John McGiver

John McGiver was an American character actor born John Irwin McGiver on November 5, 1913, in Manhattan, New York City, the son of Irish immigrants Patrick Francis McGiver and Bridget Frances McGiver. He graduated from the Jesuit-run Regis High School in Manhattan in 1932 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in English from Fordham University in 1938, followed by master's degrees from both Columbia University and Catholic University. Before pursuing acting full time, McGiver taught English and speech at Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx and worked as an actor and director with New York's Irish Repertory Theater. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 and served as an officer in the 7th Armored Division in Europe during World War II. Upon returning to civilian life, he resumed teaching and took on occasional off-Broadway roles until 1955, when he transitioned to acting as his primary profession.

Over a career spanning roughly two decades from 1955 to 1975, McGiver accumulated more than a hundred credits across film and television. His film work included a role as a jewelry salesman in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) alongside Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard, and the part of the principled Senator Thomas Jordan in The Manchurian Candidate (1962) with Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, and Janet Leigh. He appeared in Who's Minding the Store? (1963) with Jerry Lewis, Man's Favorite Sport? (1964) with Rock Hudson and Paula Prentiss, and later played the religious fanatic Mr. O'Daniel in Midnight Cowboy (1969) with Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman. His final film credit was The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975) with Don Knotts and Tim Conway. Additional film appearances included Love in the Afternoon (1957), The Gazebo (1959), Period of Adjustment (1962), Fitzwilly (1967), Lawman (1971), and Mame (1974) with Lucille Ball.

On television, McGiver appeared in episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, including "Six People No Music" and "Fatal Figures," as well as two episodes of The Twilight Zone, "Sounds and Silences" and "The Bard." Between 1963 and 1964, he played J.R. Castle, the boss of Martin Lane at the fictional newspaper The Chronicle, in five episodes of The Patty Duke Show. He also appeared in an episode of Gilligan's Island in 1966, made a guest appearance on Bewitched, and guest-starred in Alias Smith and Jones in 1971. McGiver was additionally featured in the first installment of the long-running American Express "Do you know me?" television commercial campaign.

His Broadway career ran from 1956 to 1969. He appeared in the revue A Thurber Carnival in 1960, and starred in The Front Page during its 1969–1970 run. Additional Broadway productions in which he appeared include A Way of Life, Happiness Is Just a Little Thing Called a Rolls Royce, and other productions during that period.

McGiver married Ruth Schmigelsky in 1947, and the couple had ten children: Brigit, Maria, Terry, Basil, Clare, Oliver, Ian, Clemens, Boris, and Cornelia. His son Boris pursued a professional acting career in film and television beginning in 1987. McGiver died of a heart attack on September 9, 1975, at his home in West Fulton, New York, at the age of 61. His remains were cremated.