Jamie Farr

Jamie Farr(bornJameel Joseph Farah; July 1, 1934) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for playingCorporal Klinger, a soldier who tried getting discharged from the army bycross-dressing, on theCBSsitcomM*A*S*H.AfterM*A*S*H, Farr reprised the role of Klinger forAfterMASHand appeared both in small roles on popular shows such asThe Love Boatand as a host or panelist on game shows includingBattle of the Network Stars.He was inducted into theHollywood Walk of Famein 1985.
Farr was born Jameel Joseph Farah (Arabic:جميل جوزيف فرح) on July 1, 1934 inToledo, Ohio, the son of Jamelia (Arabic:جميله فرح) and Samuel Farah (Arabic:صموئيل ينحت). His father, who owned a grocery store, was an immigrant from theBeqaa Valleyarea of what is nowLebanonand his mother, a seamstress, was a first-generationLebanese Americanwho grew up in Iowa.Prior to immigrating throughEllis Island, Samuel's surname was Abboud and his father's first name was Farah.Farr grew up in Northern Toledo, which had a sizeable Lebanese population, in a diverse neighborhood. He was raisedAntiochian Orthodox.He had at least one sibling, an older sister, Yvonne, who died in 2012.
His first acting gig was at age 11, when he won two dollars in a local acting competition.While in high school, he worked at his father's shop and deliveredThe Toledo Timesnewspaper in the morning andThe Bladein the afternoon.He graduated fromWoodward High Schoolin 1952and left for California later that year, where he attended classes atPasadena Playhouse.It was there that he was spotted by anMGMtalent scout and offered ascreen testfor the filmBlackboard Jungle,where he played the role of Santini.He was credited as Jameel Farah, as he would not take on the name Jamie Farr until 1959 after his stint in the army.
While training atPasadena Playhouse, Farr acted in bit parts including a role inThe Blackboard Jungle(1955) forMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He also worked at achinchillafarm for extra money.Sherwood Schwartznoticed Farr on an unsoldTV pilotand cast him onThe Red Skelton Showin 1955, where he played Snorkel, whose large nose gave him an inhumanly strong sense of smell.He became a regular onSkelton.He was drafted in 1957, and underwentbasic trainingatFort Ordin CaliforniaHe was made a Broadcast Specialist and worked on training videos in various roles atFort Knox, theArmy Pictorial Service, andFort Huachucabefore shipping out to Korea. Abroad, he was part of theSpecial Servicesand worked on theFar East Network. WhenRed Skeltontraveled to Japan and Korea to do aUSO tour, he requested Farr's service as his assistant.
After two years of active duty,Farr returned to the United States, where he spent an additional two years onreserve. Shortly after his return, his father died and he decided to give up acting to help provide steady financial support for his mother. When Farr went to say goodbye to Skelton, Skelton handed him a stack of one hundred dollar bills to send home and told Farr he was hiring him as a writer.Farr completed his military career with an additional two years on inactive reserve.
Over the next decade, Farr had small roles onThe Danny Kaye Show,The Dick Van Dyke Show,My Three Sons,andGarrison's Gorillasand appeared in films includingThe Greatest Story Ever Told,No Time for Sergeants,Who's Minding the Mint?, andWith Six You Get Eggroll.In October 1972, he was hired for one day's work on thefourth episodeofM*A*S*HasCorporal Maxwell Klinger.Klinger provided comic relief in his desperate attempts to be given aSection 8 dischargeby wearing elaborate women's outfits with accessories such asboas, afruit hat, and fashionheadscarves.At the time, Farr was still a struggling actor and was most concerned about the $250 paycheck from the M*A*S*H job so he could buy groceries and pay rent; he never expected to be invited back for several more episodes. For several years, the producers and the studio dodged his requests for a contract, which Farr suspected was so they didn't have to increase his salary. He was finally hired as aseries regularon M*A*S*H beginning with season 4 in 1975.
Like Farr, the character of Klinger was a Lebanese-American from Toledo, which gave Farr the freedom to pepper references about the town into his dialogue. He frequently mentioned hot dogs fromTony Packo's Cafeand was a fan of the baseball team, theToledo Mud Hens.Klinger was promoted to the company clerk's position later in the series and gradually stopped wearing women's clothes. This was done for two reasons: first, to show Klinger's respect for his new role and his increased maturity; and second, because Farr didn't want his two young children to be teased about their father wearing dresses on TV.By the end of the show, onlyAlan Alda, who playedHawkeye Pierce, andLoretta Swit, who playedMargaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan, had appeared in moreM*A*S*Hepisodes than Farr.Farr was also the sole cast member who had actually served in Korea, and thedog tagshe wore as Klinger were his own from his time in the service.
During the late 1970s, Farr appeared regularly as one of the celebrity judges onThe Gong Show.He also made frequent guest appearances on several other game shows, includingThe $100,000 Pyramid,Super Password,andBody Language.Following the end ofM*A*S*Hin 1983, Farr,Harry Morgan, andWilliam Christopherreprised their roles for two seasons on the spinoff showAfterMASH,which followed their characters after the end of the war.Between the 1970s and early 1990s, he appeared in several made-for-TV movies such asMurder Can Hurt You,Return of the Rebels, andCombat Academyand guest starred on shows includingKolchak: The Night Stalker,Emergency!,andMurder She Wrote. He played the Sheik inThe Cannonball Run,Cannonball Run II, andSpeed Zoneand was the only actor to have appeared in all threeCannonball Runfilms.He also appeared in TV commercials, including forWonder Bread,Mars bars, andIBMcomputers.
