Willie Garson, the actor best known for his role as Carrie Bradshaw’s best male friend, Stanford Blatch, on the hit HBO series “Sex and the City,” has died. He was 57.
His death was confirmed on Tuesday by his son, Nathen Garson, on Instagram. The cause was not immediately disclosed.
In addition to his popular role on “Sex and the City,” Mr. Garson was known for his role as the con man Mozzie in the TV show “White Collar.”
He is credited with appearing in 30 movies, including the 2008 “Sex and the City” film and its 2010 sequel.
Mr. Garson was born William Paszamant on Feb. 20, 1964, in New Jersey to Muriel and Donald M. Paszamant. At 13, he started training at the Actors Institute in New York, and he graduated in 1985 from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, where he majored in psychology and theater.
After graduating from Wesleyan, he landed guest roles on several television shows, including “Family Ties” and “Cheers.”
In addition to the “Sex and the City” movies, Mr. Garson worked with the Farrelly brothers in some of their films, including “Kingpin” (1996), “There’s Something About Mary” (1998) and “Fever Pitch” (2005).
He also played Lee Harvey Oswald three times, in the film “Ruby” (1992) and on the TV shows “Quantum Leap” and “MADtv.”
Mr. Garson served on the advisory board for You Gotta Believe, an organization that helps find permanent families for young people. He became a parent in 2010 when he adopted his son, Nathen, who was 7 at the time.
“As a narcissist actor, and I was the definition, I immediately became responsible for taking care of someone else,” Mr. Garson said in an interview shared on Medium last year. “It is a really special feeling to say that. It is such an important job and makes you grow in so many different ways.”
Complete information on survivors was not immediately available.
As the news of Mr. Garson’s death spread on Tuesday night, actors and performers shared their memories and praise on social media.
The comic actor Mario Cantone, who played Mr. Garson’s partner in “Sex and the City,” said on Twitter that he was “devastated and just overwhelmed with sadness.”
“Taken away from all of us way soon,” he said. “You were a gift from the gods.”
Cynthia Nixon, who played Miranda Hobbes in “Sex and the City,” said on Twitter that Mr. Garson was “endlessly funny on-screen and in real life.”
“We all loved him and adored working with him,” she said. “He was a source of light, friendship and show business lore. He was a consummate professional — always.”
