Jamie Farr facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jamie Farr
Farr at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in September 2012
Born	Jameel Joseph Farah (1934-07-01) July 1, 1934 (age 91) Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation	Actor comedian
Years active	1955–present
Known for	Playing Klinger on M*A*S*H
Spouse(s)	Joy Ann Richards ​ (m. 1963)​
Children	2
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	Special Services
Years of service	1957–1959

Jamie Farr (born Jameel Joseph Farah on July 1, 1934) is a famous American actor and comedian. He is most well-known for his role as Corporal Maxwell Klinger on the TV show M*A*S*H. Klinger was a soldier who tried to get out of the army by wearing women's clothes.

After M*A*S*H, Farr continued to play Klinger in a show called AfterMASH. He also appeared in other popular TV shows like The Love Boat and was a host or guest on game shows. In 1985, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Jamie Farr's Early Life

Jamie Farr was born Jameel Joseph Farah on July 1, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio. His parents were Jamelia and Samuel Farah. His father, Samuel, owned a grocery store and came from Lebanon. His mother, Jamelia, was a seamstress and was the first in her family to be born in America, though her parents were from Lebanon. Farr grew up in a diverse neighborhood in Toledo, which had many Lebanese families. He was raised in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian faith. He had an older sister named Yvonne, who passed away in 2012.

Farr's first acting experience was at age 11. He won two dollars in a local acting contest. While in high school, he helped at his father's store and delivered newspapers. He finished Woodward High School in 1952. Later that year, he moved to California to study acting at Pasadena Playhouse. There, a talent scout from MGM saw him. He was offered a screen test for the movie Blackboard Jungle, where he played a character named Santini. At that time, he was still known as Jameel Farah. He started using the name Jamie Farr in 1959, after he had served in the army.

Jamie Farr on the game show Stumpers! in 1976.

Jamie Farr's Acting Career

While studying at Pasadena Playhouse, Farr had small acting roles. One of his first movie parts was in The Blackboard Jungle (1955). He also worked at a chinchilla farm to earn extra money. A TV producer named Sherwood Schwartz saw Farr in a TV show pilot. He then cast Farr in The Red Skelton Show in 1955. Farr played a character named Snorkel, who had a very strong sense of smell. He became a regular on the show.

Military Service and Return to Acting

In 1957, Farr was drafted into the army. He trained at Fort Ord in California. He became a Broadcast Specialist and helped make training videos. He worked at different army bases before going to Korea. In Korea, he was part of the Special Services. This group provided entertainment for soldiers. When comedian Red Skelton visited Japan and Korea, he asked Farr to be his assistant.

After two years of active duty, Farr returned to the United States. He then spent two more years in the army reserves. Soon after he came back, his father passed away. Farr thought about quitting acting to help his mother financially. When he told Red Skelton he was leaving, Skelton gave him money for his mother. Skelton also hired Farr as a writer to keep him in the entertainment business. Farr finished his military service with two more years in inactive reserves.

Becoming Corporal Klinger in M*A*S*H

For the next ten years, Farr had small roles in TV shows like The Dick Van Dyke Show and My Three Sons. He also appeared in movies such as The Greatest Story Ever Told. In October 1972, he was hired for one day to play Corporal Maxwell Klinger on the TV show M*A*S*H. Klinger was a funny character who tried to get sent home from the army. He would wear wild women's outfits, like dresses, boas, and fruit hats. Farr was a struggling actor at the time. He was happy to get the $250 paycheck for the job. He never thought he would be asked back for more episodes.

For several years, the show's producers did not give him a full contract. Farr thought this was so they wouldn't have to pay him more. Finally, in 1975, he became a regular cast member for season 4 of M*A*S*H.

The cast of M*A*S*H in 1977.

Just like Jamie Farr, the character Klinger was a Lebanese-American from Toledo. This allowed Farr to add details about his hometown into Klinger's dialogue. Klinger often talked about hot dogs from Tony Packo's Cafe. He was also a big fan of the baseball team, the Toledo Mud Hens. Later in the series, Klinger was promoted to company clerk. He slowly stopped wearing women's clothes. This change happened for two reasons. First, it showed Klinger's respect for his new job and that he was growing up. Second, Farr did not want his own young children to be teased because their dad wore dresses on TV. By the end of M*A*S*H, only Alan Alda (who played Hawkeye Pierce) and Loretta Swit (who played Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan) had been in more episodes than Farr. Farr was also the only cast member who had actually served in Korea. The dog tags he wore as Klinger were his own from his time in the military.

