Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Jamie Farr (born Jameel Joseph Farah; July 1, 1934) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Corporal Klinger, a soldier who tried getting discharged from the army by cross-dressing, on the CBS sitcom M*A*S*H.<ref name=higdon>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=hiel/><ref name=walkoffame/><ref name=wadlow/> After M*A*S*H, Farr reprised the role of Klinger for AfterMASH and appeared both in small roles on popular shows such as The Love Boat and as a host or panelist on game shows including Battle of the Network Stars.<ref name=broadwayworld/><ref name=tcmbio/><ref name=cotter/><ref name=tcm/> He was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1985.<ref name=walkoffame>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=tcmbio/>

Early lifeEdit

Farr was born Jameel Joseph Farah (Template:Langx) on July 1, 1934 in Toledo, Ohio, the son of Jamelia (Template:Langx) and Samuel Farah (Template:Langx). His father, who owned a grocery store, was an immigrant from the Beqaa Valley area of what is now Lebanon and his mother, a seamstress, was a first-generation Lebanese American who grew up in Iowa.<ref name=searls/><ref name=hiel/><ref name=webber>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=walkoffame/> Prior to immigrating through Ellis Island, Samuel's surname was Abboud and his father's first name was Farah.<ref name=searls/> Farr grew up in Northern Toledo, which had a sizeable Lebanese population, in a diverse neighborhood. He was raised Antiochian Orthodox.<ref name=hiel>Template:Cite news</ref> He had at least one sibling, an older sister, Yvonne, who died in 2012.<ref name=searls/>

His first acting gig was at age 11, when he won two dollars in a local acting competition.<ref name=walkoffame/> While in high school, he worked at his father's shop and delivered The Toledo Times newspaper in the morning and The Blade in the afternoon.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=brickey/> He graduated from Woodward High School in 1952<ref name=utoledo/><ref name=walkoffame/> and left for California later that year, where he attended classes at Pasadena Playhouse.<ref name=smith/><ref name=walkoffame/><ref name=ouzounian>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=hiel/> It was there that he was spotted by an MGM talent scout and offered a screen test for the film Blackboard Jungle,<ref name=piqua/> where he played the role of Santini.<ref name=bgca/><ref name=walkoffame/><ref name=higdon/><ref name=smith/> He was credited as Jameel Farah, as he would not take on the name Jamie Farr until 1959 after his stint in the army.<ref name=tcmbio>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=hiel/>

CareerEdit

While training at Pasadena Playhouse, Farr acted in bit parts including a role in The Blackboard Jungle (1955) for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He also worked at a chinchilla farm for extra money.<ref name=searls/><ref name=walkoffame/> Sherwood Schwartz noticed Farr on an unsold TV pilot and cast him on The Red Skelton Show in 1955, where he played Snorkel, whose large nose gave him an inhumanly strong sense of smell.<ref name=dangaardp142>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=webber/><ref name=higdon/><ref name=utoledo/><ref name=brickey/><ref name=ouzounian/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He became a regular on Skelton.<ref name=brickey/> He was drafted in 1957, and underwent basic training at Fort Ord in California<ref name=searls/><ref name=webber/> He was made a Broadcast Specialist and worked on training videos in various roles at Fort Knox, the Army Pictorial Service, and Fort Huachuca before shipping out to Korea. Abroad, he was part of the Special Services and worked on the Far East Network. When Red Skelton traveled to Japan and Korea to do a USO tour, he requested Farr's service as his assistant.<ref name=webber/><ref name=searls/><ref name=mcfarlane/>

After two years of active duty,<ref name=higdon/> Farr returned to the United States, where he spent an additional two years on reserve. 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.<ref name=webber/><ref name=searls/> Farr completed his military career with an additional two years on inactive reserve.<ref name=searls/>

Over the next decade, Farr had small roles on The Danny Kaye Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, My Three Sons,<ref name=webber/><ref name=brickey/><ref name=utoledo/> and Garrison's Gorillas<ref name=broadwayworld/> and appeared in films including The Greatest Story Ever Told, No Time for Sergeants,<ref name=guggenheimer>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=walkoffame/><ref name=utoledo/><ref name=searls/> Who's Minding the Mint?, and With Six You Get Eggroll.<ref name=walkoffame/> In October 1972, he was hired for one day's work on the fourth episode of M*A*S*H as Corporal Maxwell Klinger.<ref name=guggenheimer/><ref name=ouzounian/><ref name=smith/> Klinger provided comic relief in his desperate attempts to be given a Section 8 discharge<ref name=wadlow>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> by wearing elaborate women's outfits with accessories such as boas, a fruit hat, and fashion headscarves.<ref name=smith/><ref name=webber/> 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 a series regular on M*A*S*H beginning with season 4 in 1975.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=utoledo/><ref name=piqua/>

