Talk:Michael Winner

Comments by anon ed 210.7.18.2

....Phase4 22:35, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

Sexuality

I've removed the unsupported claim that Winner is gay (which was given its own section!). Could not find any evidence for this from a google search. This is the kind of thing which will get Wikipedia sued Bwithh 06:33, 17 April 2006 (UTC) On closer examination, the claim appears to have been made by a deliberately malicious user Bwithh 06:36, 17 April 2006 (UTC)

Health

He's looking a bit thin and gaunt of late. Does he have a health problem? Martyn Smith 14:04, 26 December 2006 (UTC)

Maybe he's just stopped being a fat b*stard. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 82.43.189.130 (talk) 13:12, 17 January 2007 (UTC).

He's currently (17 January 07) in Hospital in London where newspaper reports have stated he needs to have a leg removed, as a result of an infection and morbid obesity.GazMan7 13:41, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

By June 8th he is still to be released from hospital, some rumours and reports have indicated he is starting to suffer from organ failure...GazMan7 10:29, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

The Independent had an interview with him at home in April, and there is no subsequent record of him being taken back in. The Indy article is very detailed on the nature of his illness & subsequent treatment. --Stephen Burnett 11:06, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Yeah i read that, very strange, as i understand that he has not actually been released from hospital and is currently still there. However with-out 3rd party confirmation the Independent article is the best we have. Worth following this carefully for any other evidence to negate the Inde article.--GazMan7 15:13, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Michael Winner has just published a diet book, that's why he looks thin lol --81.111.128.14 14:37, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

He was seriously ill - thats why he lost weight - not an advisable way to lose it. He has had almost no public apearances for some time.GazMan7 (talk) 11:15, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

Michael appeared on radio a few weeks back saying that the reason he was thin was because he dieted. He lost weight before he was ill. He particularly made the point that the weight loss was not due to the illness. DavidFarmbrough (talk) 10:39, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

He is selling a diet book!, he lost weight due largely to being ill, having had a long stay in hospital. (see http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=461138&in_page_id=1773), MRSA, 11 operations, close to death etc. He may want to gloss over that to make money which is a real shame.GazMan7 (talk) 13:06, 11 March 2008 (UTC)

References

Address

Why was his address listed? This is not usual for Wikipedia and I have removed it from the article Paul210 (talk) 19:16, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

It's too bad you removed his address. It's part of his persona.
1- "The house is already on tours of London's most important Victorian buildings.
2- "It was once the home of a Victorian artist called Sir Luke Fildes, and was built a well-known domestic architect, Richard Norman Shaw. Where Fildes's studio was is now my bedroom. Edward VII called it one of the finest rooms in London."
3- "I have decided that I will be leaving the house to the nation - as a museum."

and now that your interest is peaked, you'll have to figure it out for yourselves silly wikipedia destroyers. comment added by Gungasdindin (talk • contribs) 22:16, 9 November 2008 (UTC)

Jewish?

I am aware that he had at least one Jewish parent, but Michael has never made a big thing of his religion, in fact I don't think I have heard him mention it at all. Wikipedia's style guide says that a subject's religion should only be mentioned if it is the reason they are notable, or if the subject has chosen to speak about this. Unless someone has evidence that he has said that he's a Hebrew, then it should be removed. DavidFarmbrough (talk) 10:55, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

• Well I think we need to have a bit of leeway on that. His accent is that of a Jewish Brit, and what's more you're generally seen as Jewish by nationality if your mother was before you: it has nothing to do with religious practice. There's a Wikipedia category called "Jewish atheists" as though in proof of that. Not050 (talk)Not050Template:Undated-->

Jews are not Jews by religion but by ethnic descent. Very many prominent Jews are atheists or agnostics etc. But remain and are also saying that they are Jewish. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:16B8:C157:6900:B804:3A8F:F10D:6338 (talk) 20:08, 8 December 2020 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Michael-Winner jpg.jpg

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Ancestry

The article states that he is from a Jewish family - is that on both sides? It states that his father was Russian and his mother was Polish. If he was born of a Russian Jewish father and a Polish Jewish mother, does that mean his descent is Jewish only, or is he also of Russian and Polish descent? If the latter is the case, he should be added to Russian and Polish descent categories. Werdnawerdna (talk) 00:51, 8 October 2008 (UTC)

The page says hes from jupiter, space —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.86.99.11 (talk) 20:23, 7 November 2008 (UTC)

He's clearly not from Jupiter. Now reverted. --Jameboy (talk) 22:09, 7 November 2008 (UTC)

Celebrity Mastermind

This page isn't a fan page for Winner - it's an encylopedia entry. It discusses his "celebrity" life - so should discuss his highs and his lows. He did appear on Celebrity Mastermind, and afterwards made derogatory comments about other contestants. The information is sourced, factually correct, and has been revised to not show any anti-Winner sentiment. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.86.93.152 (talk) 08:19, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

