Coordinates: 51°03′48″N 1°18′31″W / 51.0632°N 1.3085°W / 51.0632; -1.3085

Winchester
A view of Winchester city centre
Winchester  Winchester shown within Hampshire
Population	41,420 [1]
OS grid reference	SU485295
District	Winchester
Shire county	Hampshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WINCHESTER
Postcode district	SO22, SO23
Dialling code	01962
Police	Hampshire
Fire	Hampshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Winchester
List of places: UK • England • Hampshire

Winchester (archaically known as Winton and Wintonceastre) is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of the River Itchen.^[2] At the time of the 2001 Census, Winchester had a population of 41,420.^[1]

Winchester developed from the Roman town of Venta Belgarum. Winchester's major landmark is Winchester Cathedral, one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, with the distinction of having the longest nave and overall length of all Gothic cathedrals in Europe. The town is also home to the University of Winchester and the famous public school, Winchester College. The city's architectural and historic interest, and its fast links to other towns and cities have led Winchester to become one of the most expensive and desirable areas of the country.^[3] A person who is from or resides in Winchester is sometimes locally known as a Wintonian.

History[link]

Early history[link]

Settlement in the area dates back to pre-Roman times, with an Iron Age enclosure or valley fort, Oram's Arbour, on the western side of the present-day city. After the Roman conquest of Britain the civitas, then named Venta Belgarum or "Market of the Belgae", was of considerable importance.^[4]

At the beginning of the 3rd century Winchester was given protective stone walls.^[5] At around this time the city had covered an area of 144 acres (58 ha), which made it the 5th largest town in Roman Britain. There were also a small number of suburbs outside the walls.^[6] However, like many other Roman towns, Winchester began to decline in the 4th century.^[7]

Anglo-Saxon times[link]

Hamo Thornycroft's statue of King Alfred the Great in Winchester.

The city has historic importance as it replaced Dorchester-on-Thames as the de facto capital of the ancient kingdom of Wessex in about 686 after King Caedwalla of Wessex defeated King Atwald of Wight. Although it was not the only town to have been the capital, it was established by King Egbert as the main city in his kingdom in 827. Saint Swithun was Bishop of Winchester in the mid 9th century. It was sacked by the Danes in 860.^[8]

The Saxon street plan laid out by Alfred the Great is still evident today: a cross shaped street system which conformed to the standard town planning system of the day – overlaying the pre-existing Roman street plan (incorporating the ecclesiastical quarter in the south-east; the judicial quarter in the south-west; the tradesmen in the north-east). The town was part of a series of fortifications along the south coast. Built by Alfred to protect the Kingdom, they were known as 'burhs'. The medieval city walls, built on the old Roman walls, are visible in places. Only one section of the original Roman walls remains. Four main gates were positioned in the north, south, east and west plus the additional Durngate and King's Gate. Winchester remained the capital of Wessex, and then England, until some time after the Norman Conquest when the capital was moved to London. The Domesday Book was compiled in the city late in the reign of William the Conqueror, but did not cover the city itself.^[9]

Medieval and later times[link]

A serious fire in the city in 1141 accelerated its decline. However, William of Wykeham (1320–1404) played an important role in the city's restoration. As Bishop of Winchester he was responsible for much of the current structure of the cathedral, and he founded the still extant public school Winchester College. During the Middle Ages, the city was an important centre of the wool trade, before going into a slow decline. The curfew bell in the bell tower (near the clock in the picture), still sounds at 8.00pm each evening. The curfew was the time to extinguish all home fires until the morning.

In 1770, Thomas Dummer purchased the City Cross (also known as the Buttercross) from the Corporation of Winchester, intending to have it re-erected at Cranbury Park, near Otterbourne. When his workmen arrived to dismantle the cross, they were prevented from doing so by the people of the city, who "organised a small riot"^[10] and they were forced to abandon their task. The agreement with the city was cancelled and Dummer erected a lath and plaster facsimile, which stood in the park for about sixty years before it was destroyed by the weather.^[11] The Buttercross still stands in the High Street.

The novelist Jane Austen died in Winchester on 18 July 1817 and is buried in the cathedral. The Romantic poet John Keats stayed in Winchester from mid-August to October 1819. It was in Winchester that Keats wrote "Isabella", "St. Agnes' Eve", "To Autumn" and "Lamia". Parts of "Hyperion" and the five-act poetic tragedy "Otho The Great" were also written in Winchester.

Further learning[link]

The City Museum located on the corner of Great Minster Street and The Square contains much information on the history of Winchester. Early examples of Winchester measures of standard capacity are on display.

Governance[link]

Winchester is currently represented in the House of Commons through the Winchester Parliamentary Constituency by Steve Brine of the Conservatives who in the General Election of 2010 beat Martin Tod, the Liberal Democrat candidate, by 3048 votes (a margin of 5.4%).^[12] Mark Oaten had previously won the seat for the Liberal Democrats during the 1997 general election in which he defeated Gerry Malone, a Health Minister in John Major's Conservative Government.

Elections to the city council take place in three out of every four years, with one third of the councillors elected in each election. Since winning a majority in the 2006 election the council had been controlled by the Conservatives,^[13] until the 2010 election when the council was again controlled by the Liberal Democrats.

Landmarks[link]

Cathedral[link]

A view of Winchester Cathedral.

Winchester Cathedral, the longest cathedral in Europe, was originally built in 1079. It contains much fine architecture spanning the 11th to the 16th century and is the place of interment of numerous Bishops of Winchester (such as William of Wykeham), Anglo-Saxon monarchs (such as Egbert of Wessex) and later monarchs such as King Canute and William Rufus,^[14] as well as Jane Austen. It was once an important pilgrimage centre and housed the shrine of Saint Swithun. The ancient Pilgrims' Way travelling to Canterbury begins at Winchester. The plan of the earlier Old Minster is laid out in the grass adjoining the cathedral. The New Minster (original burial place of Alfred the Great and Edward the Elder^[14]) once stood beside it. It has a girls choir and a boys choir, which sing on a regular basis at the cathedral.

The Winchester Cathedral Close contains a number of historic buildings from the time when the cathedral was also a priory. Of particular note are the Deanery which dates back to the thirteenth century. It was originally the Prior's House, and was the birthplace of Arthur, Prince of Wales, in 1486. Not far away is Cheyney Court, a mid fifteenth century timber framed house incorporating the Porter's Lodge for the Priory Gate. It was the Bishop's court house.

The earliest hammer-beamed building still standing in England is also situated in the Cathedral Close, next to the Dean's garden. It is known as the Pilgrims' Hall, as it was part of the hostelry used to accommodate the many pilgrims to Saint Swithun's shrine. Left-overs from the lavish banquets of the Dean would be given to the pilgrims who were welcome to spend the night in the hall. It is thought by Winchester City Council to have been built in 1308. Now part of The Pilgrims' School, the hall is used by the school for assemblies in the morning, drama lessons, plays, orchestral practices, Cathedral Waynflete rehearsals, the school's Senior Commoners' Choir rehearsals and so forth.

Wolvesey Castle and Palace[link]

Wolvesey Castle was the Norman bishop's palace, dating from 1110, but standing on the site of an earlier Saxon structure. It was enhanced by Henry de Blois during the Anarchy of his brother King Stephen's reign. He was besieged there for some days. In the 16th century, Queen Mary Tudor and King Philip II of Spain were guests just prior to their wedding in the Cathedral. The building is now a ruin (maintained by English Heritage), but the chapel was incorporated into the new palace built in the 1680s, only one wing of which survives.