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 from Tony Packo's Cafe and was a fan of the baseball team, the Toledo Mud Hens.<ref name=love>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=guggenheimer/> 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.<ref name=goodman>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=webber/><ref name=guggenheimer/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By the end of the show, only Alan Alda, who played Hawkeye Pierce, and Loretta Swit, who played Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan, had appeared in more M*A*S*H episodes than Farr.<ref name=ouzounian/> Farr was also the sole cast member who had actually served in Korea, and the dog tags he wore as Klinger were his own from his time in the service.<ref name=mcfarlane>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=webber/>

During the late 1970s, Farr appeared regularly as one of the celebrity judges on The Gong Show.<ref name=tcmbio/> He also made frequent guest appearances on several other game shows, including The $100,000 Pyramid,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Super Password,<ref name=military.com/> and Body Language.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Following the end of M*A*S*H in 1983, Farr, Harry Morgan, and William Christopher reprised their roles for two seasons on the spinoff show AfterMASH,<ref name=wadlow/><ref name=utoledo/> which followed their characters after the end of the war.<ref name=cotter>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Between the 1970s and early 1990s, he appeared in several made-for-TV movies such as Murder Can Hurt You, Return of the Rebels, and Combat Academy<ref name=goodman/><ref name=tcm/> and guest starred on shows including Kolchak: The Night Stalker,<ref name=kolchak>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Emergency!,<ref name=broadwayworld/> and Murder She Wrote. He played the Sheik in The Cannonball Run, Cannonball Run II, and Speed Zone<ref name=brickey>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=broadwayworld/> and was the only actor to have appeared in all three Cannonball Run films.<ref name=afi>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also appeared in TV commercials, including for Wonder Bread,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Mars bars, and IBM computers.<ref name=webber/>

Farr's debut on Broadway was as Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls in the 1990s at age 60.<ref name=webber/><ref name=brickey/> He had wanted to play this role since seeing the show in high school. He replaced Nathan Lane in the role last minute, only having two weeks and one full-cast rehearsal before the show opened.<ref name=tcmbio/><ref name=searls/><ref name=webber/> In 1997, he played Oscar Madison opposite former M*A*S*H costar William Christopher as Felix Unger in The Odd Couple.<ref name=brickey/><ref name=tcmbio/> The two had appeared in several movies before being cast together in M*A*S*H.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also appeared in Flamingo Court opposite Anita Gillette.<ref name=broadwayworld>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=smith/> His other shows have included Say Goodnight, Gracie,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Last Romance,<ref name=smith>Template:Cite news</ref> George Washington Slept Here,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Catch Me If You Can,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Don't Dress for Dinner,<ref name=higdon/> Lend Me a Tenor,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Tuesdays with Morrie,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=smith/> and Oklahoma!.<ref name=guggenheimer/><ref name=goodman/><ref name=tcmbio/>

File:Farr, Jamie (2007) crop.jpg
Farr in September 2007

Between 2007 and 2008,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Farr, Chuck Woolery, and Bob Eubanks were rotating hosts of the $250,000 Game Show Spectacular<ref name=fink>Template:Cite news</ref> at the Las Vegas Hilton.<ref name=higdon/> He also hosted a daily radio travel feature called Travelin' Farr.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=military.com>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On Memorial Day 2007, Farr hosted a multiple-episode run of M*A*S*H on the Hallmark Channel where he provided commentary during commercial breaks. Between 2016 and 2018, he promoted M*A*S*H and other classic television series on MeTVTemplate:Citation needed and in 2022 was attending large-scale events like Comic Con to meet fans of the show.<ref name=webber/> The same year, he hosted M*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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Farr published his autobiography Just Farr Fun (Template:ISBN) in 1994 and cowrote Hababy's Christmas Eve (Template:ISBN) a book based on a story told by Klinger about a family of camels who brought the Wise Men to baby Jesus in his manger, with his wife in 2003.<ref name=tcmbio/>

Farr collapsed during a dinner show in Edmonton in 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 a stent put into his heart to treat atherosclerosis.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=smith/> In 2018, after collapsing during rehearsals for Jack of Diamonds, he decided to retire from stage acting.<ref name=smith/><ref name=thespec>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal lifeEdit

