Roberto Gari

En 1939, Gari se matriculó y estudió en la Art Students League de Nueva York bajo la tutela de renombrados instructores como Will Barnet y Ethel Schwabacher . Gari trabajó con óleo sobre lienzo , acuarela , carboncillo , pasteles y tinta . Sus temas solían ser retratos , en estilo impresionista o modernista . Se convirtió en un artista respetado, con numerosas exposiciones en galerías como la Bodley Gallery de Nueva York y las galerías Raymond Burr y Acosta de Beverly Hills . Sus pinturas han sido coleccionadas por estrellas como Shelley Winters , Steve Allen , Debbie Reynolds , Eddie Fisher , Eddie Cantor y el expresidente Ronald Reagan (quien colgó su cuadro de Gari en la Casa Blanca ). Su retrato de la cantante Judy Garland estuvo expuesto durante muchos años en el vestíbulo del Palace Theatre de Nueva York y ahora forma parte de la Colección de Teatro del Museo de la Ciudad de Nueva York .

Some of the highlights of Gari's show business career included dancing with Vera-Ellen in the Broadway production of 'A Connecticut Yankee' in 1944 and later as Merlin the magician in the same production. Other Broadway credits include 'Sadie Thompson' (with June Havoc) and Eddie Cantor's production of 'Nellie Bly'. During the 1950s he appeared on The Colgate Comedy Hour as well as the Four Star Revue. During the 1960s and 1970s his family commitments and his art work kept him away from performing; he returned in the 1980s and subsequently could be seen in such films as I.Q., The Associate, Scent of a Woman, She Devil and One Fine Day. He also had regular roles on television in the daytime soap operasGuiding Light (as Maurice the bartender) and Another World (as Alistair the butler from 1992 to 1995). He was also prominently featured on Candid Camera and The Last Mile on PBS. His final TV role was playing Amy Sedaris' father in a dozen episodes of the cult Comedy Central series Strangers with Candy.