Castle[link]

The "Winchester Round Table" in the Great Hall of Winchester Castle

Winchester is well known for the Great Hall of its castle, which was built in the 12th century. The Great Hall was rebuilt sometime between 1222 and 1235, and still exists in this form. It is famous for King Arthur's Round Table, which has hung in the hall from at least 1463. The table actually dates from the 13th century, and as such is not contemporary to Arthur. Despite this it is still of considerable historical interest and attracts many tourists. The table was originally unpainted, but was painted for King Henry VIII in 1522. The names of the legendary Knights of the Round Table are written around the edge of the table surmounted by King Arthur on his throne. Opposite the table are Prince Charles's 'Wedding Gates'. In the grounds of the Great Hall is a recreation of a medieval garden. Apart from the hall, only a few excavated remains of the stronghold survive amongst the modern Law Courts. The buildings were supplanted by the adjacent King's House, now incorporated into the Peninsula Barracks where there are five military museums.^[15] (The training which used to be carried out at the barracks is now done by the Army Training Regiment Winchester, otherwise known as Sir John Moore Barracks, two miles outside the city.)^[16]

Hospital of St Cross[link]

The almshouses and vast Norman chapel of Hospital of St Cross were founded just outside the city centre by Henry de Blois in the 1130s. Since at least the 14th century, and still available today, a 'wayfarer's dole' of ale and bread has been handed out there. It was supposedly instigated to aid pilgrims on their way to Canterbury.

Winchester Guildhall 1871

Other buildings[link]

Other important historic buildings include the Guildhall dating from 1871 in the Gothic revival style,^[17] the Royal Hampshire County Hospital designed by William Butterfield and Winchester City Mill, one of the city's several water mills driven by the River Itchen that run through the city centre. The mill has recently been restored, and is again milling corn by water power. It is owned by the National Trust.

Although Winchester City survived World War II intact, about thirty percent of the Old Town was demolished to make way for buildings more suited to modern office day requirements (in particular for Hampshire County Council and Winchester City Council). Since the late 1980s the city has seen a gradual replacement of these post-war brutalist structures by contemporary developments more sympathetic to the medieval urban fabric of the Old Town.

Education[link]

Primary schools[link]

Winchester has a variety of good primary schools, including both state and private provision. St. Peters Catholic Primary School is currently the best, in terms of SATS results, after achieving a perfect 300.^[when?] Compton Primary School follows a close second and then Micheldever CofE. Winchester's primary schools are, in order of SATS results, as follows:

1. St Peter's Catholic Primary School
2. Compton Primary School
3. Micheldever Church of England Primary School
4. Otterbourne Primary School
5. St Bede Church of England Primary School
6. Kingsworthy Primary School
7. South Wonston Primary School
8. Weeke Primary School
9. Western Church of England Primary School
10. St Swithun Wells Catholic Primary School
11. St Faith's Church of England Primary School
12. John Keble Church of England Primary School
13. All Saints Church of England Primary School
14. Oliver's Battery Primary School
15. Stanmore Primary School
16. Winnall Primary School
17. Harestock Primary School

Secondary schools[link]

There are three state secondary schools: Kings' School Winchester, The Westgate School, and The Henry Beaufort School, all of which have excellent reputations.

Among independent junior/preparatory schools, there are The Pilgrims' School Winchester, Twyford School and Prince's Mead School.

Winchester College War Cloister

Winchester College, a boys' public school founded by William of Wykeham, still occupies its original buildings dating from 1382: two courtyards, gatehouse, cloister, hall and a large college chapel. The college expanded considerably in Victorian and later times, and now has 10 boarding houses in addition to "College" for the scholars. It also owns "The Water Meadows" through which runs a part of the River Itchen. It sets its own entrance exams.

Another local independent school is St Swithun's, a day and boarding school for girls from nursery to sixth form. Both schools often top the examination result tables for the city and county.

Tertiary and Further Education[link]

The University of Winchester (formerly King Alfred's College) is a public university based in Winchester and the surrounding area. The University origins go back as far as 1840 - originally as a Diocesan teacher training centre. King Alfred's, the main campus, is located on a purpose built campus near the city centre. The newly completed West Downs is a short walk away and houses student facilities and accommodation and the business school.^[18]

The Winchester School of Art was founded in the 1860s as an independent institution and is now a school of the University of Southampton. Peter Symonds College is the main college that serves Winchester and is one of the region's more highly-rated sixth form colleges.

Sport[link]

Winchester has an association football league and two recognised clubs, Winchester City F.C., the 2004 FA Vase winners who were founded in 1884 and has the motto "Many in Men, One in Spirit", currently play in the Wessex League and Winchester Castle F.C., who have played in the Hampshire League since 1971. Reading midfielder Brian Howard was born in Winchester, as was Doncaster Rovers and Wales international midfielder Brian Stock.

Winchester women also have successful sports teams with Winchester City Women FC currently playing in the Hampshire County League Division 1 and recently went through a league campaign unbeaten. The club caters for players of all ability and ages. [1]

Winchester also has a rugby union team named Winchester RFC and a thriving athletics club called Winchester and District AC.

Winchester has a thriving successful Hockey Club,^[19] with ten men's and three ladies' teams catering to all ages and abilities.

The city has a growing roller hockey team which trains at River Park Leisure Centre.

Lawn bowls is played at several greens (the oldest being Hyde Abbey dating from 1812) during the summer months and at Riverside Indoor Bowling Club during the winter.

Winchester College invented and lent its name to Winchester College Football, played exclusively at the College and in some small African/South American communities.

Winchester Allstars were a 6-a-side football team, well known in Winchester.

Transport[link]

Winchester is located on the M3 motorway and at the meeting of the A34, A31, A3090 and A272 roads. Once a major traffic bottleneck, it still suffers from congestion at peak times. It is just to the south of the A303 and A30.

Winchester railway station is served by South West Trains trains from London Waterloo, Weymouth, Portsmouth and Southampton, and by CrossCountry Trains between Bournemouth, Southampton, Reading, Oxford and either Manchester or Newcastle. Historically it was also served by a line to London via Alton which partially survives as the Watercress Line. Winchester had another station served by the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway, closed in the 1960s.

Local and Park and Ride bus services are provided by Stagecoach, who also run routes to Andover, New Alresford, Alton, Petersfield, Romsey, Salisbury, Hursley, Fareham and Southampton. Other services run to Eastleigh, Southampton and Chandler's Ford (Bluestar), to Romsey and Stockbridge (Wilts & Dorset), to Broughton and West Meon (community buses), to Swanmore and Bishops Waltham (Brijan Tours). Many services are subsidised by Hampshire County Council. National Express coaches serve Bournemouth, Poole, Portsmouth, Heathrow Airport, Oxford and Edinburgh. Megabus and Greyhound serve Birmingham, Oxford, Manchester and Leeds.^[20]

Winchester is at the head of the Itchen Navigation, which once provided a transport link to Southampton, but has recently been restored as a wildlife corridor.

Law courts[link]

Winchester Combined Court Centre consists of a Crown Court and County Court. It is administered by Her Majesty's Courts Service, an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice. Winchester is a first-tier court centre and is visited by High Court judges for criminal and also for civil cases (in the District Registry of the High Court). One of the most high profile case to be heard here was the Rose West murder trial in 1995.

Winchester also has a separate District Probate registry which is part of the High Court.^[21] This Court is separate from the main Court establishment at the top of Winchester High Street and deals only with probate matters.

