Leif Garrett

Infobox musical artist
Name = Leif Garrett


Img_capt =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Leif Per Nervik
Born = birth date and age|1961|11|8
Died =
Origin = flagicon|United States Hollywood, CA
Instrument = Vocals
Voice_range =
Genre = Rock
Pop
Years_active = 1977–Present
Label = Atlantic (USA, 1977-1981)
Associated_act =

Leif Garrett (born Leif Per Nervik on November 8, 1961), is an American singer and actor of Norwegian descent. He became famous as a teen idol and received publicity as an adult for his drug abuse and legal troubles.

Career

Garrett began his acting career as a five-year-old, as he and his sister, Dawn Lyn, worked a variety of small acting jobs. His notable roles as a child actor include his breakthrough as "Jimmy Henderson" in "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice", his role as the protagonist's son "Mike Pusser" in the "Walking Tall" series, and his recurring role as "Zack Russell" on the ABC-TV series "Family". He also played the role of Leonard Unger, the son of Felix Unger (Tony Randall), on the ABC-TV series "The Odd Couple", a part that was previously played by Willie Aames.In autumn of 1976, Garrett signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records and recorded his first album, "Leif Garrett". The album was released in 1977 and his first four singles charted modestly on the US Hot 100, with "Runaround Sue" reaching the highest at #13. In mid-1978, he signed with Scotti Brothers Records and recorded his second album "Feel the Need". The album's first single, "I Was Made For Dancin' ", reached #10 on the US Hot 100 and #4 on the British Chart but subsequent singles failed to crack the top 20 in either country. Nevertheless, Garrett continued to record, releasing the albums "Same Goes For You" (1979), "Can't Explain" (1980), and "My Movie of You" (1981) in quick succession. In the 80s Garrett returned to acting, appearing in a small role as "Bob Sheldon" in the 1983 Francis Ford Coppola film "The Outsiders". In 1985, he starred in "Shaker Run" as a mechanic and in "Thunder Alley" as the lead singer of a pop band that is torn apart by drugs. Other notable Leif Garrett movies from the decade include "Delta Fever" and the horror film "Cheerleader Camp". After a brief break from 1990 to 1995, Garrett returned to acting and singing, appearing in 1995's low-budget horror film "Dominion", touring with The Melvins, and recording vocals for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on their album "The Crybaby". In 1998 he released "The Leif Garrett Collection", a greatest hits collection, and in 1999 formed the band "Godspeed" with Christopher Wade Damerst and Michael Scott (The Distortions, Deadtime Stories). They recorded a 3 song EP on Garrett's own label, Tongue and Groove Records, and debuted on the Rosie O'Donnell Show but broke up after only a few shows. In 2003, Garrett appeared as himself in the David Spade film "". He also sang and co-wrote "Former Child Star" for the film's soundtrack and was one of the singers of "Child Stars On Your Television", which played over the ending credits.

From 1979 to 1985, Leif Garrett dated actress Nicollette Sheridan. The relationship began when Sheridan was 15 and the two lived together in the home of Garrett's mother. During the late 1980s and early 1990, Garrett dated Justine Bateman.

In September 2006, Garrett appeared on the Celebrity edition of "Fear Factor". Garrett made the finals and went on to win the grand prize of US$50,000.

On New Year's Eve 2006, Garrett first appeared in Las Vegas with retro act [http://www.myspace.com/originalidols Original Idols] LIVE! hosted by Barry Williams and also featuring the Bay City Rollers, Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods, The Cowsills with selected appearances by Merrill Osmond, Tony DeFranco and Danny Bonaduce. The tour has current bookings and will continue for the 2007 summer/fall schedule.

In August 2007, he was on television when CMT cast Garrett in "Ty Murray’s Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge". He was among nine celebrities cast on the show, however he quit after one show citing soreness and lack of desire to continue. [cite web | url = http://www.registerbee.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=DRB/MGArticle/DRB_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173352327754 | title = Reality TV vet tries his hand at rodeo | author = Susan Elzey | accessmonthday = August 10 | accessyear = 2007 | date = August 10, 2007]

In November 2007, Garrett released his new album "Three sides of...".

He lends his voice as himself in the Family Guy episode The Thin White Line.