After M*A*S*H and Other Roles

In the late 1970s, Farr was often a celebrity judge on The Gong Show. He also appeared on many other game shows, like The $100,000 Pyramid. After M*A*S*H ended in 1983, Farr, Harry Morgan, and William Christopher played their characters again. They starred in a spin-off show called AfterMASH for two seasons. This show followed their characters after the war ended.

From the 1970s to the early 1990s, Farr was in several TV movies. He also guest-starred on shows like Murder She Wrote. He played a character called The Sheik in The Cannonball Run, Cannonball Run II, and Speed Zone. He was the only actor to be in all three of these movies. He also appeared in TV commercials for products like Wonder Bread.

Broadway and Later Career

Jamie Farr made his debut on Broadway in the 1990s. He was 60 years old and played Nathan Detroit in the musical Guys and Dolls. He had always wanted to play this role since he saw the show in high school. He took over the role at the last minute, with only two weeks to prepare. In 1997, he played Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple. His former M*A*S*H co-star William Christopher played Felix Unger in that show. Farr has also been in other plays like Say Goodnight, Gracie and Tuesdays with Morrie.

Between 2007 and 2008, Farr was one of the rotating hosts for a show called $250,000 Game Show Spectacular in Las Vegas. He also hosted a daily radio show about travel called Travelin' Farr. In 2007, he hosted a special marathon of M*A*S*H episodes on the Hallmark Channel. He shared his thoughts during commercial breaks. From 2016 to 2018, he promoted M*A*S*H and other classic TV shows on MeTV. In 2022, he attended events like Comic Con to meet fans. That same year, he hosted M*A*S*H: The Best By Farr. In this show, he talked about his favorite episodes to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary. Farr wrote his autobiography, Just Farr Fun, in 1994. He also co-wrote a children's book called Hababy's Christmas Eve with his wife in 2003. This book was based on a story Klinger told on M*A*S*H.

In 2014, Farr collapsed during a dinner show in Edmonton. He was taken to the hospital. He finished the shows for the week until another actor could take his place. Then he flew home to California. There, he had a medical procedure to help his heart. In 2018, after collapsing during rehearsals for another play, he decided to stop acting on stage.

Jamie Farr's Personal Life

Jamie Farr met his wife, Joy Ann Richards, who was a model, after he returned from the military. They got married in 1963. They have two children, a son named Jonas (born around 1969) and a daughter named Yvonne (born around 1972). In 2021, Farr shared that James Jabara was his cousin. Farr has had a health condition called severe rheumatoid arthritis since the early 1990s.

Farr was very close to Red Skelton, who was a famous comedian. Farr called Skelton his "hero" and "mentor," like a second father to him. He said Skelton was one of his favorite comedians when he was growing up. Before Farr went into the military, Skelton gave him a Saint Christopher medal, which Farr has worn ever since. When Skelton passed away in 1997, his wife asked Farr to be a pallbearer at the funeral.

Jamie Farr's Legacy and Honors

Jamie Farr has always been very loyal to his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. The city has shown its appreciation for him too. In 1977, he received the ceremonial Keys to the City from Toledo. Scott High School named its new performing arts area after him in the same year. The University of Toledo gave him an honorary doctorate degree in 1983. In 1998, a park where Farr played as a child was renamed Jamie Farr Park. He has said this was "a highlight of my life and career." Tony Packo's Cafe, a restaurant often mentioned by Klinger on M*A*S*H, displays a hot dog bun signed by Farr. In 2017, Farr and Klinger were the first two people inducted into the Toledo Mud Hens' Celebrity Hall of Fame. In 2023, an artist created a fiberglass frog statue named Jumpin' Jamie. The frog is dressed in a babushka and red lipstick, like Klinger.

In 1983, Judd Silverman asked Farr to lend his name to a golf tournament. The next year, the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, an annual LPGA golf tournament, started in Sylvania, Ohio. This tournament raises money for children's charities, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Farr hosted the event for 28 years. It was renamed the Marathon Classic in 2012, and as of 2023, it is called the Dana Open.

Outside of Ohio, Farr has received many honors. He was nominated for an Emmy award for his work on M*A*A*S*H. He also received the Comedy Achievement Honoree award at the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival. He was inducted into the Boys and Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame. In 1985, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Two of the dresses he wore as Klinger had been worn by famous actresses Ginger Rogers and Betty Grable. These dresses are now owned by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. In 2001, he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. In 2016, he was given a Special Recognition Award by the Arab American Institute Foundation.

Jamie Farr's Film and TV Roles

Television Shows

Movies

Images for kids

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  Jamie Farr in September 2007