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Jamie Farr Bio
Jamie Farr may be best known as
the wacky dress-donning Corporal Klinger on the hit
television series M*A*S*H where he provided more than 32
million regular viewers with a weekly dose of fun and
entertainment. Farr, who created one of the most memorable
characters in television history, parlayed his one-day
acting stint on an early episode of M*A*S*H into an 11-year
run on what the editors of TV Guide have named the best
television show of all time. The final two-and-a-half hour
episode aired February 28, 1983 and drew more than 125
million viewers - a record that may never be broken. After
M*A*S*H followed its historic predecessor, transplanting
Jamie's character into another place and time. The civilian
Max Klinger joined his wartime officer Colonel Sherman
Potter (Harry Morgan) and the 4077th's Padre, Father Francis
Mulchahy (Williams Christopher), where they worked, for two
years, side by side in a veteran’s hospital.
Jamie along with his cast members
of M*A*S*H celebrated their 30th Anniversary with a special
television reunion. Jamie starred in a featured film with
Rod Steiger called “A Month of Sundays” and played Clem
Rogers in a tour of “Will Rogers Follies” with John
Davidson. He also played Oscar Madison in the national tour
of “The Odd Couple” with William Christopher. In addition to
his numerous appearances on game shows, television specials,
movies and commercials, Jamie has successfully pursued
additional creative outlets. Jamie and his wife Joy a
published a children’s picture book titled Hababy’s First
Christmas. This is not the first time Jamie has become a
published author, he became the first member of the M*A*S*H
ensemble to write a memoir of his life before, during and
after M*A*S*H. JUST FARR FUN, published by
Eubanks/Donizetti, Inc., is an entertaining and candid look
at Jamie's life and career. Throughout the book, Jamie takes
readers on a fun-filled journey through his life, sharing
intimate and humorous stories and photographs about himself
and his famous friends. In June of 2002, Jamie accepted an
Honorary Doctorate from the Medical College of Ohio and
received a lifetime achievement award from the Pioneer
Broadcasters.
On Memorial Day, 2007, Jamie
hosted a multi-episode presentation of M*A*S*H on the
Hallmark Channel. The featured episodes showcased Jamie's
performances on the show, with Jamie providing commentary
during the commercial breaks. Jamie is currently, along with
Chuck Woolery and Bob Eubanks, a rotating host of the
$250,000 Game Show Spectacular at the Las Vegas Hilton.
Jamie, a proud native of Toledo, Ohio, is the only son of
Samuel, a Lebanese meat cutter and grocer, and Jamelia
Farah, a seamstress. His given name was Jameel Joseph, and
he has an older sister, Yvonne.
Jamie began his acting career at
age 11 when he won $2 in a local talent contest. He
graduated from Woodward High School with honors and was
named most outstanding student. In addition to writing and
acting in two variety shows, Jamie was a member of the Drama
Society, class president for three years, feature editor of
the school newspaper, president of the radio class, manager
of the football and basketball teams and a member of the
varsity tennis team. After high school, Jamie attended the
Pasadena Playhouse, where he was discovered by an MGM talent
scout, screen-tested for The Blackboard Jungle, and won the
role of a mentally-retarded student, Santini. Between acting
stints, Jamie worked as a delivery person for a lithograph
company, a post office clerk, an Army-surplus store clerk,
an airline reservations clerk, and an employee at a
chinchilla ranch. He was the only member of the M*A*S*H*
cast to serve in Korea during a two-year stretch that also
found him with the Army in Japan. He returned to Southern
California to resume his acting career upon discharge. In
the late 1950s, Jamie became a regular on The Red Skelton
Show for CBS. He went on to work with the likes of Danny
Kaye and Huntz Hall on television before landing a role in
George Stevens' monumental motion picture, The Greatest
Story Ever Told. Jamie's big-screen credits also include
Cannonball Run and Cannonball Run II with Burt Reynolds.
Jamie's greatest passion aside from acting is golf.
He married the "joy" of his
life, Joy Richards, in 1963. They remain happily married
and enjoy a close family relationship with son, Jonas
and daughter, Yvonne.
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