Many people think he failed his career miserably compared to the star power of his 'Bill &Ted' co-star Keanu Reeves. What they don't know is that he succeeded just as much, in the sense that he does exactly what he always wanted to do.
Alexander Winter was born in London, on July 17th 1965. Since his parents were both renowned dancers, a life on the stage was pretty much a given for the young man. Moving to New York after his parents' divorce, he was only 11 when he appeared on stage alongside business legends such as Yul Brenner in 'The King and I', Sandy Duncan in 'Peter Pan' and Vincent Proce in 'Oliver!'

Studying film writing and editing at the New York University, in his early 20's, brought him his first movie roles. An impressive presence in the horror-comedy 'The Lost Boys' in 1987, as a vampire, attracted the attention of rookie director Peter Hewitt. Pairing the goldie-locked boy with a tall and dark doofus named Keanu, Hewitt scored one of the biggest cult-hits of the 90's: Bill& Ted's Excellent Adventure.

Alex and Keanu Reeves play a pair of musically-challenged slackers who must pass their History final at all cost, if they are to become the peacemakers of the future. A time-traveller named Rufus (George Carlin) gives them access to a time phone booth, in order to witness 'The Real Thing', and help them fulfill their destiny.

The duo's monosyllabic expressions became a sensation among teens, often quoted and imitated. Reeves became famous for his trademark 'Whoa', while Winter was forever labeled 'Bill S. Preston, Esquire'.

Reeves' own progress in now part of history. He mixed indie work with high-profile actionners, from Speed to Matrix, to become one of the biggest stars on the planet. Alex took a different road, entirely by choice. His love was experimentation, directing and writing new and provocative material. Right after 'Bill & Ted', he was offered a DJ stint at MTV. He declined the offer, proposing instead a sketch'n'clips series, starring himself and directed with his friend Tom Stern, called 'The Idiot Box'. The series was a huge success, and opened doors to more diversified work.

In 1993, he wrote and directed a small sci-fi comedy called 'Freaked', about a chemical company rep who faces the strange effects his product has on a particular farm. The movie was highly acclaimed in numerous festivals, but under-promoted by 20th Century Fox who was under brand new management. Undeterred, he formed his own UK-based ad company called Brave Film Company, in 1994. He quickly carved his names as a director for commercials and even music videos, notably with Red Hot Chili Peppers and Ice Cube.

After a few years of perfecting his art, he wrote and directed a second film called 'Fever'. The small psychological ghost story received much attention in about a dozen festivals, and had critics praising Alex for his strong artistic skills. He used it to transpose his advertising work in US, in 2002, with a new production house called Hyena Films.

His talent was called on in television in 2003, for a controversial sketch-show called 'Jimmy Kimmel Live', still airing on ABC. The same year, he was re-united with MTV, when asked to write and direct a TV movie about the 'Napster' phenomenon.

As for his acting career, he didn't manifest much interest since the second 'Bill &Ted', aside form appearing in his own work. Believe it or not, some people chose NOT to become movie stars. Alex went his own way, and compared to many people in the business, he truly IS a success story. He does what satisfies him, without big-studio pressure.

By the way…Rumors about a third 'Bill & Ted' were fuelled by Keanu Reeves in early 2000, when he spoke of his wish to see both characters turn 40, and deal with what they became versus what they were supposed to become. Will it happen? Only Alex and Keanu know for sure.