Media and culture[link]

Since 1974 Winchester has hosted the annual Hat Fair, a celebration of street theatre that includes performances, workshops, and gatherings at several venues around the city.

Winchester hosts one of the UK's largest and most successful farmers' markets, with close to – or over – 100 stalls, and is certified by FARMA. The farmers' market takes place on the second and last Sunday monthly in the town centre.

Three newspapers are published for Winchester. The paid-for broadsheet Hampshire Chronicle, which started out in 1772 reporting national and international news, now concentrates on Winchester and the surrounding area. There are also two free tabloid-sized papers for the city: the Winchester News Extra and the Mid-Hants Observer.

Winchester had its own radio station, Win FM, from October 1999 to October 2007.

In 2003 Winchester was ranked 5th in a league of 50 'crap towns' in the UK nominated by readers of The Idler magazine.^[22] In the 2006, however, the Channel 4 television programme The Best And Worst Places To Live In The UK, broadcast on 26 October, the city was celebrated as the "Best Place in the UK to Live in: 2006".^[3] In the 2007 edition of the same programme, Winchester had slipped to second place, behind Edinburgh.

A number of public figures and celebrities were students at Peter Symonds College in Winchester, including TV presenter and model Alexa Chung, Andy Burrows - singer/song writer and drummer of band Razorlight, glamour model Lucy Pinder and comedian Jack Dee.

The Punk Rock singer-song writer Frank Turner comes from Winchester, a fact that he often mentions at concerts as well as in his songs. The band Polly and the Billets Doux formed in Winchester, and are still based there now. Actor Colin Firth is from Winchester and was educated at Montgomery of Alamein School (now Kings' School).

2011 saw Winchester's first ever Oxjam Takeover music festival, on 22 October.^[23]

Winchester in fiction[link]

Medieval[link]

In the medieval narrative poem, Sir Orfeo, the main character Sir Orfeo is King of Winchester, which is said to be the modern name of Thrace. The final combat of the romance hero Guy of Warwick against the giant Colbrand takes place outside the walls of Winchester.

19th century[link]

A scene in Henry Esmond (1852) by William Makepeace Thackeray is set in the choir of Winchester cathedral. Winchester is in part the model for Barchester in the Barsetshire novels of Anthony Trollope, who attended Winchester College; The Warden (1855) is said to be based on a scandal at the Hospital of St Cross. A fictionalised Winchester appears as Wintoncester in Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891). Some of the action in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventure of the Copper Beeches (1892) takes place in the city.

20th century[link]

A fictitious estate near Winchester is the scene of a crime in the Sherlock Holmes adventure, The Problem of Thor Bridge (1922).

In Gerry Anderson's 1967 and 1968 programme Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, background material published by, or with the approval of, Anderson identifies Winchester as the birthplace of the main character, Captain Scarlet, real name Paul Metcalfe.^{[citation needed]}

Winchester is the main location of John Christopher's post-apocalyptic science fiction series, Sword of the Spirits. Winchester Cathedral is featured in James Herbert's horror novel The Fog. The Siege of Winchester in 1141, part of the English Civil War between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda, is an important plot element in the detective novel An Excellent Mystery, part of the Brother Cadfael chronicles by Edith Pargeter writing as Ellis Peters. 12th century Winchester is one of the locations described in Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth (1989). In Philip Pullman's novel The Subtle Knife (part of the His Dark Materials trilogy) the main male protagonist, Will Parry, comes from Winchester. However, little of the book is set there.

In the movie Merlin, King Uther's first conquest of Britain begins with Winchester, which Merlin foresaw would fall.

21st century[link]

In the Japanese manga Death Note, The Wammy's House, an orphanage founded by Quillish Wammy, where the detective L's successors (Mello, Near, and Matt) are raised, is located in Winchester.

In the novel One Day by David Nicholls, the male protagonist Dexter Mayhew went to the public school Winchester College.^{[citation needed]} This is frequently referred to throughout the book, as well as mentioning St. Swithin's Day and the St. Swithin's weather myth.

Patrick Gale's 2009 book, The Whole Day Through is set in Winchester.

In S.M. Stirling's 2007 novel, The Sunrise Lands, it is revealed that the British capital has been moved to Winchester.

International relations[link]

Twin towns[link]

Winchester is twinned with:^[24]

• Laon, France^[24][25]

The Winchester district is twinned with

• Gießen, Germany^[24]

The city is also twinned with Winchester, Virginia. The Mayor of Winchester, Hampshire has a standing invitation to be a part of the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester (VA) each year in the spring. The Virginia town also takes its name from Winchester in England.

The city of Winchester gave its name to a suburb of Paris, France, called Le Kremlin-Bicêtre (23,724 inhabitants), owing to a manor built there by John of Pontoise, Bishop of Winchester, at the end of the 13th century.

See also[link]

• List of people from Winchester
• Winchester Hat Fair
• Winchester Hoard

References[link]

Notes

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Winchester

• Winchester City Council
• www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Winchester and surrounding area

v t e Towns, villages and hamlets in the City of Winchester District of Hampshire, England Abbotts Barton Abbots Worthy Abbotstone Anthill Common Ashton Avington Badger Farm Beauworth Bighton Bishops Sutton Bishops Waltham Boarhunt Bramdean Brockbridge Cheriton Chidden Chilcomb Colden Common Compton and Shawford Corhampton Crawley Curbridge Curdridge Denmead Droxford Durley Durley Street Easton East Stratton Exton Fisher's Pond Fobdown Gundleton Hambledon Headbourne Worthy Hinton Ampner Hursley Itchen Abbas Itchen Stoke Itchen Valley Kilmeston Kings Worthy Knowle Lee Littleton and Harestock Lower Upham Martyr Worthy Meonstoke Micheldever Mislingford Morestead New Alresford North Boarhunt Northington Northington Down Old Alresford Olivers Battery Otterbourne Ovington Owslebury Owslebury Bottom Shedfield Soberton Southwick South Wonston Sparsholt Sutton Scotney Swarraton Swanmore Stoke Charity Temple Valley Tichborne Twyford Twyford Moors Upham Warnford West Meon Weston Colley Wickham Wickham Common Winchester Winnall Woodmancott Wood End Wonston Worlds End

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2010)

Chuck Connors
Chuck Connors (on right) meeting USSR leader Leonid Brezhnev at the Western White House in California, June 1973.
Born	Kevin Joseph Connors (1921-04-10)April 10, 1921 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	November 10, 1992(1992-11-10) (aged 71) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor; athlete
Years active	1952–91
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Faith Quabius (1977–80) (divorced) Kamala Devi (1963–72) (divorced) Elizabeth Riddell (1948–61) (divorced; 4 children)

Kevin Joseph "Chuck" Connors (April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992) was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. His best-known role from his forty-year film career was Lucas McCain in the 1960s ABC hit Western series The Rifleman.

Early life[link]

Connors was born Kevin Joseph Connors in Brooklyn, New York, second of two children and only son of Allan and Marcella Connors, emigrants from the Dominion of Newfoundland. He was raised Roman Catholic and served as an altar boy at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn.

His sister found out Connors didn't like his first name and was looking at a number of possible first-name changes: he tried out "Lefty" and "Stretch" before settling on "Chuck", because while playing first base, he would always yell, "Chuck it to me, baby, chuck it to me!" to the pitcher. The rest of his teammates and fans soon caught on and the name stuck. He loved the Dodgers despite their losing record during the 1930s. Connors knew that he too would be a Dodger, like: Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, Carl Furillo, Duke Snider, Roy Campanella, Billy Cox, Ralph Branca, Preacher Roe and Carl Erskine, the participants of the great championship team that Connors was part of, the Brooklyn Dodgers of 1949.