I think it's fine now it's been toned down, but still needs a ref for the alleged Dom Joly quote. The only other issue is undue weight - surely he's done hundreds of these sorts of things over his lifetime as a celeb, so why pick on this in particular? Little grape (talk) 09:22, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Let's see, the anon SPA pretty much admits that the original was intended to express "anti-Winner sentiment," and some of the derogatory content remains unsourced. That's rather glaring evidence of BLP violation, especially since the events involved are subtrivial. Wikipedia is not a place for anonymous backbiters to tee off on the character of living people. Hullaballoo Wolfowitz (talk) 16:24, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Let's see, the anon SPA didn't intend to express "anti-Winner sentiment" - it may have come across as if it did, hence the revision. Please do not twist my words. In the Daily Maily article, MW made it clear that he didn't often do this type of thing, hence finding it worthwhile to include. I'm not teeing off on the character of any living person, but think the show and MW's reaction to it gives an interesting insight into his life and thoughts. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.86.93.152 (talk) 19:21, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

I don't think so, given the sarcams in this edit summary [2] and (elsewhere) the gratuitous insult in this one [3]. Hullaballoo Wolfowitz (talk) 20:02, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Please discuss the content, not the editor. I imagine this spat is over, as the new para is sourced, doesn't seem 'sarcastic' to me, and appears to comply with BLP guidelines.

However, this section would benefit from more content - for example Winner is perhaps best known in the UK for his 'Calm down dear' series of commercials over the last two or three years, yet these are not mentioned anywhere in the article. Little grape (talk) 21:29, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Your understanding of sarcasm is clearly poor (as is your grammar, thinking sarcasms is plural), as there was no sarcasm in the comments. I injected a little humour into the summary, but I stand by the sentiment! As for a "gratuitous" insult in the other one - I removed vandalism. If you truly believe it to be "gratuitous" then you have led a very sheltered life!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.86.93.152 (talk) 21:26, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

National treasure

Michael Winner is regarded as a UK national treasure, due to his down to earth persona and hard work ethic that has reaped him the rewards of celebrity/star, with a kind and generous nature, and with an address book of superstar friends past and present to prove it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.150.83.8 (talk) 23:14, 26 February 2010 (UTC)

Jim Michael (talk) 19:44, 17 March 2011 (UTC)

Friends

The list of friends under the /* Celebrity life */ section was unsourced. A request for citation had been pending since added by GazMan7 at 18:59, 20 March 2008. As the list was unlikely, I have removed it. Please do not add friends back in without proper sourcing. --Bejnar (talk) 23:01, 7 March 2010 (UTC)

Fact check

There have been exchanges of email which I have merged together under VRTS ticket # 2010041710014178. This includes an official biography which I copy by permission at Talk:Michael Winner/Bio. This is, of course, not presented with inline sources and the style is not compatible with our manual of style, but I would appreciate it if people could cross-check for factual inaccuracies since Mr. Winner's office is (perhaps understandably) unwilling to spoon-feed us with specifics and I currently have jetlag having just returned to the UK from NYC. Guy (Help!) 14:37, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

MY query is re WINNER's " Carry on Folms " ? Humpsstones (talk) 23:28, 4 April 2019 (UTC)

apologies....FILMS ! Humpsstones (talk) 23:29, 4 April 2019 (UTC)

Filmography

I was wondering why the 2010 film 'Burke and Hare' appears in the list of Winner's films when the page for that article makes no mention of him? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.27.202.25 (talk) 15:05, 14 January 2012 (UTC)

He's there now. He had a small role in which he was thrown off a cliff. — ^Wylie_Coyote 22:15, 21 January 2013 (UTC)

No mention of TV adverts?

I'm surprised this article makes no mention of the long-running series of TV adverts Winner appeared in, with the catchphrase "Calm down dear, it's only a commercial..." As this Daily Mail article notes[4], they're arguably what he's best known for. (Admittedly I can't for the life of me remember what the adverts were actually for... car insurance, I think?) Robofish (talk) 15:58, 15 December 2012 (UTC)

Esure. He was replaced by Mr. Mouse, a blue animated mouse character with an American accent. — ^Wylie_Coyote 22:19, 21 January 2013 (UTC)

Freehold or Leasehold?

In the 'Personal Life' section, it is stated about his house that 'It was announced in 2008 that Winner intended to leave his house as a museum, but discussions with Kensington and Chelsea council apparently stalled after they were unable to meet the £15 million cost of purchasing the freehold of the property, which expires in 2046.[33]'

I wonder whether that should not read 'leasehold' instead of 'freehold' as freehold does not expire?

Sejtam (talk) 12:30, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

External links modified

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Orphaned references in Michael Winner

I check pages listed in Category:Pages with incorrect ref formatting to try to fix reference errors. One of the things I do is look for content for orphaned references in wikilinked articles. I have found content for some of Michael Winner's orphans, the problem is that I found more than one version. I can't determine which (if any) is correct for this article, so I am asking for a sentient editor to look it over and copy the correct ref content into this article.

Reference named "ft":

• From London: "FT Global MBA Rankings". Financial Times. London. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
• From Helen Mirren: Levy, Emanuel (15 October 2010). "Majestic Mirren". Financial Times. Retrieved 18 January 2016.

I apologize if any of the above are effectively identical; I am just a simple computer program, so I can't determine whether minor differences are significant or not. AnomieBOT⚡ 21:22, 26 December 2018 (UTC)

Jewish or Polish or Russian?

"His family was Jewish;[5] his mother was Polish, and his father of Russian extraction." - So? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:16B8:C157:6900:B804:3A8F:F10D:6338 (talk) 20:10, 8 December 2020 (UTC)