Jamie Farr

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Farr's character, Corporal Maxwell Klinger, was unique because he shared a real-life background with the actor: both were Lebanese-Americans from Toledo. This connection allowed Farr to pepper dialogue with specific local references, such as hot dogs from Tony Packo's Cafe and support for the Toledo Mud Hens baseball team. Initially hired just for one day in 1972, Farr spent years requesting a contract, suspecting producers avoided it to keep his salary low. He finally became a series regular starting in season 4 (1975). As the show progressed, Klinger was promoted to company clerk and gradually stopped wearing women's clothing. This shift reflected both his increased maturity and respect for his new role, as well as Farr's personal desire to prevent his two young children from being teased about their father appearing on TV in dresses.

In Their Own Story

In October 1972, a struggling actor named Jameel Farah arrived on the set of M*A*S*H for what he thought would be a one-day job paying $250. He needed the money for groceries and rent, never expecting to return. The producers initially dodged his contract requests, but by 1975, Farr was hired as a regular. On set, the dog tags Klinger wore were actually Farr's own tags from his time serving in Korea. Later, when Red Skelton traveled to Japan and Korea for a USO tour, he specifically requested Farr as his assistant, recalling their earlier work on The Red Skelton Show where Farr played Snorkel. After M*A*S*H ended in 1983, Farr reprised the role with Harry Morgan and William Christopher in the spinoff AfterMASH. He also became the only actor to appear in all three Cannonball Run films, playing the Sheik.

Reader's Guide

Farr's journey from Toledo to stardom began at age 11 when he won two dollars in a local acting competition. After graduating Woodward High School in 1952, he attended the Pasadena Playhouse, where he was cast as Santini in Blackboard Jungle (credited as Jameel Farah). He served in the Army from 1957 to 1959, working on training videos at Fort Knox and the Army Pictorial Service before deploying to Korea with Special Services. His television career expanded beyond M*A*S*H to include frequent guest spots on shows like The Love Boat, Murder She Wrote, and Mad About You, as well as hosting roles on game shows such as Battle of the Network Stars and a run as a judge on The Gong Show. In 1985, he was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Even in retirement from stage acting after collapsing during rehearsals for Jack of Diamonds in 2018, Farr remained active, hosting M*A*S*H: The Best By Farr in 2022 to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary.

Did You Know?

• Farr served in Korea as a Broadcast Specialist and wore his own real dog tags on the M*A*S*H set.
• He was originally hired for only one day on M*A*S*H, concerned solely with earning $250 to buy groceries.
• Klinger stopped wearing dresses partly because Farr did not want his two young children to be teased about their father's TV attire.
• Farr appeared in The Cannonball Run (1981) and Cannonball Run II (1984), but not in Speed Zone! (1989, sometimes marketed as Cannonball Run III).
• He replaced Nathan Lane last minute as Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls on Broadway with only two weeks of preparation.