Personal troubles

In 1979, three days before his 18th birthday, Garrett crashed his car while drunk and under the influence of Quaaludes. The accident left his passenger and best friend Roland Winkler, a paraplegic. A guilt-stricken Garrett publicly promised to look after Winkler. Winkler's mother later filed a $25 million negligence lawsuit against him. Garrett insisted that he did not have the money and the suit was eventually settled out of court for $7.1 million, leaving the friends completely estranged [http://www.leifgarrett.net/washingtonpost.html] . Garrett and Winkler remained estranged until he was approached by VH-1 to film a 1999 episode of the television series "Behind The Music". The episode featured Garrett's reunion with an apology to Winkler; Winkler forgave Garrett and acknowledged that Garrett's actions following the accident may actually have saved his life [http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/behind_the_music/51340/episode.jhtml] . Despite claiming on "Behind the Music" not to have used drugs since a 1996 intervention, Garrett was arrested for possession only months after the episode aired. Garrett was arrested again in March 2005 and pled guilty to possession of cocaine. However, he subsequently violated his probation, prompting a judge to issue a bench warrant for his arrest in December. On January 14, 2006, Garrett was arrested on a Metro Red Line subway platform in downtown Los Angeles, California, for allegedly not having a ticket [http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2006/01/18/1399857-ap.html] . Heroin was found in his possession and Garrett was held in jail without bail before being sentenced to a live-in drug rehabilitation program. He left the program, believing it to be too strict, and was consequently sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years' probation on May 11, 2006. He was credited with the time served since March 30, when he was placed in custody for failing a drug test.

Discography

Albums

* 1977 - "Leif Garrett" US #37
* 1978 - "Feel the Need" US #34
* 1979 - "Same Goes for You" US #129
* 1980 - "Can't Explain" US #185
* 1981 - "My Movie of You"
* 1998 - "The Leif Garrett Collection"
* 2003 - "F8" pronounced 'Fate'
* 2003 - "F8 Demos" pronounced 'Fate'
* 2007 - "Three Sides of..."

Chart singles

*1977 "Surfin' USA" US #20
*1978 "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" US #58
*1978 "Runaround Sue" US #13
*1978 "The Wanderer" US #49
*1979 "I Was Made for Dancin'" US #10, UK #4
*1979" "Feel the Need" US #57, UK #38
*1979 "When I Think of You" US #78
*1980 "I Was Looking for Someone to Love" US #78
*1980 "Memorize Your Number" US #60
*1981 "Runaway Rita" US #84

Notes

Garrett has sung on releases by L. Ron Hubbard (The Road To Freedom), The Melvins ("The Crybaby"), The Crush Ups ("Betty Ford For X-Mas"), and Liberty n' Justice ("Sight Unseen" on "Soundtrack of a Soul"), among others.

Garrett's stage work includes playing in The National Theatre of The Deaf's production of A Child's Christmas is Wales in late 2000. He also appeared in summer stock at The Barn Theatre's production of Old Timer in 2001.

Filmography

# 2008 "Reality Bites Back (Hunting With The Stars)"
# 2008 "The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest Criminals" (Commentator) (TV)
# 2006 "Fear Factor" (Celebrity edition) (TV)
# 2005 "Popstar"
# 2005 "American Black Beauty" (TV)
# 2003 ""
# 1999 "The Art of a Bullet"
# 1998 "I Woke Up Early the Day I Died"
# 1998 "The Next Tenant"
# 1996 "The Whispering"
# 1995 "Dominion"
# 1995 "VH1's 8-Track Flashback" (TV)
# 1990 "The Spirit of '76 "
# 1989 "The Banker"
# 1988 "Party Line"
# 1987 "Cheerleader Camp" ("released in the UK as "Bloody Pom-Poms")
# 1987 "Delta Fever"
# 1986 "The Road to Freedom: L. Ron Hubbard and Friends" (V)
# 1985 "Thunder Alley"
# 1985 "Shaker Run"
# 1983 "The Outsiders"
# 1981 "Longshot"
# 1980 "God's Gun"
# 1978 "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
# 1978 "Skateboard"
# 1977 "'Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion" (TV)
# 1977 "Final Chapter: Walking Tall"
# 1977 "Kid Vengeance"
# 1976 "Flood!" (TV)
# 1976 "Diamante Lobo"
# 1975 "Walking Tall Part II"
# 1975 "Three for the Road" (TV)
# 1975 "The Last Survivors" (TV)
# 1974 "Strange Homecoming" (TV)
# 1974 "Macon County Line"
# 1974 "Devil Times Five"
# 1973 "Walking Tall"
# 1971 "Black Noon" (TV)

References

External links

* [http://www.leifgarrett.net/ Official website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/leifgarrett Leif Garrett's official MySpace page]
* [http://www.leifgarrettfans.com Official Fansite]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0308161/ The Internet Movie Database on Leif Garrett]
* [http://hometown.aol.com/tb0813/LeifGarrett.html Fansite]
* [http://www.libertynjustice.net/gettoknow_leif.php A 2005 interview] from the Liberty n' Justice website
* [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/lgarrettmug1.html 2006 mug shot] from The Smoking Gun after his arrest for heroin possession