A well-known actor from the 1980s made hisAmerica’s Got Talentdebut this week.
Michael Winslow, whom hostTerry Crewscalled a “legend,” is known for starring in thePolice Academyfilm franchise, in addition to appearances inSpaceballsandGremlins. But in 1993, Winslow stepped away from Hollywood to focus on raising his children after his first wife died.
“I ended up doing pretty well. But I stopped making movies because I quit the business for my children. I had to raise them because I became a widower. Now, after raising my two kids, I’m in a different phase. I think this is my time,” Winslow, 62, said on Tuesday’s episode. “AndAmerica’s Got Talentis the place for me to show the world I still have something to offer, I still have some sounds to make. There’s still room for a little more.”
Trae Patton/NBC
For his audition, the voice-trumentalist from Orlando, Florida, also nicknamed “The Man of 10,000 Voices,” showcased his impressive catalog of noises. His range of sounds included different genres of music, as well as a spot-on impersonation of airplane chimes.
JudgeSimon Cowellwas quick to recognize Winslow fromPolice Academy, telling the actor: “I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that you’re here.”
Sharing his life story and how he learned how to mimic thousands of sound effects, Winslow told judges Cowell,Sofia Vergara,Heidi KlumandHowie Mandel, “When I was growing up, I didn’t have a lot of friends. I was an Air Force brat, so every two or three years we had to move. That meant I had to make up my own friends, my own movies, my own soundtrack, my own soundscape. I just paint my own soundscape.”
As for why this season was the right time to try out, Winslow said, “My son said this isAmerica’s Got Talent, you can come out here and be anything you want instead of being forced to be something you’re doing. This is the show you come to be yourself.”
After receiving four “gigantic” yes votes, Winslow stepped off the stage and told Crews that moving on to the next round “means my life has changed again for the better. I’ve gotten another blessing.”
America’s Got Talentairs Tuesdays (8 p.m. ET) on NBC.
source: people.com