Connors's athletic abilities earned him a scholarship to both the elite Adelphi Academy (where he graduated in 1939) and Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. He left college after two years. During World War II he enlisted in the Army at Fort Knox. He spent most of the war as a tank-warfare instructor, stationed at Camp Campbell, Kentucky, and later at West Point, New York.

Sports career[link]

Chuck Connors
Connors as a Dodger.
First Baseman
Born: (1921-04-10)April 10, 1921
Died: November 10, 1992(1992-11-10) (aged 71)
Batted: Left	Threw: Left
MLB debut
May 1, 1949 for the Brooklyn Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
September 30, 1951 for the Chicago Cubs
Career statistics
Batting average	.238
Home runs	2
Runs batted in	18
Teams
Brooklyn Dodgers (1949) Chicago Cubs (1951)

During his army service, Connors moonlighted as a professional basketball player. Following his military discharge in 1946, he joined the newly formed Boston Celtics of the Basketball Association of America. Connors left the team for spring training with Major League Baseball's Brooklyn Dodgers. He played for numerous minor league teams before joining the Dodgers in 1949, for whom he played in only one game. He joined the Chicago Cubs in 1951, for whom he played in 66 games as a first baseman and occasional pinch hitter.^[1] In 1952, he was sent to the minor leagues again to play for the Cubs' top farm team, the Los Angeles Angels. Connors was also drafted by the Chicago Bears, but never suited up for the team. He is one of only 12 athletes in the history of American professional sports to have played for both Major League Baseball and in the NBA. He is also credited as the first professional basketball player to break a backboard. During warm-ups in the first-ever Boston Celtics game on November 5, 1946, at Boston Arena, Connors took a shot that caught the front of the rim and shattered an improperly installed glass backboard.^[2] In 1966, Connors played an off-field role by helping to end the celebrated holdout by Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax when he acted as an intermediary during negotiations between the team and the players. Connors can be seen in the Associated Press photo with Drysdale, Koufax, and Dodgers general manager Buzzie Bavasi announcing the pitchers' new contracts.

Acting career[link]

Television roles[link]

Connors realized that he would not make a career in professional sports, so he decided to pursue an acting career. Playing baseball near Hollywood proved to be fortunate, as he was spotted by an MGM casting director and subsequently signed for the 1952 Tracy-Hepburn film Pat and Mike. In 1953, he starred opposite Burt Lancaster as a rebellious Marine private in the film South Sea Woman. Connors also starred in 1957's Old Yeller as Burn Sanderson. That same year, he co-starred in The Hired Gun.

Character actor[link]

Connors was in feature films, such as The Big Country, Move Over Darling with Doris Day and James Garner and Soylent Green, with Charlton Heston. He also became a lovable character actor, guest-starring in dozens of shows. His guest-starring debut was on an episode of Dear Phoebe. He also appeared on television in roles in Hey, Jeannie!, The Loretta Young Show, Schlitz Playhouse, Adventures of Superman, Screen Directors Playhouse, Four Star Playhouse, Matinee Theatre, Cavalcade of America, Gunsmoke, Crossroads, The Gale Storm Show, West Point, The Millionaire, Tales of Wells Fargo (2 episodes), General Electric True Theater, Wagon Train, The Restless Gun, Murder, She Wrote, Date with the Angels, The DuPont Show with June Allyson, The Virginian, Night Gallery, and many others.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] The Rifleman

Connors beat out 40 actors for the lead on The Rifleman, portraying Lucas McCain, a widowed rancher known for his skill with a customized Winchester rifle. This ABC Western series was also the first show ever to feature a widowed father raising a young child. Connors said in a 1959 interview with TV Guide that the producers of Four Star Television (Dick Powell, Charles Boyer, Ida Lupino and David Niven) must have been looking at 40–50 thirty-something males." At the time, the producers offered a certain amount of money to do 39 episodes for the 1958-59 season. The offer turned out to be less than Connors was making doing freelance acting, so he turned it down. A few days later, the producers of The Rifleman took their own children to watch Old Yeller in which Connors played a strong father-figure role. After the producers watched him in the movie, they decided they should cast Connors in the role of Lucas McCain and make him a better offer, including a 5% ownership of the show.

The Rifleman was an immediate hit, ranking #4 in the Nielsen ratings in 1958-59, behind three other Westerns: Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, and Have Gun - Will Travel.

The producers were looking for an unfamiliar child actor to play Mark McCain. Johnny Crawford, a former Mousketeer, baseball fan, and Western buff, beat out 40 young stars to play the role. Crawford remained on the series from 1958 until its cancellation in 1963.

The Rifleman landed high in the Nielsen ratings until the last year in the 1962-63 season when ratings began to drop. The show was cancelled in 1963 after 5 seasons and 168 episodes.

Johnny Crawford said of his relationship with Connors: "I was very fond of Chuck, and we were very good friends right from the start. I admired him tremendously." Crawford also said about the same sport that Connors had played: "I was a big baseball fan when we started the show, and when I found out that Chuck had been a professional baseball player, I was especially in awe of him. I would bring my baseball and a bat and a couple of gloves whenever we went on location, and at lunchtime I would get a baseball game going, hoping that Chuck would join us. And he did, but after he came to bat, we would always have trouble finding the ball. It would be out in the brush somewhere or in a ravine, and so that would end the game."

Crawford stayed in touch with Connors until his death in 1992. "We remained friends throughout the rest of his life. He was always interested in what I was doing and ready with advice, and anxious to help in any way that he could . . . He was a great guy, a lot of fun, great sense of humor, bigger than life, and he absolutely loved people. He was very gregarious and friendly, and not at all bashful . . . I learned a great deal from him about acting, and he was a tremendous influence on me. He was just my hero." He and Connors reprised their roles as the McCains on a TV Western movie, The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw.

Typecasting/other TV roles[link]

In 1963, Connors appeared in the film Flipper. He also appeared opposite James Garner and Doris Day in the comedy, Move Over, Darling.

As Connors was strongly typecasted for playing the firearmed rancher turned single father, he then starred in several short-lived series, such as: ABC's Arrest and Trial, featuring two young actors Ben Gazzara and Don Galloway, NBC's post-Civil War-era series Branded (1965–1966) and the 1967-1968 ABC series Cowboy in Africa, alongside British actor Ronald Howard and Tom Nardini. In 1973 and 1974 he hosted a television series called Thrill Seekers. He had a key role against type as a slaveowner in the 1977 miniseries Roots.

The actor achieved notoriety for an incident on an NBC prime-time baseball telecast in the 1970s. The network regularly invited a celebrity commentator to join the regular play-by-play crew in the broadcast booth. Connors accidentally said "fuck" during the live national telecast, stunning both the announcers and the audience.

Connors hosted a number of episodes of Family Theater on the Mutual Radio Network. This series was aimed at promoting prayer as a path to world peace and stronger families, with the motto, "The family which prays together stays together."

In 1983, Connors joined Sam Elliott and Cybill Shepherd in the short-lived NBC series The Yellow Rose, about a modern Texas ranching family. In 1985, he guest starred as "King Powers" in the ABC TV series Spenser: For Hire, starring Robert Urich. In 1987, he co-starred in the Fox series Werewolf, as drifter Janos Skorzeny. In 1988, he guest starred as "Gideon" in the TV series Paradise, starring Lee Horsley.

