Biography
Rotund character actor Allen Garfield was trained at the Actors Studio. He interrupted a fruitful stage career in 1968 to appear in a string of low-budget, Manhattan-based films, among them the seminal
Brian De Palma project Hi, Mom! (1970) and
Woody Allen's
Bananas (1971, as the Christ figure who has trouble finding a parking space for his cross). He was promoted to leading man in 1970's
Cry Uncle, a raunchy R-rated detective spoof which attracted extensive press coverage thanks to the scene in which Garfield has sex with a corpse! In mainstream films like
The Long Goodbye (1973)
The Conversation (1974) and
Nashville (1975), Garfield was generally cast as slimy executives and promoters. As MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer in
Gable and Lombard, Garfield offered a fascinating amalgam of sticky sentimentality, sharp business acumen and cold-blooded ruthlessness. From 1978 through 1983, Garfield billed himself under his given name of Allen Goorwitz, and also lost a great deal of weight; but with 1984's
Cotton Club onward, it was back to "Garfield" and excess poundage. In 1993, Allen Garfield played his first starring role in years in the angst-driven theatrical feature
Jack and His Friends. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide