John McGiver

John McGiver (born John Irwin McGiver, November 5, 1913 – September 9, 1975) was an American character actor whose unmistakable New York elite accent and precise diction made him a go‑to performer for pompous, aristocratic and bureaucratic roles in both film and television. Born in Manhattan to Irish immigrant parents, he attended the Jesuit‑run Regis High School, graduating in 1932, and later earned a B.A. in English from Fordham University in 1938 before obtaining master’s degrees from Columbia University and the Catholic University of America. Before his acting career, McGiver taught English and speech at Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx and directed productions for New York’s Irish Repertory Theater, but his trajectory was interrupted by World War II when he enlisted in 1942 and served as an officer in the 7th Armored Division in Europe. After the war he returned to teaching while taking occasional off‑Broadway roles until 1955, when he became a full‑time actor and began a prolific two‑decade run. He appeared in more than one hundred television episodes and films, with standout performances in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) as a wistful jewelry salesman, The Manchurian Candidate (1962) as the incorruptible Senator Thomas Jordan, and Midnight Cowboy (1969) as the fanatical Mr. O’Daniel. McGiver also became a familiar face in commercials, most notably the early American Express “Do you know me?” campaign, and he guest‑starred on series such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, The Patty Duke Show, and Bewitched. He married Ruth Schmigelsky in 1947; the couple raised ten children, including actor Boris McGiver. John McGiver died of a heart attack at his home in West Fulton, New York, on September 9 1975, and was cremated shortly thereafter.