Farr's debut onBroadwaywas asNathan DetroitinGuys and Dollsin the 1990s at age 60.He had wanted to play this role since seeing the show in high school. He replacedNathan Lanein the role last minute, only having two weeks and one full-cast rehearsal before the show opened.In 1997, he played Oscar Madison opposite formerM*A*S*HcostarWilliam Christopheras Felix Unger inThe Odd Couple.The two had appeared in several movies before being cast together inM*A*S*H.He also appeared inFlamingo CourtoppositeAnita Gillette.His other shows have includedSay Goodnight, Gracie,The Last Romance,George Washington Slept Here,Catch Me If You Can,Don't Dress for Dinner,Lend Me a Tenor,Tuesdays with Morrie,andOklahoma!.
Between 2007 and 2008,Farr,Chuck Woolery, andBob Eubankswere rotating hosts of the$250,000 Game Show Spectacularat theLas Vegas Hilton.He also hosted a daily radio travel feature calledTravelin' Farr.On Memorial Day 2007, Farr hosted a multiple-episode run ofM*A*S*Hon theHallmark Channelwhere he provided commentary during commercial breaks. Between 2016 and 2018, he promotedM*A*S*Hand other classic television series onMeTVand in 2022 was attending large-scale events likeComic Conto meet fans of the show.The same year, he hostedM*A*S*H: The Best By Farr, where he provided commentary on his favorite episodes of the show to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary.Farr published his autobiographyJust Farr Fun(ISBN978-0964077508) in 1994 and cowroteHababy's Christmas Eve(ISBN978-1934341100) a book based on a story told by Klinger about a family of camels who brought theWise Mento baby Jesus in his manger, with his wife in 2003.
Farr collapsed during adinner showinEdmontonin 2014 and was transported to the hospital. He finished out the week of shows until an understudy was found, then flew home to California, where he had astentput into his heart to treatatherosclerosis.In 2018, after collapsing during rehearsals forJack of Diamonds, he decided to retire from stage acting.
Farr met his wife Joy Ann Richards, a model, shortly after returning from military service.They married in 1963 and have two children,Jonas (c. 1969) and Yvonne (c. 1972).In 2021, Farr toldWe Are the MightythatJames Jabarawas his cousin.Farr has battled severerheumatoid arthritissince the early 1990s.
Farr was very close toRed Skelton, describing him as his "hero" and "mentor",and like "a second father" to him.He shared that Skelton was one of his favorite comedians growing up.Before Farr left for his military service, Skelton gave him aSaint Christophermedal, which he has worn since.When Skelton died in 1997, his widow asked Farr to be apallbearerat his funeral.
Public records show that Farr has contributed financially to theRepublican National CommitteeandRepublican Partycandidates multiple times since 1988, including to the campaigns ofDarrell Issa(2022), who grew up in Ohio and is of Lebanese ancestry, andJoe Leibham(2009).
Farr has remained deeply loyal to his hometown of Toledo, Ohio, and the city has returned the sentiment. In 1977, he was awarded Toledo's version of theKeys to the City, a ceremonial glass.Scott High Schoolnamed their new performing arts wing after him the same year.TheUniversity of Toledoawarded him anhonorary doctoratein 1983and, in 1998, a park where Farr spent a lot of his childhood was renamed the Jamie Farr Park, something he has referred to as "a highlight of my life and career."Tony Packo's Cafe, a restaurant referenced several times by Klinger onM*A*S*H, displays ahot dog bunsigned by Farr at their establishment.In 2017, Farr and Klinger were the first two inductees to theToledo Mud Hens' Celebrity Hall of Fame.In 2023, an artist erected Jumpin' Jamie, a fiberglass frog statue part of a larger public art piece. The frog is named after Farr and is dressed in ababushkaand red lipstick in homage to Klinger. Originally at the Highland Meadows Golf Club, where theJamie Farr Toledo Classicwas held, it is now kept at Bittersweet Farms.There is also an academic scholarship bearing his name through the Greater Toledo Community Foundation.
In 1983,Judd Silvermanapproached Farr about "lending his name" to a golf tournament. The following year, theJamie Farr Toledo Classic, an annualLPGAtour stop, held its inaugural event inSylvania, Ohio. Sponsored byKroger,Owens Corning, andO-I Glass,the tournament raises money for children's charities, including theBoys and Girls Clubs of America.Farr hosted the event for 28 yearsuntil it was rebranded the Marathon Classic in 2012.As of 2023, it is called theDana Open.
Outside of Ohio, Farr has been nominated for anEmmyfor his time onM*A*S*H, given the Comedy Achievement Honoree award at theNew York Arab-American Comedy Festival,and inducted into theBoys and Girls Clubs of AmericaAlumni Hall of Fame.In 1985, he received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.Two of the dresses he wore as Klinger had previously been worn byGinger RogersandBetty Grableand are now owned by theSmithsonian National Museum of American History.In 2001, he received theEllis Island Medal of Honorfrom theNational Ethnic Coalition of Organizationsand in 2016 was given theArab American Institute Foundation's Special Recognition Award.