Jay Garner (January 17, 1929 – January 21, 2011), born James H. Garner Jr., was an American musical theatre, film, and television

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. He is no relation to

James Garner James Scott Garner (né Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, which included ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Ch ...

Biography

Born James H. Garner Jr. in 1929 in

Sewanee, Tennessee Sewanee () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,535 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Winchester, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area. Sewanee is best known as the home ...

, he graduated from the University of Tennessee and moved to Atlanta, where he worked in radio and began acting. He changed his first name to Jay upon entering

Actors Equity The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly called Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a book or thro ...

because there was already a

in the union. Garner was best known to theatre audiences for his diverse character roles, including the "side-stepping" Governor of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

in the musical ''

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall. It is based on a story by King that was inspired by the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grang ...

''. He debuted the role of the priggish anti-homosexual politician Eduord Dindon in '' La Cage Aux Folles'' and had the lead role of Georgia Governor

Lester Maddox Lester Garfield Maddox Sr. (September 30, 1915 – June 25, 2003) was an American politician who served as the 75th governor of Georgia from 1967 to 1971. A populist Southern Democrat, Maddox came to prominence as a staunch segregationist, when ...

in '' Red, White and Maddox''. He played

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

in the musical hit ''

1776 Events January–February * January 1 – American Revolutionary War – Burning of Norfolk: The town of Norfolk, Virginia is destroyed, by the combined actions of the British Royal Navy and occupying Patriot forces. * January ...

'', a role he reprised on tour and in various stock productions. In 1986, he took over the role of Sir John Tremayne from Tony winner George S. Irving in the original Broadway staging of ''

Me and My Girl ''Me and My Girl'' is a musical with music by Noel Gay and its original book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose. The story, set in the late 1930s, tells of an unapologetically unrefined Cockney gentleman named Bill Snibson, wh ...

''. His last Broadway performance was Horace Vandergelder in the 1994 revival of '' Hello, Dolly!'' with Carol Channing. Television audiences know him as Admiral Asimov in the second season of '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' and as lecherous food critic Jason Defarge in ''

Three's Company ''Three's Company'' is an American television sitcom that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984. Developed by Don Nicholl, Michael Ross and Bernie West, it is based on the British sitcom '' Man About the ...

''. On the big screen Garner appeared as Doctor Robinson in ''Silent Night, Bloody Night'', and had a featured role in the

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Known for Steve Martin filmography, his work in comedy films, television, and #Discography, recording, he has received List of awards a ...

film '' Pennies From Heaven'', in which he played the banker who shares a dance and comic kiss with Martin.

Death

Garner died on January 21, 2011, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

after suffering from a respiratory illness, aged 82. An only child, he never married and left no immediate survivors.

Selected filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garner, Jay 1929 births 2011 deaths University of Tennessee alumni 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors American male musical theatre actors Male actors from Tennessee People from Sewanee, Tennessee