In 1991, Connors was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

Personal life and death[link]

Connors was married three times during his life. He met his first wife, Elizabeth Riddell Connors, at one of his baseball games, and married her on October 1, 1948. They divorced in 1961 and had four sons, Michael (born 1950), Jeffrey (born 1952), Steven (born 1953) and Kevin (1956–2005).^[3]

Connors was a supporter of the Republican Party and attended several fundraisers for campaigns of U.S. President Richard M. Nixon.

Connors was introduced to Secretary General Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union at a party given by Nixon at the Western White House in San Clemente, California, in June, 1973. Connors presented Brezhnev with a pair of Colt Single Action Army "Six-Shooters" (revolvers) which Brezhnev liked greatly. Upon boarding his airplane bound for Moscow, Brezhnev noticed Connors in the crowd and went back to him to shake hands, and jokingly jumped up into Connors' towering hug. The Rifleman was one of the few American shows allowed on Russian television at that time; that was because it was Brezhnev's favorite. Connors and Brezhnev got along so well that Connors traveled to the Soviet Union in December 1973. In 1982, Connors expressed an interest in traveling to the Soviet Union for Brezhnev's funeral, but the U.S. government would not allow him to be part of the official delegation. Coincidentally, Connors and Brezhnev died on the same day, ten years apart.

A heavy smoker, Connors died on November 10, 1992 in Los Angeles at the age of 71, of pneumonia stemming from lung cancer. At the time of his death, he had a companion named Rose Mary Grumley. He was interred in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• The Riflemans Rifle website
• The Rifleman: Chuck Connors
• Chuck Connors at the Internet Movie Database
• Basketball-Reference.com re career basketball statistics and analysis
• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube
• TV Party - Meeting with Brezhnev
• Time Magazine - Meeting with Brezhnev
• Chuck Connors at http://www.ourchuckconnors.com

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Dean Winchester is a fictional character and one of the two protagonists of The CW Television Network's Supernatural. He is portrayed by Jensen Ackles. Dean hunts demons, spirits and other supernatural creatures with his younger brother Sam.

Background[link]

Dean Winchester was born on January 24, 1979 to John and Mary Winchester in Lawrence, Kansas. He is the couple's first child, four years older than his younger brother Sam. He is named after his maternal grandmother, Deanna Campbell. When he was only four years old on November 2, 1983, his mother Mary was killed in Sam's nursery by the demon Azazel. Infant Sam is saved by the ensuing fire when his father takes him out of his crib and gives him to Dean, who then carries him outside while their father unsuccessfully tries to rescue their mother. After that night Dean felt responsible for Sam, and was always given the job to take care of him while they were growing up. Dean's father John raised him and Sam as hunters of the supernatural. During Dean's childhood John would be away "hunting" a week or two at a time. Growing up Dean's "job" was to look after/ protect Sam. John basically told him that his little brother's life was in his hands. So the term "Watch out for Sammy" became his life.

Season 1[link]

As the season begins, Dean, at the age of 26, is a hunter; he hunts and kills supernatural monsters. Usually, he is with his father John, but sometimes goes by himself. When his father goes missing, Dean asks for Sam's help to find him. They go in search of their father, saving people from the supernatural along the way, but at the end of the first episode, Sam's girlfriend Jessica Moore dies the same way as their mother did.

In the episode "Skin," Dean and Sam battle a shapeshifter responsible for a string of brutal murders in St. Louis, Missouri. During the course of the episode, the shapeshifter assumes Dean's form, causing police to believe that Dean is responsible for the murders. However, Dean kills the shapeshifter while it is still in his form; the authorities officially declare him dead and pin the murders on him.

John finally contacts the boys, revealing that he has been away from them because he is tracking the demon that killed their mother. His affection for his sons could be used against him, so he wants them away from him. However, the family unites as they come into possession of the Colt, a special revolver which John says can kill anything, including demons. The season finale concludes with Sam, Dean, and John escaping from their clash with Azazel, the yellow-eyed demon. While Sam is driving an injured Dean and John to a hospital, a demon-possessed driver drives his semi truck into the Impala, causing massive damage to the car and the Winchesters inside.

Season 2[link]

All three of the Winchesters survive the wreck, although Dean is more severely injured than his father or brother. In the season premiere "In My Time of Dying," Dean is in a coma. A reaper named Tessa tries to convince him to move on and accept his death as it is his time to die and warns him that, if he refuses, he will most likely become one of the vengeful spirits he and his family have so often fought. In order to save him, John makes a deal with Azazel, trading his life for Dean's. When Dean wakes from his coma, he has no memory of his time with Tessa; he does, however, comment later that, when he woke up, it felt wrong. When John asks Sam to get him quote "a cup of caffeine" he whispers something in Dean's ear which the audience cannot hear, then hands the gun to Azazel. His father dies immediately afterward, and is later revealed to be in in hell.

Throughout the first half of the second season, Dean struggles with the death of his father. He is also haunted by his father's last words to him. At the midpoint of the season, it is revealed that John told Dean that Azazel intends to turn Sam evil and, if Dean cannot save Sam, Dean must kill his brother.

During an investigation in Baltimore, Maryland in "The Usual Suspects," Dean is arrested in connection with another series of murders. It is revealed that Dean has a police record, with charges over the years including credit card fraud, breaking and entering, and grave desecration. Although Sam and Dean are able to prove that the murders were actually committed by one of the detectives on the case, whose partner lets the brothers escape. Since the authorities now know that Dean is not dead, he is again wanted for the murders committed by the shapeshifter. In "Nightshifter," a team of FBI agents, led by Special Agent Victor Henricksen, catches up with Dean and Sam in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where an attempted bank robbery and several more murders are added to Dean's list of supposed crimes, thanks to another shapeshifter.

At the end of "All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 1," Sam is stabbed by Jake Talley, another of Azazel's "special children," and dies in Dean's arms. Crushed by Sam's death, Dean summons a Crossroads demon and trades his soul for Sam's life. The conditions Dean's deal are that Dean gets one year of life, at the end of which he dies and goes to Hell. If he tries to break the deal in any way, Sam dies. Dean wants to keep the knowledge of his deal from Sam, but Sam quickly figures it out and vows to get Dean out of the deal, no matter what. As the second season ends, Dean kills Azazel with the Colt, but not before Azazel has a gate to Hell opened, allowing hundreds of demons to escape from Hell as well as their father, with whom they share an emotional moment before he disappears in a glow of light.

Season 3[link]

In the third season premiere "The Magnificent Seven," Dean decides to make the best of his final year, indulging in many pleasures and refusing to even think about saving himself, while Sam tries desperately to find a loophole in the Crossroads demon's deal. While searching for escaped demons to send back to Hell, Sam encounters Ruby, a mysterious blonde who assists him but who also informs him that, for some reason, demons are killing all of his mother's old acquaintances. Sam learns that Ruby is a demon, and she promises him help in freeing Dean from his contract. She fixes the Colt so that it can again kill anything and also shows them a knife in her possession that can kill demons. Later, Dean and Sam learn from Ruby that all demons used to be human, but had their humanity is eventually burned away during their time in hell.

