Willie Garson

Rarely at a loss for work, Garson has appeared in more than 300 episodes of television and more than 70 films. Best known for his long runs on television as Mozzie on _White Collar (2009)_ (qv), Stanford Blatch on _Sex and the City (1998)_ (qv), and Henry Coffield on _NYPD Blue (1993)_ (qv). He appears as the grifter with a heart of gold, Gerard Hirsch, on _Hawaii Five-0 (2010)_ (qv).Born in New Jersey, he started training at the Actors Institute In New York, before majoring in psychology and theater at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. After graduation, he quickly started landing guest roles on such shows as _Cheers (1982)_ (qv), _Family Ties (1982)_ (qv), _Thirtysomething (1987)_ (qv), _L.A. Law (1986)_ (qv), as well as continually recurring in a wide array of shows including _The X-Files (1993)_ (qv), _Twin Peaks (1990)_ (qv), _Two and a Half Men (2003)_ (qv), _Stargate SG-1 (1997)_ (qv), _Pushing Daisies (2007)_ (qv), _The Practice (1997)_ (qv), _Ally McBeal (1997)_ (qv), etc., etc., etc. His favorite long-form role on TV was Dr. Kreutz for 'Steven Spielberg' (qv) in the acclaimed miniseries _Taken (2002)_ (qv). Garson also appeared in many episodes of _Boy Meets World (1993)_ (qv) and _Girl Meets World (2014)_ (qv).On the big screen, other than reprising his _Sex and the City (1998)_ (qv) role for two features (_Sex and the City (2008)_ (qv) and _Sex and the City 2 (2010)_ (qv)), he has collaborated with the Farrelly brothers on three films, _There's Something About Mary (1998)_ (qv), _Kingpin (1996)_ (qv), and _Fever Pitch (2005)_ (qv), as well as appearing in _Soapdish (1991)_ (qv), _Groundhog Day (1993)_ (qv), _Mars Attacks! (1996)_ (qv), _The Rock (1996)_ (qv), _Being John Malkovich (1999)_ (qv), and many others. He has often been used by such varied directors as 'Spike Jonze' (qv), 'Michael Bay' (qv), the late great 'Mike Nichols' (qv), and 'Ron Shelton' (qv). Next up is _Feed (2017)_ (qv), touching on a subject Garson is very proud to be a part of. Upcoming films include _7 Days to Vegas (2019)_ (qv), and _Magic Camp (2020)_ (qv).As a director, Garson has directed episodes of _White Collar (2009)_ (qv) and _Girl Meets World (2014)_ (qv), and, with Warner Brothers, has two TV shows in development as producer/creator.Garson continues to perform with various bicoastal theater companies such as Naked Angles, Manhattan Theater Club, the Roundabout Theater, and the Geffen. He is also very involved with many charities, including AMFAR, Camp Joslin for Diabetes, Doctors Without Borders, Habitat for Humanity, and especially the Alliance for Children's Rights, which facilitates adoptions in LA County. This has a special place in the Garson family, as Willie adopted his son Nathan in Los Angeles in 2010, and has twice served as national spokesman for National Adoption Day.Aside from acting, Garson is known as a world-class poker player, having been nicknamed Evil Willie on the first episode of _Celebrity Poker Showdown (2003)_ (qv), and continues to play in tournaments all over the world, both for charity and through the World Poker Tour.::'Willie Garson' (qv)