David Goerlitz (born April 15, 1950) is an American actor,[1] writer,[2][3] educator[4] and a male model. He is best known as the "Winston Man",[5][3][6][7][4] appearing in advertising for Winston cigarettes[1] for 8 years in the 1980s.
David Goerlitz | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 15, 1950 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, writer, model, educator,[4] advocate[6][4] |
Goerlitz publicly quit smoking and joined the anti smoking movement condemning tobacco industry advertising for which he testified to Congress in 1989.[8][9][7] After 20 years of international public speaking and education Goerlitz became disillusioned with the anti smoking movement in 2007. He then became an advocate for the vaping industry[10][11] and in 2016 starred in the documentary film A Billion Lives.[12][13]
Early life
Goerlitz was the youngest of 3 boys, his father was a Baptist preacher.[14] Goerlitz stated in a 2016 article "we moved 14 times in 6 years and every state we went to was different".[14] He started smoking at the age of thirteen [15] and continued until the age of 38 although struggled for many years to give up completely.[14]
Career
Modelling
1981-1988
Goerlitz began modelling at the age of 29 and after a callback in 1980 was employed by R.J. Reynold's Tobacco Company as the "Winston Man". Goerlitz was featured in 42[16] advertisements for Winston cigarettes, including the 'Search and Rescue'[8] advertisement series, for which he was America’s most-photographed person on cigarette advertisements.[16] The marketing series moved Winston cigarettes from number 4 to number 2 in worldwide sales.
Public Health Education
1988-2007
In 1988 Goerlitz's brother was diagnosed with cancer[17] after which Goerlitz publicly quit smoking at the 'Great American Smokeout'[17] in November of that year. At this point he became involved with the anti smoking movement and toured schools and colleges worldwide. He shared his story throughout North America, Taiwan, Japan and Sweden.[15] Goerlitz was honoured by the World Health Organisation in 1989 with a medal of honour[18] and also worked with The American Cancer Society, The American Lung Association[4] and The American Heart Association.[15][19]
Author
1999
In 1999 Goerlitz published his story with Gary LaForest in a book titled "Before The Smokescreen" with Gladstone Publishing.[2][3] The book recounts how and why Goerlitz began his 23 year long three and a half pack a day addiction to tobacco. In addition he gives the reader a behind the scenes look at how his ads for the tobacco industry were made and reviews his award-winning educational program for young people.
Vaping Advocacy
2007-Present Day
Goerlitz became disillusioned with the anti smoking movement and controversially spoke out about his views on the anti smoking industry, government and the tobacco industry. He has been publicly advocating for tobacco harm reduction through the use of vaping[10] products in media since 2007,[11] giving interviews on a number of online platforms.
A Billion Lives
2016
In 2016 Goerlitz was featured in the award-winning[20] documentary film A Billion Lives directed and narrated by Aaron Biebert and distributed by the production company Attention Era Media. In the film Goerlitz discusses his previous role in fighting the tobacco industry and his efforts in the vaping community.
Personal life
Goerlitz married at the age of 20[14] and is still married to the present day.