Victor Garber
Victor Garber, OC[1] (born March 16, 1949) is a Canadian actor.[2] Known for his work on stage and screen, he has been nominated for three Gemini Awards, four Tony Awards, and six Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2022, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.[3]
For the politician, see Victor Garber (politician).
Victor Garber
Garber originated roles in the Broadway productions of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in 1979, Noises Off in 1983, Lend Me a Tenor in 1989, Arcadia in 1995 and Art in 1998. He's received four Tony Award nominations for his performances in the play Deathtrap in 1978, the Neil Simon musical Little Me in 1982, the comedic play Lend Me a Tenor in 1989 and the musical comedy revival of Damn Yankees in 1994.
He made his film debut as Jesus Christ in the musical Godspell (1973). He has also been nominated for three Screen Actors Guild Awards along with the casts of the critically acclaimed films Titanic (1997), Milk (2008), and Argo (2012) winning for Argo. Other notable films include Sleepless in Seattle (1993), The First Wives Club (1996), Legally Blonde (2001), Sicario (2015), Dark Waters (2019), and Happiest Season (2020).
On television, Garber is best known as Jack Bristow in the ABC series Alias (2001 to 2006) for which he received three consecutive Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series nominations. He received further Emmy nominations for his portrayal of Sidney Luft in Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (2001) and for his guest roles in the sitcoms Frasier in 2001 and Will & Grace in 2005. He has since joined the Arrowverse appearing as Martin Stein / Firestorm in the superhero series The Flash (2015–2017) and Legends of Tomorrow (2016–2017, 2021).
Early life[edit]
Garber was born in London, Ontario, Canada, and is of Russian-Jewish descent. His father was Joseph "Joe" Garber (died 1995), and his mother, Bessie Hope Wolf (died 2005), was an actress, singer, and the host of At Home with Hope Garber.[4] He has a brother, Nathan, and a sister, Alisa.
Garber began acting at the age of nine in 1958, and studied at the University of Toronto's Hart House at age 16.[5] He attended Ryerson Elementary School and London Central Secondary School. He also was enrolled in the children's program of the Grand Theatre; and, at age 16, he was accepted at a six-week summer theatre training program at the University of Toronto taught by Robert Gill.[5] In New York, he studied acting at HB Studio.[6]
Career[edit]
Music[edit]
In 1967, after a period working as a solo folk singer, he formed a folk group called The Sugar Shoppe with Peter Mann, Laurie Hood and Lee Harris. The group enjoyed moderate success, breaking into the Canadian Top 40 with a version of Bobby Gimby's song "Canada" (1967).[7] Three other Sugar Shoppe songs made the lower reaches of the Canadian Top 100 in 1967 and '68. The band had performed on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson before breaking up.[8]
Theatre[edit]
He played Jesus in Toronto's 1972 production of Godspell, alongside Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Gilda Radner, Dave Thomas, Paul Shaffer and Martin Short.[9][10] In 1985 he appeared in Noises Off at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.[11]
Personal life[edit]
Garber prefers to keep his personal life private and has largely stayed out of the tabloids.[4] In 2012, he referred publicly to being gay.[34] In 2013, he said "I don't really talk about it but everybody knows."[35] Garber has been in a relationship with Canadian artist and model Rainer Andreesen since 2000.[34] On October 10, 2015, Andreesen announced on his Instagram page that he and Garber were married in Canada.[36] Garber has Type 1 diabetes: he was diagnosed in 1962 at the age of 12.[37]
Garber is good friends with his Alias co-star Jennifer Garner. He and his husband were the only guests at her wedding to Ben Affleck, which he officiated.[38]