Farr met his wife Joy Ann Richards, a model, shortly after returning from military service.<ref name=dangaardp142/><ref name=goodman/><ref name=smith/> They married in 1963 and have two children,<ref name=brickey/><ref name=higdon/><ref name=smith/> Jonas (c. 1969) and Yvonne (c. 1972).<ref name=goodman/><ref name=guggenheimer/> In 2021, Farr told We Are the Mighty that James Jabara was his cousin.<ref name=searls>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Farr has battled severe rheumatoid arthritis since the early 1990s.Template:Citation needed

Farr was very close to Red Skelton, describing him as his "hero" and "mentor",<ref name=ouzounian/> and like "a second father" to him.<ref name=searls/> He shared that Skelton was one of his favorite comedians growing up.<ref name=ouzounian/> Before Farr left for his military service, Skelton gave him a Saint Christopher medal, which he has worn since.<ref name=searls/><ref name=webber/> When Skelton died in 1997, his widow asked Farr to be a pallbearer at his funeral.<ref name=webber/>

Public records show that Farr has contributed financially to the Republican National Committee and Republican Party candidates multiple times since 1988, including to the campaigns of Darrell Issa (2022), who grew up in Ohio and is of Lebanese ancestry, and Joe Leibham (2009).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Legacy and honorsEdit

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 the Keys to the City, a ceremonial glass. Scott High School named their new performing arts wing after him the same year.<ref name=piqua>Template:Cite news</ref> The University of Toledo awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1983<ref name=utoledo>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and, 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."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Tony Packo's Cafe, a restaurant referenced several times by Klinger on M*A*S*H, displays a hot dog bun signed by Farr at their establishment.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2017, Farr and Klinger were the first two inductees to the Toledo Mud Hens' Celebrity Hall of Fame.<ref name=trauring/><ref name=brickey/> 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 a babushka and red lipstick in homage to Klinger. Originally at the Highland Meadows Golf Club, where the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic was held, it is now kept at Bittersweet Farms.<ref name=king>Template:Cite news</ref> There is also an academic scholarship bearing his name through the Greater Toledo Community Foundation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=hiel/>

In 1983, Judd Silverman approached Farr about "lending his name" to a golf tournament. The following year, the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic, an annual LPGA tour stop, held its inaugural event in Sylvania, Ohio. Sponsored by Kroger, Owens Corning, and O-I Glass,<ref name=trauring/><ref name=hiel/><ref name=king/><ref name=dimeglio/><ref name=tcmbio/> the tournament raises money for children's charities, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.<ref name=bgca/><ref name=tcmbio/> Farr hosted the event for 28 years<ref name=trauring>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> until it was rebranded the Marathon Classic in 2012.<ref name=dimeglio>Template:Cite news</ref> As of 2023, it is called the Dana Open.<ref name=love/><ref name=king/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Outside of Ohio, Farr has been nominated for an Emmy for his time on M*A*S*H, given the Comedy Achievement Honoree award at the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival,<ref name=tcmbio/> and inducted into the Boys and Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame.<ref name=bgca>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1985, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.<ref name=walkoffame/> Two of the dresses he wore as Klinger had previously been worn by Ginger Rogers and Betty Grable and are now owned by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2001, he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and in 2016 was given the Arab American Institute Foundation's Special Recognition Award.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Select filmographyEdit

TelevisionEdit

Year Title Role Notes Ref
1955-1961 The Red Skelton Show Snorkel <ref name=utoledo/><ref name=ouzounian/><ref name=tcmbio/>
1959-1961 The Rebel Theodore (1959), Pooch (1961) Appeared in "Panic" (1959) and "Two Weeks" (1961)
1961 The Dick Van Dyke Show Restaurant delivery boy Season 1, episodes 4, 5, 8, 11, and 12 <ref name=tcmbio/>
1963 The Danny Kaye Show Hans, Court Reporter, Player <ref name=webber/><ref name=utoledo/>
1962-1964 Hazel Counterman (1962), Antonio (1964) Episodes "Barney Hatfield, Where Are You?" and "Let's Get Away from It All" citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

1965 Burke's Law Zava, Lineman, Clinic Informant Season 3, episode 15: "A Very Important Russian Is Missing" citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

