John Irwin McGiver (November 5, 1913 â€" September 9, 1975) was an
American character actor who made more than a hundred appearances in
television and motion pictures over a two-decade span from 1955 to
1975.The owl-faced, portly character actor with his mid-Atlantic
accent and precise diction, was often cast as pompous Englishmen and
other stuffy, aristocratic and bureaucratic types. He was known for
his performances in such films as Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961); The
Manchurian Candidate (1962); and Who's Minding the Store? (1963). He
appeared on many television shows and commercials during the 1960s and
early 1970s, including the first of a long running popular series of
commercials for the American Express charge card ("Do you know
me?").[better source needed]McGiver was born in Manhattan, New York
City, the son of Irish immigrants. He graduated from the Jesuit-run
Regis High School in Manhattan in 1932.He earned a B.A. in English
from Fordham University in 1938 and master's degrees from Columbia
University and Catholic University. He became an English teacher and
worked as an actor and director in New York's Irish Repertory Theater.
He interrupted those activities and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942
and served as an officer in the U.S. Army's 7th Armored Division in
Europe during World War II. Returning to civilian life, he continued
to teach English and speech at Christopher Columbus High School in the
Bronx and worked occasionally in off-Broadway plays until 1955, when
he became a full-time actor.
American character actor who made more than a hundred appearances in
television and motion pictures over a two-decade span from 1955 to
1975.The owl-faced, portly character actor with his mid-Atlantic
accent and precise diction, was often cast as pompous Englishmen and
other stuffy, aristocratic and bureaucratic types. He was known for
his performances in such films as Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961); The
Manchurian Candidate (1962); and Who's Minding the Store? (1963). He
appeared on many television shows and commercials during the 1960s and
early 1970s, including the first of a long running popular series of
commercials for the American Express charge card ("Do you know
me?").[better source needed]McGiver was born in Manhattan, New York
City, the son of Irish immigrants. He graduated from the Jesuit-run
Regis High School in Manhattan in 1932.He earned a B.A. in English
from Fordham University in 1938 and master's degrees from Columbia
University and Catholic University. He became an English teacher and
worked as an actor and director in New York's Irish Repertory Theater.
He interrupted those activities and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942
and served as an officer in the U.S. Army's 7th Armored Division in
Europe during World War II. Returning to civilian life, he continued
to teach English and speech at Christopher Columbus High School in the
Bronx and worked occasionally in off-Broadway plays until 1955, when
he became a full-time actor.
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