Dancer and Choreographer David Winters Dies at Age 80

David Winters, a dancer who appeared on Broadway in the original production of West Side Story, who then turned choreographer, has died on April 23 at age 80. The cause of death was reportedly congestive heart failure, according to The New York Times.

One of Winters' most notable choreography works was the film Viva Las Vegas, starring Ann-Margret and Elvis Presley. He also worked as choreographer on the 1960s musical variety television shows Shindig! and Hullabaloo.

Winters made his Broadway debut in 1994 in On Your Toes. In addition to his most notable role in West Side Story, he also appeared in Sandhog, Shinbone Alley, Gypsy, and One More River.

Following his role of Baby John in the stage production of West Side Story, he took on the role of another Jet, A-Rab in the film version of the show.

Winters appeared on television in series such as Perry Mason and 77 Sunset Strip, before he started teaching dance.

Following his role of choreographer on Viva Las Vegas, he went on to choreograph several other of Ann-Margret's films, as well as three other Presley movies.

For television, Winters directed episodes of The Monkees, and worked multiple roles, including co-producer, director, and choreographer, on Welcome to My Nightmare, a concert film version of Alice Cooper's stage show.

During the final 30 years of his career, he worked as a producer primarily on action movies, such as Born Killer, Rapid Fire, and Body Count.

His final film had him returning to his roots. Winters directed, produced, and choreographed Dancin': It's On!, a film that follows a romance within a dance competition, starring contestants from the television series So You Think You Can Dance.

Read more on The New York Times.