Kathy Garver(bornKathleen Marie Garver;December 13, 1945)[1]is an American actress most remembered for having portrayed the teenaged orphan, Catherine "Cissy" Davis, on the popular 1960sCBSsitcom,Family Affair.Before that, she was cast byCecil B. DeMillein the filmThe Ten Commandments(1956), and after that, she provided the voice of Firestar in the animated television seriesSpider-Man and His Amazing Friends(1981–83). Garver authoredThe Family Affair Cookbook(2009),Surviving Cissy: My Family Affair of Life in Hollywood(2015),[2]andX Child Stars: Where are They Now?(2016).[3]
Kathy Garver | |
|---|---|
 Kathy Garver at theGolden Halo Awards2014 inHollywood, California | |
| Born | December 13, 1945 |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1952–present |
| Spouse |
David Travis (m.1981) |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | Official website |
Early life and child career
editGarver was born inLong Beach, California,the daughter of Rosemary (Schmoker) and Hayes Garver.[4]She was raisedRoman Catholicand attended aCatholic primary school.[5]Garver recalled that her mother began getting her into acting from a young age: "I started singing and dancing at theMeglin Studiosin Hollywood, at three years old, as wasShirley Temple,who was also discovered there. I think my mom had the vision of her little daughter as Shirley Temple. "[6]When she was nine, she was cast inI'll Cry Tomorrow,but her most famous movie role was one of the young slaves inThe Ten Commandments.Garver was cast as anextrainThe Ten Commandments,but during filming directorCecil B. DeMillenoticed her and wrote her into the movie.[6]
During the 1950s Garver did voice work on radio dramas, includingWhispering StreetsandHeartbeat Theater.[6]In 1969, Garver released a Christmas song called "Lem, the Orphan Reindeer" on the Aquarian label, distributed byBell Records.The song was written byTommy Boyce, Bobby Hart,and E. Justin, and arranged byJimmie Haskell.[7]
Career
edit
In 1966, while studying at UCLA, she auditioned for, and won, the role of "Cissy" Davis, the eldest of the three siblings onFamily Affair.[8]Garver had been a fan of series starBrian Keithsince she was ten years old and had guest-starred on his earlier CBS series about theCold War,Crusader.She had also previously worked with co-producerDon FeddersononThe Millionaire.[6]While working onFamily AffairGarver began dating her on-screen boyfriend Greg Fedderson, but otherwise did not socialize much with the rest of the cast, since they were all either much older or much younger than she.[6]Family Affairran for five seasons.
In 1969, Garver appeared as Laura Hayden inThe Big Valleyseason 4 episode "The Royal Road".
Garver appeared in such movies asPrincess Diaries,Unleashed,andHelen's Last Love,and as guest star in such TV films asHercules Saves ChristmasandFBI Murders.Her stage plays includeVoice of the Turtle,Vanities,Under the Yum Yum Tree,Sunday in New York,Star Spangled Girl,Romeo and Julietwith musicalsMy Fair Lady,River Song: The Adventures of Tom SawyerandSummer Magic.[citation needed]
Garver provided the voices ofFirestar,Stormand other female guest characters on the Saturday morning cartoonSpider-Man and His Amazing Friends.In the 1990sSpider-Mancartoon series,she played the voice ofMiss America.[9][10]
Garver was the voice of Alice Mitchell in theDennis the Menacecartoon specialMayday for Motherand Pepper inChuck Norris: Karate Kommandos.Her other voice roles included the television seriesFonz and the Happy Days Gang;The Tom & Jerry Kids Show;Droopy, Master Detective;The New Yogi Bear Show;The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show;The All-New Super Friends Hourand the cartoon specialMarvin: Baby of the Year.In addition to her television work, Garver has lent her voice talents to numerous commercials, toys, and audiobooks.
Her voice has been heard in the filmsApollo 13,Ransom,BackdraftandJingle All the Way.
Garver appeared in the Christmas episode of the 2002–2003Family AffairWB series, which was a remake of the original.
Garver has produced, narrated, written lyrics, and composed the music for eight audioBeatrix Pottertales and eightMother Goosebased audiotapes for Smarty Pants, Inc. She has recorded books forBrilliance Audio,Dove, Audible, and Listen and Live.
