Jamie Farr, a.k.a the cross-dressing Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger in “MAS*H,” and his wife, Joy, are marking an incredible 60 years of marriage!

Jamie Farr, a.k.a the cross-dressing Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger in “MAS*H,” and his wife, Joy, are marking an incredible 60 years of marriage!

Hollywood actor Jamie Farr married his wife, Jo Ann Richards, almost 60 years ago, but when he proposed to her, it was without a ring.

Farr did not propose to his woman with a ring, not because he was not chivalrous enough, but because he had no money to purchase a ring. Thankfully, their union did last a lifetime and more.

JAMIE FARR WAS A STRUGGLING ACTOR

At the beginning of his career, Farr was at his lowest lows because he was not getting acting gigs. He got so desperate that he was readily available to take meager sums for gigs.

Farr did not think of luxury; he just wanted to put some food in his fridge while getting by each day with his then-lover Jo Ann Richards. The actor once shared that he got so desperate for employment that he did something out of character.

Farr went to now-late Danby Thomas’ studio and stuck his head out until he was noticed. Luckily for him, Thomas’s crew was busy with a new show, “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” and Farr could secure a part.

Jamie Farr attends the 4th annual Roger Neal Oscar Viewing Dinner Icon Awards and after party at Hollywood Palladium on February 24, 2019. | Photo: Getty Images

At that point, he thought his career was beginning to take a better turn. He introduced Richards to Van Dyke, and it turned out that the two grew up in the same small town.

Farr appeared in “The Dick Van Dyke Show” for four episodes before being removed. The gig did not last long because another actor seemed to know more influential people.

FARR GOT A MIRACLE

After he lost the part on Van Dyke’s TV show, Farr was back to the bottom again, trying all he could to secure another gig called “The Greatest Story Ever Told.”. After a while, he finally got a reply, but the moviemakers wanted a serious actor, and Farr did more comedy.

After he convinced them that he could take a serious role, Farr did not hear from the filmmakers because they were busy choosing the actors. Farr shared in a long time interview that he had a miraculous encounter during the waiting period.

He would often drive Richards to work every day, and Farr recalled that he once told her he would pray to St. Jude so he could get the movie gig. So from then on, he stopped at a catholic church close to Richards’ workplace.

He would light a candle, throw in a quarter and pray to St. Jude. This went on for a while, and one day he finally got the call he was waiting for. However, it was a rather disappointing one.

Jamie Farr and wife Joy Ann Richards attend Creative Arts in Television Awards on September 8, 1979 | Photo: Getty Images