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Jamie Farr may be best known as the wacky dress-donning Corporal Klinger on the hit television series M*A*S*H where he provided more than 32 million regular viewers with a weekly dose of fun and entertainment.
Farr, who created one of the most memorable characters in television history, parlayed his one-day acting stint on an early episode of M*A*S*H into an 11-year run on what the editors of TV Guide have named the best television show of all time. The final two-and-a-half hour episode aired February 28, 1983 and drew more than 125 million viewers - a record that may never be broken.
Currently Jamie is working on another season of his radio show “Travelin' Farr” for Kellogg Cereals and in the spring of 2003 he will return to The New Theatre in Overland Park, Kansas, April 16th through June 22nd. This will be Jamie's fourth appearance.
Jamie recently starred in a featured film with Rod Steiger called “A Month of Sundays” and played Clem Rogers in a tour of “Will Rogers Follies” with John Davidson. He also played Oscar Madison in the national tour of “The Odd Couple” with William Christopher.
Jamie, a proud native of Toledo, Ohio, is the only son of Samuel, a Lebanese meat cutter and grocer, and Jamelia Farah, a seamstress. His given name was Jameel Joseph, and he has an older sister, Yvonne.
Jamie began his acting career at age 11 when he won $2 in a local talent contest. He graduated from Woodward High School with honors and was named most outstanding student. In addition to writing and acting in two variety shows, Jamie was a member of the Drama Society, class president for three years, feature editor of the school newspaper, president of the radio class, manager of the football and basketball teams and a member of the varsity tennis team.
In the late 1950s, Jamie became a regular on The Red Skelton Show for CBS. He went on to work with the likes of Danny Kaye and Huntz Hall on television before landing a role in George Stevens' monumental motion picture, The Greatest Story Ever Told. Jamie's big-screen credits also include Cannonball Run and Cannonball Run II with Burt Reynolds.
Jamie's greatest passion aside from acting is golf. He married the "joy" of his life, Joy Richards, in 1963. They remain happily married and enjoy a close family relationship with son, Jonas and daughter, Yvonne. Click here to visit the "Jamie Farr" website
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