Willie Garson biography

He teamed up with the screenwriting and directing duo, the Farrelly brothers, for three films: Kingpin (1996), There's Something About Mary (1998) and Fever Pitch (2005). Garson's other notable film credits include Being John Malkovich (1999), Freaky Friday (2003) and the film adaptations Sex and the City (2008) and Sex and the City 2 (2010). On television,

Garson has starred in HBO's John From Cincinnati (2007) and USA's White Collar (2009-2010).

Balding, bespectacled and slightly pudgy, Garson looks like anyone you might pass on the street. However, within the world of ultra-thin and beautiful Hollywood stars, Garson stands out for his everyman appearance. In fact, Garson credits his "Average Joe" looks with helping him land roles and connect with audiences. "Not everyone looks like Brad Pitt," he says. "There are people in the world that look like me. I think people feel that I could be living next door to them."

In addition to acting, Garson works with the youth mentoring organizations Big Brothers Big Sisters and Young Artists United and gives weekly readings to first graders through the Screen Actors Guild's "Bookpals" program. Garson is also an expert poker player. He competed on the 2003 Bravo show Celebrity Poker Showdown, where his ruthless card playing earned him the nickname "Evil Willie."

In 2008, Garson began turning his attention to another challenge: parenting. While Garson says that he always dreamed of getting married and starting a family, at age 44 and unmarried in 2008, he decided to adopt. Garson enrolled in parenting classes and attended an adoption fair in Los Angeles, where he spotted an energetic 7-year-old named Nathan. "He was balancing himself on a curb, and I was like, 'That's my kid,'" Garson says. "I knew it right then." Since finalizing the adoption process in 2010, Garson has been enjoying the pleasures of parenthood. "He is the best dad ever," Nathan says of his adopted father. Nathan has also begun following in his father's footsteps as an actor, playing Doddy in his elementary school's production of Grease. "The finest production of Grease in history," Garson called it.

With a thriving acting career and happy home life, Garson knows that he is living a dream. Things "couldn't have gone any better," he says. The only thing Garson dreads is the day his son grows up and no longer wants to spend time with him. Nathan, however, reassures his dad that day is not coming any time soon. "Dad, I'm always going to want to hug and kiss you," he says.

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