During the course of the season, the brothers meet another woman, Bela Talbot. Bela acquires magical objects and sells them for a large profit, and is unscrupulous. In "Dream a Little Dream of Me," when Bobby falls into a coma, Sam and Dean investigate the murder of a scientist. In the course of viewing Dean's dreams, it becomes clear that Dean believes that Sam was their father's favorite, but only thought of Dean as a tool. Dean encounters a demonic version of himself in a nightmare, which shocks him into trying to break his deal. After waking up, Dean admits to Sam that he doesn't want to die. Meanwhile, Bela steals the Colt.

In "Mystery Spot," Sam is forced to relive the same day, repeatedly. On each new day, Dean dies a different way despite Sam's efforts to save him. Sam realizes that the culprit is the Trickster, a villain from Season 2. They finally escape the day, but Dean dies and doesn't come back. Sam spends months trying to hunt down the Trickster, who reveals that he has been trying to get Sam to understand that he and Dean can't keep making sacrifices for each other, and that Dean is going to die no matter what Sam does. The Trickster allows Sam to escape the alternate reality he has trapped him in. He is warned by Ruby that he might not make it back from hell.

In "Jus In Bello," the FBI and Agent Henricksen capture Sam and Dean, thanks to a tip from Bela. While Sam and Dean are in jail, a host of demons come to kill them. Ruby comes to help them, but is furious to learn that they have lost the Colt. She says that she knows of a spell that will destroy all the demons nearby, including herself. However, they will need the heart of a virgin. Sam and the virgin, Nancy, agree to the plan, but Dean refuses to let her die. Dean's plan to exorcise the demons works, but one demon manages to escape and tells Lilith who, taking the form of a little girl, blows the police station up, killing everyone inside. Lilith, it turns out, wants to kill Sam, as she sees him as a rival. According to Azazel's plan, Sam was supposed to lead the demon army, but now Lilith is the leader of the demons.

Shortly before Dean's contract comes due, he learns from Bela that Lilith holds his contract; Bela had also made a deal with a demon, and she reveals this information before her contract expired. As the brothers search for Lilith with Bobby's help, Dean begins suffering nightmares and hallucinations of his hellish fate. When Lilith is located, the three head to New Harmony, Indiana, and Dean discovers that he now has the ability to see the faces of demons underneath their human hosts.

As Dean and Sam confront Lilith, Ruby appears and the three are chased into a room by a hellhound that has come for Dean. Dean quickly recognizes that Ruby's human host is now possessed by Lilith, not Ruby, but it is too late. A hell hound kills Dean and Lilith tries to kill Sam, only to discover that her demonic power has no effect on Sam. Lilith flees, leaving Sam alone with Dean's mutilated corpse. In the last scene of the season, Dean is shown in Hell, suspended in a void by seemingly chains and hooks through his flesh, crying out for help and for Sam.

Season 4[link]

The fourth season premiere, "Lazarus Rising," begins four months after the third season finale. Dean awakes to find himself buried and manages to dig himself out. Dean calls Sam, but finds his number disconnected. He calls Bobby, who hangs up on him, so he hot-wires a parked car and goes to Bobby's house. Dean and Bobby track down Sam in a town right near where Dean was buried in a hotel, but he claims he did nothing to bring Dean back and is in town because he is searching for a demon. Dean tells Sam he remembers nothing from Hell.

The Winchesters track down whatever force ripped Dean from Hell. It is revealed that an angel named Castiel pulled Dean from Hell on God's command; Castiel tells Dean that God has work for him. In the episode "Wishful Thinking," Dean confesses that he does remember every second of Hell.

In the "Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester," in the course of fighting off ghosts, Dean is told by Castiel of Lilith's plan to break the 66 seals and free Lucifer.

In "In the Beginning," Dean is transported back in time to Lawrence, Kansas in 1973. There, he meets younger versions of his father and mother, as well as his maternal grandfather Samuel and maternal grandmother Deanna (for whom he is named), and learns of a connection between Azazel and Mary. A causal loop is revealed in that the time-traveling Dean, by trying to stop Azazel in the past and change his future, actually made the demon aware of his family in the first place, setting in motion the events leading to the death of his parents, the corruption of his brother, and the life he tried to change, therefore setting up a predestination paradox. (However, it is implied by Castiel that the events would have happened anyway without him being there as they were already destined.) Upon returning to the present, Dean is informed by Castiel that Sam is "going down a very dark road" and that, if Dean doesn't stop him, the angels will.

Dean follows Castiel's directions and witnesses Sam using his powers to exorcise a demon, also learning of Ruby's return. He conveys the warning of the angels to Sam. After he and Sam stop a rugaru in Missouri, Sam decides to stop using his powers.

In "Heaven and Hell," Dean reveals to Sam what happened to him in Hell: Time flows differently there, so four months on Earth was forty years in Hell. During that time, he was put on the rack and "cut, carved, and torn" apart until there was nothing left of him, only to be made whole again just so the demons could start over on him. Dean reveals that, at the end of every day, the demon Alastair would offer to take him off the rack if Dean would put souls on it and torture them. Dean resisted for thirty years, but eventually gave in and spent a ten years torturing people in Hell to escape being tortured himself. In "Family Remains", Dean confesses to Sam that he enjoyed torturing souls, as he finally had the chance to dish out the same pain that he'd endured for the past thirty years.

The episode "After School Special" showed flashbacks of a teenage Dean and a pre-teen Sam while they are going to a high school. Dean was as promiscuous as ever when he was younger and the girl he was then dating told him that he acted cool when, in reality, he was a little boy who played with people's feelings to make himself feel better. Dean, clearly stung, from then on hated the school.

In the episode "On the Head of a Pin," Dean is pressed into service by Castiel and Uriel, who need him to torture Alastair for information on who is killing angels, since Dean was his "student" in Hell. Dean refuses at first, but eventually agrees. However, he only succeeds in getting Alastair to reveal that Dean himself was the first seal to break, by virtue of giving in and torturing souls in Hell. ("The first seal shall be broken when a righteous man sheds blood in Hell. As he breaks, so shall it break.") The distraction is enough for Alastair to free himself, the Devil's Trap set up by Castiel having been eroded by a leaking pipe. Alastair nearly kills Dean and then comes close to sending Castiel back to Heaven, but Sam arrives and kills Alastair shortly after. Later, as Dean recovers in the hospital, Castiel informs him about Uriel's betrayal; Uriel had been killing angels who did not join his cause to free Lucifer from Hell. Castiel also confirms Alastair's claim that Dean was the first seal, but adds that, because of this, Dean is the only man capable of averting the Apocalypse. However, Dean does not believe he is up to such a task and tells Castiel to find someone else as tears run down his face.

To put Dean back on the right path, Zachariah, Castiel's superior, re-writes Dean and Sam's memories to remove their knowledge of supernatural creatures, making them believe they are average people working regular jobs, and drops them in a haunted building. After the brothers proceed to defeat the ghost behind the hauntings, Zachariah restores Dean's memories to show him that hunting is in his blood. This renews Dean's resolve.

In "The Rapture," Dean witnesses Sam drink the blood of a demon he is about to kill. Later, Sam gets a request from Bobby to head to his house. Once there, Dean and Bobby trick Sam and lock him in the demon-proof panic room for his own safety as he detoxes from the demon blood.

While Sam is going through painful withdrawal symptoms from the demon blood, Dean asks Castiel for help. He takes an oath to serve God and the angels if it would mean that Sam wouldn't have to kill Lilith, to which Castiel says "If that gives you comfort." Sam escapes the panic room after Castiel releases him, and Dean tracks him down to a hotel, despite Sam's efforts to shake him. They argue over whether or not Ruby is corrupting Sam, if Dean is supposed to stop the Apocalypse, and if Sam is turning into a monster. Dean yells at Sam by saying, "If you walk out that door, don't you ever come back" -- the same ultimatum John gave Sam when he left for college years before, resulting in Sam's four-year estrangement from his father—after which Sam leaves the room.

