Biography
Sheri Winkelmann is from Chicago, and is a graduate of the Theater School at DePaul University. She has worked in theater off-Broadway, regionally, and internationally for over 25 years. Prominent film and television roles include NBC's, Chicago PD/Fire/Med, comedy series, 'Play by Play' on Roku, and many independent films.
Sheri is also a writer, and her feature dramedy, 'Bingo Heist' won several awards, and was one of 20 scripts selected from submissions worldwide to present at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. 'Bingo Heist ' will be a co-production with her company, Kelmann Films, and Fitzhenry Films.
Kelmann Films, Sheri's company, is passionate about elevating women and shedding light on pressing social issues. With a penchant for blending comedy and drama, Sheri enjoys crafting narratives that celebrate the strength and resilience of quirky, underrepresented people who prevail against all odds.
She was a featured writer/performer at Chicago's famous IO Theater with POV Weekly News Show with her original sketch characters. Her play, Love and Madness premiered at Silk Road Rising Theater in Chicago to sold-out audiences. Winkelmann has worked with Tony award winner, Randall Duk Kim, of Classical Productions, with Shakespeare and Co. in MA, and at The Globe Theater in London.
Sheri is a dancer and singer and has performed professionally with Polynesian Hula, Middle Eastern Bellydance, and Latin Salsa Dance companies. She tours domestically and internationally as a singer, and has been a featured entertainer on the Malt Shop Memories Cruise with legends Frankie Avalon, Chubby Checker, and The Beach Boys.
Sheri is an entrepreneur and has built two successful companies, and was among the top 1% of sales professionals with the Cell Tech Corporation. She was the Executive and Artistic Director of the 1920's Historic Palace Theater in Hilo, HI, and spearheaded its restoration and reopening to the public, reestablishing it as a profitable, cultural gem.
She loves exotic travel adventures from camel trekking in Dubai, to zip lining in the rain forests of Costa Rica, to exploring haunted castles in England, to meeting the Tibetan Oracle, at the Nechung Monastery in India, known as "The Demon Fortress of the Oracle King".
Sheri is a passionate humanitarian, creating a project, "Compassion in the Himalayas" based in Dharamsala, India, serving the needs of Tibetan nuns, monks, and refugees.
She is also a strong advocate for ending violence against women and children.