1965-1966 My Favorite Martian Hospital orderly (1965), jewel thief (1966) Episodes "Virus M for Martian" and "The Avenue C Mob" <ref name=broadwayworld/><ref name=tcmbio/>
1966 The Lucy Show Episode "Lucy, the Rain Goddess" <ref name=brickey/>
I Dream of Jeannie Achmed Episode "Get Me to Mecca on Time" <ref name=tcmbio/>
F Troop Lackey (uncredited), Standup Bull Season 1, episodes "Our Hero. What's His Name?" and "Too Many Cooks Spoil the Troop" <ref name=guggenheimer/><ref name=utoledo/>
The Andy Griffith Show Gracos Season 6, episode 23 <ref name=brickey/>
1967 Death Valley Days Dick Gird Season 15, episode 15: "Silver Tombstone" citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

1965-1968 Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. USMC Sergeant (1966), Special effects man (1968) Episodes "Gomer Pyle POW" and "A Star is Not Born" <ref name=broadwayworld/>
1967-1968 Garrison's Gorillas Pablo (1967), Tony Marcello (1968)
1968 Get Smart Musician Season 4, episode 1: "The Impossible Mission citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref><ref name=tcmbio/>

1969 The Flying Nun Police officer Episode "Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters" <ref name=broadwayworld/>
1969 Family Affair Hippie Season 3, Episode 27: "Flower Power"
1971 The Chicago Teddy Bears Duke, Lefty 11 episodes <ref name=piqua/>

<ref name=tcm>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

1972-1973 Emergency! Alan Austen Season 2, episodes "Helpful" and "Boot" <ref name=broadwayworld/>
1973 Inch High, Private Eye Voices 13 episodes
1974-1978, 1982-1984 Tattletales Himself with wife Joy 30 episodes
1975 Barnaby Jones Marty Paris Season 3, episode 20: "Doomed Alibi"
Kolchak: The Night Stalker Jack Burton Season 1, episode 13 <ref name=kolchak/>
1977-1979 Battle of the Network Stars Himself <ref name=tcm/>
1981 The Fall Guy Himself Season 1, episode 7: "Japanese Connection"
1972-1983 M*A*S*H Maxwell Klinger 216 episodes <ref name=utoledo/><ref name=ouzounian/>
1978-1983 The Love Boat Seymour (1978), Inspector Akhmed Sadu (1982), Art Fuller (1983) Episode in seasons 1, 6, and 7 <ref name=broadwayworld/><ref name=tcmbio/>
1977-1984 Circus of the Stars Himself <ref name=tcm/>
1983-1985 AfterMASH Maxwell Klinger M*A*S*H spinoff; 30 episodes <ref name=wadlow/><ref name=utoledo/><ref name=cotter/>
1987 Wordplay Himself Guest host
1988 Murder She Wrote Theo Wexler Season 5, Episode 2: "A Little Night Work"
1998 Diagnosis: Murder Season 5, episode 15: "Drill for Death" citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2002-2003 That '70s Show Two episodes <ref name=tcmbio/>
2007 Family Guy Himself Episode "Believe It or Not, Joe's Walking on Air"
2016 Bella and the Bulldogs Ernie Episode "Bad Grandma"
2018-2019 The Cool Kids Dudley 6 episodes citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref><ref name=searls/>

FilmEdit

Year Title Role Ref
1955 Blackboard Jungle Santini <ref name=utoledo/><ref name=brickey/>
1958 No Time for Sergeants Lt. Gardelli <ref name=guggenheimer/><ref name=walkoffame/><ref name=utoledo/><ref name=searls/>
1965 The Greatest Story Ever Told Thaddeus <ref name=guggenheimer/><ref name=brickey/><ref name=broadwayworld/>
1967 Who's Minding the Mint? Mario <ref name=tcm/>
1968 With Six You Get Eggroll Jo Jo <ref name=tcm/>
1973 The Blue Knight Yasser Hafiz <ref name=searls/><ref name=tcm/>
1981 The Cannonball Run The Sheik <ref name=higdon/><ref name=brickey/><ref name=broadwayworld/>
Return of the Rebels Mickey Fine <ref name=tcm/>
1984 Cannonball Run II The Sheik <ref name=brickey/><ref name=broadwayworld/>
1986 Happy Hour Crummy Fred <ref name=broadwayworld/>
1988 Scrooged Himself citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref><ref name=broadwayworld/>

1989 Speed Zone The Sheik <ref name=broadwayworld/>
2007 A Grandpa for Christmas Adam Johnson <ref name=tcm/>

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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