Willie Garson, Who Played Standford Blatch on Sex and the City, Dies at 57

Willie Garson, the actor best known for his role as Carrie Bradshaw’s best friend Stanford Blatch on Sex and the City, has died. He was 57.

His death was confirmed by his son Nathen Garson in a post on Instagram on Tuesday. The cause was not disclosed immediately.

In addition to his popular role on the HBO series “Sex and the City”, Mr. Garson was also known for his role as the cheater Mozzie on the TV show “White Collar”.

Mr. Garson is credited with appearing in 30 films, including the 2008 film “Sex and the City” and its 2010 sequel, “Sex and the City 2”.

Mr. Garson was born William Paszamant on February 20, 1964 in New Jersey to Muriel Paszamant and Donald M. Paszamant. At 13, he began training at the Actors Institute in New York and graduated from Wesleyan University in 1985, where he studied psychology and drama, according to the university.

After graduating from Wesleyan, Mr. Garson received guest roles on several television shows including “Family Ties” and “Cheers”.

In addition to the “Sex and the City” films, Mr. Garson worked with the Farrelly brothers on a number of their films, including “Kingpin” (1996), “There’s Something About Mary” (1998), and “Fever Pitch” (2005. ). ).

He also played Lee Harvey Oswald three times, in the film “Ruby” (1992) and in the TV shows “Quantum Leap” and “MADtv”.

Mr. Garson was also a member of the Advisory Board of You Gotta Believe, an organization that helps find permanent families for young people. Mr. Garson became a parent in 2010 when he adopted his son Nathen, who was then 7 years old.

“As a narcissistic actor, and I was the definition, I immediately became responsible for taking care of someone else,” Garson said in an interview shared on Medium last year. “To say that is a very special feeling. It’s such an important job and it makes you grow in so many different ways. “

Complete information on survivors was not immediately available.

When news of Mr Garson’s death spread on Tuesday night, actors and cast members shared their memories and praise on social media.

Comic actor Mario Cantone, who played Mr. Garson’s partner in Sex and the City, said on Twitter that he was “devastated and overwhelmed by sadness”.

“We’re all going to be taken away from each other soon,” he said. “You were a gift from the gods.”

Cynthia Nixon, who played Miranda Hobbes on Sex and the City, said on Twitter that Mr. Garson was “endlessly funny on screen and in real life.”

“We all loved him and loved working with him,” she said. “He was a source of light, friendship and show business. He was a consummate professional – always. “