Willie Garson, 1964-2021 {image via his Twitter page}

SciFi.radio regrets to confirm the death of American actor Willie Garson. An official cause of death has not been released yet, but he had suffered from pancreatic cancer for some time. People Magazine said he died following “a short illness…. surrounded by family.”

Willie Garson made over 70 movies and appeared in 300 episodes of TV shows as an actor. He directed two television episodes. He was best known for co-starring as Mozzie on White Collar and playing Stanford Blatch on Sex in the City. Garson had recurring roles on Supergirl, Stargate: SG-1, and Hawaii Five-O.

Personal Information

William Garson Paszamant was born February 24, 1964 in Highland Park, New Jersey. He died September 21, 2021. He earned a master’s degree from Yale. Garson is survived by his son Nathen.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Roles

Gason appeared on SG-1 three times as Martin Lloyd, an alien who settled on Earth. Lloyd deserted his military and defected to Earth. Having only partial memories of his true identity, he developed a television show called “Wormhole X-Treme!” loosely based on Stargate: Command. Garson appeared in three episodes of Supergirl as hacker Steve Lomeli. He was a guest in three episodes of Quantum Leap, playing Lee Harvey Oswald in a two-parter.

He was a guest on X-Files twice. Garson appeared in Special Unit 2 twice. In the short-lived show Level 9, he played Bones. On Star Trek: Voyager, Garson played the Monean scientist Riga. He appeared in one episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Once he appeared in Touched by an Angel. Also, Garson was once a guest on VR5. Garson also had a single guest appearance in Early Edition. He played Dr. Carson in Salvation. He had guest roles on Wizards of Waverly Place, Pushing Daisies, and Medium.

Willie Garson’s movies include Monster Heroes, the remake of Freaky Friday, Groundhog Day, Mars Attacks!, and Zoom.

Garson as Riga {image via Paramount}

Other Roles

Willie Garson played Ronnie Rendall in thireteen episodes of the sit-com Ask Harriet. In NYPD Blue, Garson played Henry Coffield in seven episodes. He played Mr. Kroop in three episodes of Party of Five. His most popular roles were co-starring as Mozzie on White Collar and playing Stanford Blatch on Sex in the City. On, John from Cincinnati, Garson played Meyer Dickstein.

Mourned by His Peers

Former co-star Kristin Davis said “Willie is beloved by our entire community. He was smarter and funnier than you ever would have imagined. We are bereft without him.” Caolan McAree tweeted “News outlets all day running with the ‘Willie Garson who played flamboyant gay man Stanford Blatch in Sex and the City was actually straight!’ narrative is so disappointing. Instead how about ‘he was a great actor who played that character and many others perfectly’. Cynthia Nixon lamented “”So deeply, deeply sad we have lost @WillieGarson. We all loved him and adored working with him. He was endlessly funny on-screen and and in real life. He was a source of light, friendship and show business lore. He was a consummate professional— always. My heart goes out to his son, Nathen Garson. Nathen, I hope you know how much he loved you and how proud he was to be your dad.” 

William G. Paszamant, MFA, was a skilled actor, admired by fans and respected by his peers. May his memory be a blessing and may his reruns be broadcast often.

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Susan Macdonald
Susan Macdonald

Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress ”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions,  Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.