How do you find actors and actresses who have outlived their popularity? A patron in Fresno recently wanted to know how to contact actor John Winston. According to the Internet Movie Database, John Winton appeared as Lt. Kyle on the original “Star Trek” television series and in the Star Trek movie “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” in 1982. He hasn’t appeared in television or movies since his role of Smythson on the TV mini-series “Lucky/Chances” in 1990.
While the Internet Movie Database had a lot of information on the roles that Winston played, it revealed nothing as to his current contact information. Checks of the current editions, and several older editions, of Star Guide, Fan Club Directory, and Celebrity Directory yielded nothing. Our 1988 edition of Christiansen’s Ultimate Movie, TV and Rock Directory listed an address for John Winston, but it was well over 10 years old!
I tried searching several Star Trek fan websites, but that avenue was overwhelming, to say the least. Finding contact information on some of the more well-know characters was easy. John Winston only appeared in a hand-full of episodes, so he proved to be a bit more elusive. I didn’t even bother doing a general search engine query for “John Winston” – his name is far too common and I knew I would have to wade through too many other “John Winstons”.
I belong to the Stumpers list-serv, which is a great source for answering, or getting leads on, all kinds of “unanswerable” questions. Hoping for a good lead, I sent my question to the list. Almost immediately, I got several suggestions. One Stumpers list-serv colleague suggested I check the Screen Actor’s Guild website. On their site, I found a phone number, (323) 549-6737, for their “actors to locate” service. I wasn’t sure if John Winston was still a SAG member or would even be listed in their directory, considering he hasn’t acted in over ten years. Their operators will provide agent information, or any other contact information, for up to three SAG members at a time. I asked for “John Winston” and crossed my fingers. The operator replied that they did not have a listing for an agent for John Winston, but they did have a “business phone number.” I wasn’t sure where that would lead, so I gave the number a call, and got the answering machine for the actor John Winston!
Natasha Kahn, SJVIS