Jamie Farr, real name Jameel Joseph Farah, is an American actor and comedian. His character of Maxwell Q. Klinger in the CBS television series “M*A*S*H” is his most well-known performance. Farr, an Ohio native, has been performing since he was a youngster.
While he was connected with the famed Pasadena Playhouse, a talent scout for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer saw him.
He made his feature debut in the 1955 crime-drama movie “Blackboard Jungle,” as the mentally challenged student Santini. Two years later, in an episode of “The 20th Century-Fox Hour,” he made his debut on television.
Farr has acquired a significant number of credits in theater, television, and cinema throughout the course of his six-decade career.
He played Maxwell Q. Klinger in “M*A*S*H” from 1972 until 1983, and he later played the same part in the spin-off series “AfterMASH.” He now plays Dudley in Fox’s comedy series “The Cool Kids.” In 1985, Farr was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Jamie Farr’s Date of Birth and Parents
Jamie Farr was born on July 1st, 1934 in Toledo, Ohio, United States. He is the son of Samuel N. Farah and Jamelia M. (née Abodeely). While his father worked as a meat cutter and grocer, his mother was a dressmaker.
The family was Lebanese-American and quite religious. The Toledo, Ohio, Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Church was the place of worship for Farr, his sister Yvonne, and their parents.
He made his acting debut at a very young age. When he won two dollars in a local acting competition at the age of 11, he won his first acting award.
Jamie Farr’s Education
He joined Pasadena Playhouse after graduating from Woodward High School. He was discovered there by an MGM talent scout, who gave him the chance to screen test for the movie “Blackboard Jungle.”
Jamie Farr’s Wife
Jamie Farr and Joy Ann Richards exchanged wedding vows on February 16, 1963. A boy called Jonas and a girl named Yvonne are their two offspring. Farr was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in the early 1990s; this immune condition has affected him ever since.
Jamie Farr’s Career
Jamie Farr, who was given the name Jameel Farah, was cast as Santini in the 1955 criminal thriller movie “Blackboard Jungle.” The movie, which was directed by Richard Brooks, is about an English teacher who starts working in a violent and disorganized inner-city school.
Farr spent some time away from the entertainment business to join the US Army after working on “Blackboard Jungle.”
During the course of his two-year duty, he was sent to both Japan and Korea. He is the only cast member of “M-A-S-H” to have served in the US military, apart from Alan Alda. Farr also wore his own dog tags from his time in the military when the episode was being filmed.
Farr had challenges as a young actor despite receiving high reviews for his first performance. At the beginning of his career, he took on a number of tiny positions, such as a delivery person, post office clerk, army shop clerk, airline reservations agent, and worker at chinchilla ranch.
He appeared in different supporting parts in six episodes of the comedy/variety show “The Red Skelton Show” on CBS (previously NBC) between 1956 and 1961.
He appeared in four episodes of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” in 1961 as a delivery guy. He provided the vocal talent for the NBC cartoon series “Inch High, Private Eye” in 1973.
Along with Toma (1974), Lucas Tanner (1975), Murder, She Wrote (1988), That ’70s Show (2003), The War at Home (2007), and Bella and the Bulldogs, he also made cameos in these TV programs (2016).
In the 1992 Broadway production of “Guys and Dolls,” Farr and Nathan Lane both played Nathan Detroit on stage. He went on a US tour in 1996 with “The Odd Couple,” playing Oscar Madison, while William Christopher, his “M-A-S-H” co-star, played Felix Ungar.
Farr continues to perform on stage now, often participating in local productions.
The $25,000 Pyramid, Super Password, Body Language, Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour, Wordplay, The $1.98 Beauty Show, The Magnificent Marble Machine, and Tattletales are just a few of the game shows in which Farr has participated as a judge.
Jamie Farr started acting Dudley in Fox’s comedy series “The Cool Kids” in 2018 after occasionally appearing on film over the previous 20 years. Vicki Lawrence, Martin Mull, Leslie Jordan, and David Alan Grier are all featured in the program.