Willie Garson

Willie Garson, who portrayed the beloved but ever-sorry pal topless Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex and the City” has died at57 years of age. Variety reported on Twitter that Garson had died. Garson was in his third film as a director after landing the lead role in the Oscar-winning “The Artist.” It was the second film he directed after scoring an uncredited role in the 1993 cult classic “Man Who Played with Paper.”

Garson’s greatest claim to fame would have to be his iconic role as the butler in the novel and subsequent movie “The Godfather.” Though not the most memorable part of the trilogy, his character still managed to capture hearts by bringing back a sense of wonder for every audience that saw him on screen.

Willie Garson is the quintessential American accent: friendly, affable and just a little bit oblivious to how much people loved him. The man who played the butler in the book is actually Willie Garson II. Though many of us recognize Willie as the same actor who played Alex Cross in the popular TV show of the same name, we’ll always remember him as the character of the butler in the novel.

As everyone in the know well knows by now, Garson’s life took a turn for the worse when he was accused of the murder of his own stepson. Though acquitted of the crime, he was nonetheless found guilty and served time for his crime. Following his release, Willie went on to star in a string of more successful films including “A Christmas Story.”

During this time, he also began to find success in television, playing the cynical, yet delightful character of Seinfeld’s Jerry Seinfeld in the later seasons. It was through this role that many Americans came to recognize Garson as their favorite kind man.

In the late eighties, however, it was Garson’s starring role in the very successful show Men in Trees that would bring him even closer to an iconic status. Created by Robert Towne and featuring a wide array of celebrities, the series was one of the most beloved for its smart writing and its wonderful depiction of a family coming together after years apart. A favorite of both viewers and writers alike, Men in Trees remains one of television’s best-written dramas.

In the Christmas special of the show, a touching moment occurred when John Krasinski’s character, Frank Sinatra Jr., played by Tim Matheson, played with a very stiff expression as he relayed a story of how his mother had died while giving birth to him. Realizing that his mom’s death had been faked, Willie, being very close to his own mother, started crying, only to be told by his father that his mom had died of a heart attack, due to the stress of giving birth to him and then watching him grow up.

Willie Garson is one of those actors who is as completely real as he is on-screen, and it’s this connection to the people around him that makes for some of his best lines. As an example, in the first episode of the show, “Trinity,” where he plays the father of twin boys whose parents have separated, Willie was the one who was forced to pick up the children after their mother decided she would move back in with her boyfriend.

While Will was initially thrilled to be staying with his dad, Will’s feelings were torn between wanting to go with his dad and his mom; which leads to one of his classic lines in the series: “You’re welcome to stay, sweetheart…as long as you behave.” The line generated a number of online petitions from fans demanding that the actor change his mind and return to his “trinity” in the future episodes.

The reality of it all is that no one was really going to stay with him for any length of time, but Will did it anyway, using the lines as a means of coping with his feelings of detachment.

Another fantastic episode of the L.A. sitcom centers on the familial relationship between Will and his brother, played by the incredible David Hyde Pierce. Will finds himself in a difficult position, where he has to decide between keeping his family together or letting his brother go.

In the end, Will makes the choice that would benefit everyone involved (although leaving his brother behind was also an option), and he invites his family to join him in starting a new life in the city. What could be better than watching your favorite characters take a break from each other to enjoy family life?

One other great episode of the L.A. sitcom depicts the romances of both Will and Brittany. In the first episode, Will tried to save his friendship with Stephanie, but things didn’t go so well. Will and Stephanie had a rocky relationship that made them virtually strangers in each other’s eyes. Fortunately, the two got back together in the last episode, and Will fell in love with Stephanie.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go exactly as planned, but at least we were introduced to another good character on the show: Will’s much more capable, though still not as cool, brother, Braeden. The romance was subtle and understated, but it made us understand how much the characters in the show are really flirting with one another.

There was also some great music to catch me out of the corner of my eye. One of my favorites is the theme song for the movie Home Alone, sung by Kevin Spacey. The most recent theme song is by Ben Folds and Tim Rice.

Both are very nice, especially Spacey’s rendition of the title word. One interesting aspect of Garson’s career, which will be absent for a while now, is the many guest stars that he has worked with. He also worked with Michael Buble, Don King, Peter Sellers, and John Ratzenberger.