In the fourth season finale "Lucifer Rising," the angels take Dean to a "safe" room, and Zachariah explains that they are preparing for the Apocalypse and will allow the final seal to be broken. They want Sam to kill Lilith as her death will break the final seal holding Lucifer, after which Dean will kill Lucifer and bring Paradise to Earth. Dean, shocked and horrified that the angels would allow the Apocalypse, asks Castiel for help; together they escape and meet the prophet Chuck Shirley to see where the final seal will be broken. As Castiel holds back the Archangels that start to descend, he sends Dean to Ilchester, Maryland to stop Sam from killing Lilith. Ruby prevents Dean from interfering and, after the final seal is broken, reveals that she has been working to free Lucifer the entire time. Dean manages to get to the two and then stabs Ruby to death with Sam's help. The season ends with a portal opening for Lucifer while Dean and Sam can only watch.

Season 5[link]

The fifth season begins right where Season 4 ends with the portal for Lucifer opening. As Lucifer escapes, the brothers are teleported into an airplane by an unknown force (later revealed to be God). Later, Dean is told by Zachariah that he is "Michael's Sword," meaning the Archangel Michael will use his body as a vessel to lead the forces of Heaven against Lucifer, but Dean must consent to this. Dean refuses and Castiel saves him when Zachariah tries to force Dean to agree by harming him and Sam.

In "Good God, Y'All!," Dean and Sam fight War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, in a town where the people think that their neighbors are demons. Once the brothers cut the ring finger off of War, restoring the town to normal, Dean worries that Sam cannot control his urge to drink demon blood, and the brothers agree to go their separate ways because Sam is a liability with his demon bloodlust.

In "The End," Dean is transported forward in time by Zachariah, who wants Dean to see what the future will be like if continues to refuse giving his consent to Michael. He finds himself in the year 2014, eventually meeting up with his future self, as well as the survivors and victims of the Croatoan virus from Season 2. Dean finds out that Sam let Lucifer into his body, and this was the reason the world was in such disarray. Later, the future Dean is killed by Lucifer in Sam's body. After being told by his future self to accept Michael into his body, Dean is transported back to his own time, where he comes face-to-face with Zachariah; he again refuses to become Michael's vessel. In the end of the episode, the brothers meet back up again and decide that they should stay together, to "keep each other human."

In the episode "Changing Channels," it is revealed to Dean and Sam by The Trickster (who reveals that he is the Archangel Gabriel) that their relationship (Dean the older brother loyal to an absent father and Sam the younger brother who is rebellious of the father's plan) mirrors the relationship between Michael and Lucifer, and has been told to the angels since the beginning to bring about Judgment Day.

In "Abandon All Hope," Sam and Dean plan to find Lucifer and kill him, with help from Castiel, Jo, Ellen and Bobby. They find out that the Colt is in the possession of a demon named Crowley, who gives the Winchesters the gun to kill Lucifer and end the Apocalypse. The Winchesters then find out that Lucifer is one of five things in the universe that the Colt cannot kill when Dean tries shooting Lucifer in the head with no effect. Having lost another plan, Dean becomes more disillusioned and hopeless, and in "Dark Side of the Moon" where, after spending time in Heaven and finding out God doesn't see the battle with Lucifer to be his problem, begins to see little reason to deny his destiny as Michael's vessel, deciding to take on the role at the end of the next episode "99 Problems". Before doing so, though, he visits former girlfriend Lisa Braeden (Season 3 "The Kids Are Alright"), confessing that when he dreams of being happy its with her and her son Ben, and promising to get them protection for what's to come.

During the series' 100th episode "Point of No Return," Dean was preparing for his possession by Michael before being discovered by Sam and Castiel, who take him to Bobby's house. They convince him to allow them some more time in order to research another method of stopping Lucifer; however, the unexpected resurrection of their half-brother Adam, planned to be Michael's vessel, forces Sam, Bobby and Castiel to keep Adam and Dean from Zachariah. When Dean escapes and tries to lure the angels, both Castiel and Sam leave to find him, allowing Adam to be taken by angels. Despite Bobby and Castiel's insistence in keeping Dean from Zachariah, Sam allows him to try to rescue Adam. With Castiel removed, along with angel guards, the brothers attempt to rescue Adam, but Sam's ambush on Zachariah fails and Zachariah causes internal damage to both Adam and Sam to coerce Dean to consent to Michael. Ultimately, he relents, but after Zachariah summons Michael, Dean taunts him into sacrificing himself in order to allow Michael in. Zachariah angrily refuses, and Dean kills him and rushes out, unfortunately leaving Adam locked in the room with the approaching Michael. As they leave, Dean admits that he would have accepted Michael, but because of Sam's faith, he decides that he will "take the fight to them."

After being trapped in "Hammer of the Gods" by a group of gods bent on using them as bargaining chips in the upcoming Apocalypse, Dean and Sam learn from Gabriel that the cage Lucifer was sprung from was still open and, if they could get all four Horsemen's rings, they could put him back in and trap him again. He also claims that Lucifer has no knowledge that he can be trapped again. In "The Devil You Know", the demon Crowley returns and leads Dean to a confrontation with Brady, one of Sam's college friends who in fact was a demon "Handler" for Pestilence. Despite being beaten badly, Dean and Crowley trap Brady and are eventually able to get the location of Pestilence.

In "Two Minutes to Midnight" the brothers go after Pestilence and, with help of a nearly-human Castiel, take his ring. During the trip, Sam tells Dean that he believes the only way to trap Lucifer is to say yes and allow him to be possessed, believing that he can overcome Lucifer long enough to throw himself into the trap. Crowley then takes Dean to Chicago where they have located the final Horseman. In the midst of a massive storm, Dean confronts Death in a pizza parlor. Revealing that Lucifer controls him due to a spell, Death agrees to give Dean his ring with the explicit condition that Sam say yes so he can lure Lucifer into the trap, and that Dean allow his brother to jump into the pit. Dean reluctantly agrees and gets the ring and instructions from Death on how to use the four rings. Upon returning, Dean claims he lied to Death, but upon talking to Bobby it becomes clear that their last best chance may be to let Sam say yes, with Bobby asking Dean if he was more afraid to lose, or to lose his brother.

In "Swan Song" Dean relents and agrees to let Sam say yes. As Sam prepares to drink demon blood to become strong enough to take in Lucifer, he makes Dean promise that he won't attempt to come after him once he has jumped into the pit. Dean objects, but Sam insists, begging that he instead go to Lisa and try to live a normal, happy life. Dean promises he will do so, and after drinking the demon blood, the brothers go to confront Lucifer in Detroit. Despite Lucifer revealing that he did indeed know about the brothers' plan to trap him again, Sam says yes believing he can overcome him nonetheless. After taking over and briefly knocking Sam unconscious, Dean opens the portal to Lucifer's prison, and Sam wakes up and prepares to jump in. At the last moment, though, Lucifer reveals himself, claiming that "Sammy is long gone". After closing the trap, taking the rings, and briefly taunting Dean, Lucifer disappears.

