‘Sex And The City’ Star Willie Garson, Dies Aged 57
Image: Willie Garson in 'Sex And The City'.
Willie Garson, who rose to fame playing Stanford Blatch on Sex and the City, passed away on September 21, after a battle with cancer. Garson was 57 years old.
The hardworking actor had amassed more than 170 television and film credits since his first on-screen appearance in 1986. However it was his role as Stanford Blatch, the ‘gay best-friend’ to Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, which made him a household name. The actor appeared in all six seasons of the show, which ran from 1998-2004.
Garson, who also appeared in the Sex and the City films, was shooting And Just Like That…, the revival of Sex and the City for HBO Max at the time of his death.
Stanford Blatch and Carrie Bradshaw’s friendship mirrored the real-life, long lasting friendship between Garson and Parker, and the two friends spoke daily.
Tributes Pour In For Beloved Actor
Tributes for the actor flowed across social media, with loving remembrances from Cynthia Nixon, Mario Cantone (his Sex and the City on-screen partner), Ben Stiller, Jason Alexander, Sharon Lawrence, Rob Morrow, Mia Farrow and Daniel Dae Kim amongst many others.
So deeply, deeply sad we have lost @WillieGarson. We all loved him and adored working with him. He was endlessly funny on-screen and and in real life. He was a source of light, friendship and show business lore. He was a consummate professional— always. pic.twitter.com/G63EJIj8lG
— Cynthia Nixon (@CynthiaNixon) September 22, 2021
Michael Patrick King, an Executive Producer on Sex and the City, in a tribute to Garson in USA Today said, “The Sex and the City family has lost one of its own, our amazing Willie Garson. His spirit and his dedication to his craft was present everyday filming And Just Like That. He was there – giving us his all – even while he was sick. His multitude of gifts as an actor and person will be missed by everyone.”
Such sad news and a terribly sad loss to the SATC family. Our condolences and RIP dear Willie xo pic.twitter.com/yXhPkxRTv3
— Kim Cattrall (@KimCattrall) September 22, 2021
HBO, the company behind Sex and the City, memorialised the actor, saying in a statement. “Willie Garson was in life, as on-screen, a devoted friend and a bright light for everyone in his universe. He created one of the most beloved characters from the HBO pantheon and was a member of our family for nearly twenty-five years. We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and extend our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.”
Garson Was Terrified Of Being Offensive To The Gay Community
Garson’s highly prolific career also included a starring role as con-man Mozzie in the series White Collar, which ran from 2009-2014. His many other credits included The X-Files, Hawaii Five-0, Magnum P.I., Supergirl, CSI:Miami, Stargate SG-1, Ally McBeal, Cheers, and Family Ties.
Garson, graduated with a B.F.A in Theatre from Wesleyan University and later received his M.F.A from the Yale School of Drama.
Garson, who in real-life identified as heterosexual, told the Huffington Post UK that he felt a lot of responsibility in his portrayal of Stanford. Garson said, “Most of the pressure I felt was to not be offensive. I didn’t want to offend the community at all, and that was a really big concern of mine. To the point where I didn’t even have HBO for the first three years, because I didn’t want to see it, because I was so terrified of being offensive. But, the gay community really rose up, and said ‘we know people like this, this is real.’ And so that made me feel great, and I could start watching the show.”
“It was also very important to the show, to show someone having fun being gay, being proud, open and comfortable with who they are. You know, we’d just come through the crisis and every representation of gay was kind of dark, and spoken in hushed tones,” Garson said.
A Final Message
Garson is survived by his adopted son Nathen Garson, 20. The actor was an outspoken advocate for adoption and twice served as a spokesperson for National Adoption Day. Garson’s son wrote an eloquent tribute to his father on Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
Garson, spoke of his son in a 2020 interview with Page Six. “He’s an adult and soon to be taking care of me which is really why I got him to be honest. He’s lovely and a really special guy. He’s wonderful and he’s in college in Ohio.”
“I had a long relationship off and on for like 20 years, and she never wanted to have a child, which is fine, and it was like my mid-life crisis. Like, I really wanted a child more than anything else. And I got one and we’re partners, my kid and I,” Garson said.
Garson’s final tweet, which he posted on September 5, read simply, “BE KIND TO EACH OTHER……ALWAYS. LOVE TO ALL. APRROACH KINDNESS.”
If you feel distressed reading the story, you can reach out to support services.
For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14
For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.
