---
name: "John McGiver"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/john-mcgiver"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "5 November 1913"
died: "9 September 1975"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-20T05:14:43.177686+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# John McGiver

Actor. Born 5 November 1913 in New York City, New York, USA. Died 9 September 1975.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 5 November 1913, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 9 September 1975
- **Also known as:** John Irwin McGiver
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McGiver, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q327542, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0569410/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1943

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Midnight Cowboy*](https://film.one/film/midnight-cowboy.md) (85)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

John Irwin McGiver was an American character actor who appeared in more than a hundred television and film roles between 1955 and 1975. He was born in New York City on 5 November 1913 and died there on 9 September 1975.

Before becoming a full-time actor, McGiver earned a B.A. in English from Fordham University and master's degrees from Columbia University and the Catholic University of America. He taught English and speech at a Bronx high school and served as an officer in the U.S. Army's 7th Armored Division during the Second World War. He began acting professionally in the mid-1950s after earlier work with New York's Irish Repertory Theater.

McGiver was frequently cast in comic or bureaucratic roles, often as pompous or aristocratic types. He is known for performances as the Tiffany's salesman in *Breakfast at Tiffany's* (1961), Senator Thomas Jordan in *The Manchurian Candidate* (1962), and Mr. O'Daniel in *Midnight Cowboy* (1969). He also appeared regularly on television series including *The Twilight Zone*, *Bewitched*, *I Dream of Jeannie* and *Alfred Hitchcock Presents*, as well as in commercials.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Midnight Cowboy* (1969), Fi1m 85, as Mr. O'Daniel — [page](https://film.one/film/midnight-cowboy.md)

## Complete filmography (59)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Tom Sawyer* (1976), as Judge Thatcher
- *The Apple Dumpling Gang* (1975), as Leonard Sharpe
- *'Twas the Night Before Christmas* (1974), as Mayor (voice)
- *Mame* (1974), as Mr. Babcock
- *Arnold* (1973), as Governor
- *The Great Man's Whiskers* (1972), as Andrew Hogan
- *Harvey* (1972), as Dr. William R. Chumley
- *The Jimmy Stewart Show* (1971), series, as Luther Quince
- *Lawman* (1971), as Sabbath Mayor Sam Bolden
- *Who Killed the Mysterious Mr. Foster?* (1971), as Judge Hathaway
- *The Feminist and the Fuzz* (1971), as Warren Sorensen
- *Alias Smith and Jones* (1971), series, Actor
- *The Littlest Angel* (1969), as Angel of the Peace
- *Mirror, Mirror Off the Wall* (1969), as Brock
- *Love, American Style* (1969), series, as Tom
- *Midnight Cowboy* (1969), as Mr. O'Daniel — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/midnight-cowboy.md)
- *Fitzwilly* (1967), as Albert
- *The Spirit Is Willing* (1967), as Uncle George
- *Mr. Terrific* (1967), series, as B. J. Reed
- *The Glass Bottom Boat* (1966), as Ralph Goodwin
- *Made in Paris* (1966), as Roger Barclay
- *Marriage on the Rocks* (1965), as Shad Nathan
- *I Dream of Jeannie* (1965), series, as Wilfred
- *Honey West* (1965), series, as Mr. Brillig
- *Gilligan's Island* (1964), series, Actor
- *The Man from U.N.C.L.E.* (1964), series, as Mr. Mozart
- *Many Happy Returns* (1964), series, Actor
- *Bewitched* (1964), series, Actor
- *The Rogues* (1964), series, as Horatio T. White
- *Man's Favorite Sport?* (1964), as William Cadwalader
- *A Global Affair* (1964), as Mr. Snifter
- *Who's Minding the Store?* (1963), as John P. Tuttle
- *Take Her, She's Mine* (1963), as Hector G. Ivor
- *Johnny Cool* (1963), as Oscar B. 'Oby' Hinds
- *The Patty Duke Show* (1963), series, Actor
- *The Fugitive* (1963), series, as Jake Devlin — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-fugitive-1963.md)
- *My Six Loves* (1963), as Judge Harris
- *Who's Got the Action?* (1962), as Judge Fogel
- *Period of Adjustment* (1962), as Stewart P. McGill
- *The Manchurian Candidate* (1962), as Sen. Thomas Jordan
- *Big Deal in Laredo* (1962), as C.P. Ballinger
- *The Lucy Show* (1962), series, as Mr. Irwin, Judge
- *The Beverly Hillbillies* (1962), series, as Justin Addison
- *Ensign O'Toole* (1962), series, as Arthur Ainsley
- *Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation* (1962), as Martin Turner
- *Bachelor in Paradise* (1961), as Austin Palfrey
- *Breakfast at Tiffany's* (1961), as Tiffany's Salesman
- *Love in a Goldfish Bowl* (1961), as Dr. Frawley
- *The Barbara Stanwyck Show* (1960), series, as Collins
- *The Gazebo* (1959), as Sam Thorpe
- *The Twilight Zone* (1959), series, as Shannon, Roswell G. Flemington — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-twilight-zone.md)
- *Once Upon a Horse...* (1958), as Mr. Tharp
- *I Married a Woman* (1958), as Girard
- *Love in the Afternoon* (1957), as Monsieur X
- *The Man in the Raincoat* (1957), as O'Brien
- *The Stingiest Man in Town* (1956), as Two Gentlemen
- *Playwrights '56* (1955), series, Actor
- *Alfred Hitchcock Presents* (1955), series, as Harold George Goames, Arthur Motherwell
- *The United States Steel Hour* (1953), series, Actor

## Gallery

- ![John McGiver](https://film.one/media/person/1243606/gallery-45e61509c349.jpg) John McGiver — CBS Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/John_McGiver_Many_Happy_Returns_1964.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![John McGiver](https://film.one/media/person/1243606/gallery-dac3225bce01.jpg) John McGiver — Image via TMDB

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/john-mcgiver