Michael Winkelman

Michael L. Winkelman (June 27, 1946 – July 27, 1999)^[1] was an American child actor best known for his role as Little Luke McCoy from 1957 to 1963 in 157 episodes of the situation comedy television series, The Real McCoys, starring Walter Brennan in the title role of Grandpa Amos McCoy, with Richard Crenna as Luke McCoy, older brother of Winkelman's character.

After its five-year run on ABC, The Real McCoys switched to CBS for its final season in 1962-1963 without the services of Kathleen Nolan as the young housewife, Kate McCoy. The series was created by Irving Pincus and directed by Hy Averback, with Richard Crenna later assuming some directing duties.^[2]

In the last season on CBS, Winkelman, Lydia Reed as Hassie McCoy, and Tony Martinez as farmhand Pepino Garcia, all appeared less frequently than they had in the first years on ABC. Subsequently, Winkelman found few acting jobs and entered the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. He was later a groundskeeper at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California.^[3]

Other roles

Winkelman's first television appearance was as 9-year-old Bruce Fuller in the 1955 television series The Great Gildersleeve. That same years he also appeared in the Richard Boone series Medic on NBC. Even while appearing in the first season of The Real McCoys young Winkelman appeared as Ben Palmer in the pilot episode, "The Willy Moran Story", on NBC's Wagon Train,^[4] He also guest starred on ABC's Telephone Time, and on CBS's Lassie during the Tommy Rettig years and the fantasy drama, The Millionaire. He appeared on Darren McGavin's Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer and on The Lone Ranger in the role of Chip Truett in the episode entitled "The Prince of Buffalo Gap." He guest starred on two episodes in 1955 and 1956 of both NBC's The Loretta Young Show and CBS's Schlitz Playhouse of Stars. Winkelman appeared in the ABC anthology, TV Reader's Digest, in a 1955 episode entitled "Ordeal at Yuba Gap." In 1956, he appeared in two episodes of ABC's Cavalcade of America anthology series, one entitled "The Boy Nobody Wanted."^[5]

Winkelman's film roles, some uncredited, were in The Big Knife, Bobby Ware Is Missing, Sincerely Yours, and The Indian Fighter (all 1955), and Ride Out for Revenge (1957).^[5]

Winkelman's last television appearances were in 1963 on CBS's The Danny Thomas Show and NBC's Mr. Novak, in 1964 on NBC's Kraft Suspense Theatre, and in 1965 on CBS's unconventional comedy, The Munsters, in which he played himself.^[5] He was a member of the Young Hollywood Hall of Fame.

Death

Winkelman gravestone at Riverside National Cemetery

Winkleman died at the age of fifty-three and is interred at the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside County, California.^[6]

Winkelman was a brother of actress Wendy Winkelman.^[5]

References