Maude Frickert, the frisky octogenarian, her UFO-spotting stepson, Elwood P. Suggins, the quack psychiatrist Dr. Bellenhoffer, shy youngster Chester Honeyhugger, amiable hayseed Willis Mumfert, and countless other eccentrics have sprung from the fertile mind of the man Entertainment Weekly once called "the most spookily untethered of all comedians." The influence of this granddaddy of improv and character-based humor can be seen in the manic inventiveness of Jim Carrey, Martin Short, and every versatile sketch performer since the 1950s.

Then there's Robin Williams, his greatest admirer, and the comic whose off-the-wall associative style seems most directly inspired by Winters. Williams was instrumental in getting his idol cast in "Mork and Mindy," where Winters did a hilarious turn as the couple's son, Mearth, hatching full-grown from an egg laid by Williams' Mork.

Jonathan Winters' career as a comedy trailblazer started in the early days of television, getting his first breaks, like many other entertainment trendsetters, from Jack Paar and Steve Allen. His series debut came on the short-lived "And Here's the Show" in 1955, followed the next year by his own self-titled program. Over the years, Winters has appeared in many series and specials, including a dozen named after him. But it is as a guest performer that he has always shone brightest, wheeling out his assortment of loopy characters on talk and variety programs. He was a regular on "The Andy Williams Show," and it's rumored that only Ann-Margret and Charo appeared on more Bob Hope specials than Winters, and he didn't even have to wear skimpy outfits.

Winters' genius also found a niche in ensemble movies that gave him room to improvise, such as "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," "The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!" and "The Loved One." Earlier this year, he played three different roles in "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle."

He has won two Grammys--for his 1975 recording for children "The Little Prince" and 1996's comedy album "Crank Calls"--and an Emmy as Outstanding Performer in a Comedy Series for playing Randy Quaid's feisty grandfather in the sitcom "Davis Rules." Last year, Winters was honored for his groundbreaking comedy with the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for Humor, awarded at a tribute featuring Robin Williams, Sid Caesar, Steve Allen and Richard Belzer. And as part of its summer 2000 pledge drive, PBS aired "Jonathan Winters: On the Loose," an hourlong retrospective celebrating his improvisational brilliance.

Although best known as a comedian, Jonathan Winters is also an accomplished painter. Not surprisingly, given his penchant for the absurd, his colorful style has been likened by critics to Surrealists Paul Klee and Salvador Dali.

He has been working on his autobiography, tentatively titled "I Couldn't Wait for Success, So I Went Ahead Without It." He's being modest. Rosie O'Donnell said of Winters, "All comedians love him." And Bill Cosby, another big fan, told USA Today, "Jon needs to be put on Mount Rushmore." Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt... Winters? You can almost hear the smile cracking across George, Tom, Abe and Teddy's stony faces.