From 2008-2012 she co-hosted theComcasttelevisiontalk showBackstage! With Barry & Kathy.[11][12]
Garver's stage performances include productions ofAbsolutely DeadandDinner at Five,the latter written and directed byLloyd J. Schwartz.[13][14]
As a paid speaker, Garver gives presentations on "The Power of Perseverance" among other topics.[citation needed]
Personal life
editAs of November 1994, Garver was living inHillsborough, California,with her husband, David Travis, and their adolescent son, Reid.[15]
Appearances and books
editOn June 26, 2008, she attended theHollywood Walk of Fameceremony when Brian Keith was awarded a star posthumously; Garver gave a speech on his behalf.[16]
In 2009, Garver co-authored, with Geoffrey Mark,The Family Affair Cookbook.[17]In September 2015, she published her autobiography,Surviving Cissy: My Family Affair Of Life In Hollywood.[7]
Awards and honors
editIn 1995, a Golden Palm Star on thePalm Springs, CaliforniaWalk of Starswas dedicated to her.[18]Garver has won twoAudie Awards,one for her narration ofThe World's Shortest Stories,the other in 2004 for her direction ofAmy TaninThe Opposite of Fateread by the author. In 2010, Garver was honored by theYoung Artist Foundationwith itsFormer Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Awardfor her role inFamily Affair.[19]
References
edit- ^Pilato, Herbie J. (2014).Glamour, Gidgets, and the Girl Next Door: Television's Iconic Women from the 50s, 60s, and 70s.Lanham, MD: Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 94.ISBN978-1-58979-969-1.
- ^King, Susan (2 September 2015)."'Family Affair's' Kathy Garver looks back on childhood stardom in new autobiography ".Los Angeles Times.Archived fromthe originalon 26 July 2018.Retrieved22 December2017.
- ^Hayes, Anthony C. (2 October 2016)."Family Affair actress looks at X Child Stars: Where Are They Now?".The Baltimore Post-Examiner.Retrieved22 December2017.
- ^"Senior in Action – Kathy Garver".Retrieved22 July2023.
- ^Parker, Melissa (4 February 2009)."Exclusive Interview with Kathy Garver ofFamily Affair".Archived from the original on 14 October 2013.
I went to a Catholic school until the sixth grade and then my mother put us all in public school so we could find out real world was like. But, we remained religious and spiritual since then.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^abcdeClancy, Shaun (August 2020)."From Family Affair, Firestar, and Beyond: An Interview with Kathy Garver".RetroFan(10): 19–23.
- ^abGarver, Kathy (2015).Surviving Cissy: My Family Affair of Life in Hollywood.Lanham, MD: Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 165.ISBN978-1-63076-115-8.
- ^Bihun, Ashley (13 January 2023)."Family Affair's Kathy Garver talks about her illustrious career with Paul Lisnek"(MP3).WGN Radio 720 - Chicago's Very Own.Retrieved22 July2023.
- ^"Kathy Garver".GalaxyFest.2014.Archivedfrom the original on 28 February 2014.
- ^Markstein, Don (2010)."Miss America".Don Markstein's Toonopedia.Archivedfrom the original on 27 May 2024.
[Miss America] made an appearance in a 1997 episode of Spider-Man's animated TV show...There, her voice was done by Kathy Garver.
- ^Barsamian, Barry; Garver, Kathy (6 October 2008)."Backstage! With Barry & Kathy".IMDb.[unreliable source?]
- ^Nahmod, David Alex (10 September 2009)."Kathy Garver's charmed life after playing Cissy on classic sitcom 'Family Affair'".The Bay Area Reporter.
- ^Puglisi, Jackie (7 March 2017)."Play is a classic whodunit".The Winchester Star.Retrieved22 December2017.
- ^Jones, Peter (8 November 2017)."'Dinner at Five' a family affair for Kathy Garver ".The Villager.Denver, Colorado.Retrieved22 December2017.
- ^"Kathy Garver".People.28 November 1994.Archivedfrom the original on 28 February 2014.
- ^Larsen, Jennifer (31 July 2008)."Brian Keith's star added to Hollywood's Walk of Fame".Ritzville.Archivedfrom the original on 28 February 2014.
- ^Garver, Kathy; Mark, Geoffrey (4 July 2009).The Family Affair Cookbook(Hardcover ed.). BearManor Media.ISBN978-1-5939-3458-3.
- ^"Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicated"(PDF).Palm Springs Walk of Stars.2012.
- ^"31st Annual Young Artist Awards".Young Artist Awards.11 April 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 12 October 2013.Retrieved31 March2011.
