It’s hard to imagine HBO’s hit show Sex and the City (1998-2004), its cinematic sequels Sex and the City (2008) and Sex and the City 2 (2010), and the SATC spin-off series And Just Like That… (2021) without the warm and witty presence of Carrie’s gay BFF Stanford Blatch. So it’s equally difficult to digest the early death of Willie Garson who played the part. Born in New Jersey and schooled at Wesleyan and Yale Universities in Connecticut, the beloved character actor passed away in Los Angeles when he was just 57 years of age. Luckily, he leaves behind a career on film (Fever Pitch, Freaky Friday, Jackass Number Two, Just Like Heaven, Out Cold, The Rock) and TV (Cheers, Mr. Belvedere, Newhart, NYPD Blue, Stargate SG-1, Supergirl). The boob tube babe also played Mozzie on the police show White Collar (2009-2014) and Gerard Hirsch on the reboot of Hawaii Five-0 (2015-2020). Through the years, Willie appeared on the big screen in the spoof Soapdish (1991) with Robert Downey Jr.; the Bill Murray romps Groundhog Day (1993) and Kingpin (1996); the Cameron Diaz comedies There’s Something About Mary (1998) and Being John Malkovich (1999); and Tim Burton’s disaster flick Mars Attacks! (1996) with his SATC co-star Sarah Jessica Parker. Yet Mr. Man prefers Mr. Garson’s topless turn in Fortress 2: Re-Entry (2000) since the sci-fi thriller features his hairy chest! Alas, we never got to see Willie’s willy. But that doesn’t mean his work didn’t tickle our funny bones, among other things!