As omens begin to signal the final battle, Dean calls Chuck to try to pin down the location of the final battle, which will occur in Stull Cemetery back in the brothers' hometown of Lawrence. While Castiel and Bobby seem despondent, believing the battle to be lost and further confrontation pointless, Dean vows to go to the fight between Lucifer and Michael (now possessing his half-brother Adam), claiming at the very least he "won't let his brother die alone". As Lucifer and Michael prepare to fight, Dean interrupts and drives the Impala into the graveyard. He attempts to reach out to both Sam and Adam, asking for five minutes with Sam, but is dismissed by both. Bobby and Castiel suddenly appear, and Castiel throws a molotov cocktail with holy fire at Michael, burning him out and buying Dean five minutes. It comes at a high price: an enraged Lucifer snaps his fingers, making Castiel explode for interrupting the fight. Lucifer and Dean begin to fight, with Dean taking a beating. He continues beating Dean and, with Dean backed against the door of the Impala, prepares for a kill shot. However, at that moment, he catches a glimpse of a toy soldier that a young Sam had stuck in the Impala's ashtray, and the memories of his brotherhood with Dean help Sam to overpower Lucifer and take control of his body. Sam reopens the pit, and though Michael returns and attempts to stop him, Dean watches as Sam pulls Michael into the pit, which closes as they both fall in, trapping both in Hell.

A fully restored Castiel suddenly appears, claiming to have been resurrected by God. He heals Dean and plans on returning to Heaven and bringing new order now that Michael is gone. Dean claims that he will go after God next, but Castiel claims, before disappearing, that Dean only got what he wanted in the end: no Paradise, no Hell, more of the same-freedom over peace. After an emotional goodbye with Bobby (it is said in Chuck's epilogue that the two will not see each other for some time), Dean returns to Lisa Braeden as Sam had suggested. Dean is last seen sitting down to dinner with Lisa and her son Ben. Unknown to Dean, a streetlight just outside the home goes out, and Sam is inexplicably standing beneath, watching the home with a blank look on his face.

Season 6[link]

The sixth season picks up a year later. Keeping the promise he made to Sam, Dean gives up the life of hunting and now lives with Lisa and her son Ben. After Dean became poisoned by a Djinn, begins hallucinating his worst fears. Sam saves Dean by injecting him with an antidote and later wakes up seeing Sam alive and well. Sam reluctantly tells Dean that he has been back for nearly a year while hunting with their grandfather, Samuel. After helping kill the Djinns, Dean declines returning to the life of hunting and decides to continue living with Lisa and Ben in order to keep them safe. Lisa tells Dean to return to the life of hunting and she and Ben will be there when he gets back.

In "Live Free or Twi-Hard" Sam and Dean investigate cases of missing girls that are obsessed with vampires. They stake out a bar that eventually leads them to the cause. Dean later crosses paths with a vampire that turns him into one. Expecting to have to be "put down", he goes to visit Lisa, but almost loses control while talking to her and flees. After being cured, he realises that Sam may possibly have let him be turned; but to an unknown end.

In "You Cant Handle the Truth" Dean and Sam investigate a town in Illinois, where everyone who wishes for truth, not only receive their wish, but to the extent that everyone who has done so has become insane, and commits suicide. While initially believing that the Horn of Truth, an angelic weapon, is the culprit, Sam discovers the summoning ritual to Veritas, the pagan goddess of Truth. However, Dean unknowningly invokes her and is forced to deal with harsh truths from everybody; including Lisa, who calls about the events of last episode and ends up telling him not to ever come back. Questioning Sam, he believes he gets the truth from him about why he didn't help him from being turned, but when Veritas captures them on their raid of her property, she declares that Sam is inhuman, as no human is immune to her aura of truth. The brothers manage to dispatch her, but Dean holds Sam at knifepoint, demanding the truth. Sam admits his lack of emotion and fear, but Dean doesn't accept it and beats him unconscious. Dean learns from Castiel that Sam has no soul, also that Crowley was the one who brought Sam back from Hell. Crowley also says that the only way to get Sam's soul back is to help him find Purgatory. Dean and Sam attempt to capture Crowley to force him to give back Sam's soul. Crowley tells them that not only can't he get Sam's soul but also that Sam's soul has been tortured endlessly by Lucifer and giving Sam back his soul would leave him useless. Once learning this Castiel kills Crowley, so Dean goes to see Death to have him bring back Sam's soul. Death agrees but only if Dean can becomes Death for one day and never take off his ring. Dean fails, but Death still agrees to return Sam's soul since Dean learned about messing with the natural order.

Abilities and skills[link]

Dean is well-versed with multiple types of firearms; he prefers his Colt 1911 and sawed-off shotgun, but is proficient with most other weapons he might acquire. An expert marksman, he seldom misses his intended target and can efficiently put down anything vulnerable to bullets. As shown in the episode "Frontierland" where he shoots down a phoenix with one shot.

Dean is adept with martial arts and knife fighting as well; he has subdued several human assailants with ease in multiple episodes and bested physically more powerful creatures, often unarmed or equipped with only a blade. In "Nightshifter", he killed a shapeshifter armed with a simple silver letter opener. In "Fresh Blood," he managed to subdue a vampire long enough to inject her with a shot of "dead man's blood." In "The Magnificent Seven," he fought and held off several demons by himself, armed only with a flask of holy water.

Highly resourceful, he frequently utilizes improvised weapons and explosive devices; in "Croatoan," he demonstrated knowledge in chemistry constructing Molotov cocktails and improvised explosive devices, and in "Phantom Traveler," he revealed knowledge of electronics and reverse engineering, having built an electromagnetic field detector from an old Walkman radio.

Dean also possesses extensive knowledge of the supernatural and mythology. He is versed with how police, fire departments and various government agencies (FBI, CDC) typically operate and conduct investigations, and knows how to both impersonate and evade them effectively. An accomplished mechanic, he maintains his Impala in tip-top condition and has maintained an intimate knowledge of automobiles and engines since childhood.

Dean is a virtuoso of escape, evasion and silent movement, when the situation requires subtlety and stealth. Lastly, he is skillful in: lock picking, breaking into security systems (not so much computers, which often falls to Sam), carjacking and gaining an 'advantageous purchase' comes naturally to him.

Due to his time spent in Hell as Alistair's "student," Dean has an in-depth knowledge of torture.

During Season 4 Dean gains magic effective against angels, he learns a banishing spell that sends angels back to Heaven from Castiel. He is also untraceable to angels after the season 5 because he has Enochian symbols carved into his ribs by Castiel to hide him and Sam from all angels in existence.

Weaponry[link]

Throughout the series, Dean is shown to possess a large amount of weaponry. He tends to use a Colt 1911. In addition to which, he also uses a sawed-off shotgun on occasions where greater firepower is required. He has also been seen with an MSG3 sniper rifle in "Simon Said."

Dean is shown to possess a large machete in "Dead Man's Blood," and has used a knife in several episodes. He is shown to possess a Desert Eagle loaded with wrought iron in the episode "Something Wicked" and tasers which he and Sam used in the start of "Faith". Throughout Season 5, he uses a Model 1887 shotgun against hellhounds and zombies. When weapons are scarce and Dean is in a dangerous situation, he uses hand-to-hand combat or whatever is available as a weapon.

During the fourth season episode "On the Head of a Pin," Dean is shown with a number of torture implements, including syringes of holy water.

The trunk of the Impala contains numerous weapons which are implied as having been needed in the past, notable examples include sheath knives and, perhaps the most alarming, an DefTech 37mm grenade launcher.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Supernatural Wiki