Jamie Farr’s first acting success was at age 11 when he won $2 in a local contest. After a stellar high school career, Farr attended the Pasadena Playhouse where an MGM talent scout offered him a screen test for The Blackboard Jungle. He won the role of the mentally retarded student, Santini.
In the late 1950s, Farr became a regular on The Red Skelton Show and then The Danny Kaye Show. He also appeared on The Dick VanDyke Show and The Chicago Teddy Bears.
Jamie Farr was hired for one day’s work during an early episode of the hit comedy, M*A*S*H, and was so outrageous as phony transvestite Corp. Klinger that it became an eleven year career.
During his stint on M*A*S*H, Farr also found time to appear in Cannonball Run and Cannonball Run II with Burt Reynolds.
The son of a Toledo, Ohio, Lebanese grocer received a “Star” on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1985. He is the only actor from M*A*S*H who has written an autobiography, Just Farr Fun. He is still active in regional theater and guest stars occasionally on TV series. He also has a women’s golf tournament, The Jamie Farr Kroger Classic. “I wanted to be an actor, a famous actor, and I wanted my hometown of Toledo to be proud of me,” Farr was quoted in The New York Post. He surely has achieved his goal!
