up with a British military unit to stop an international terrorist group." Reports are that the series will air on Cinemax later this year.
As his career has taken off, Philip Winchester has demonstrated that he is an incredibly talented and versatile actor who is at home in period pieces, Shakespeare, science fiction (check out his multi-layered turn as "Jack" in Alice) and even espionage thrillers. While his name is still a small one in Hollywood, he is a talented actor who is hopefully set for much bigger and better parts in the future.
Interested in checking out the work of Philip Winchester? Fans in Denver can check out his work in Camelot on Starz (based in Englewood!). New episodes air on Friday's at 10 ET/PT. Episode 9, "The Battle of Bardon Pass" is set to air June 3rd. With the 10 episode run coming to a close June 10th. Want to check out Camelot but don't have a Starz subscription? While there is no release date for the first season set, Amazon does have a page reserved for the DVD set, and will update when more information is known. Local retailer Barnes and Noble shows that a number of Denver locations have Alice in stock. Barnes and Noble also shows that a number of Metro area locations also carry the complete series set of Crusoe as well as copies of the Great Performances DVD of King Lear in stock.