Leif Garrett is a well-known American personality who became famous for his acting and singing. He is a famous television celebrity who started working as a child actor. Later, in the 1970s, he got fame as a teen idol in music. With his acting skills, he won the attention of the audience worldwide. His career got hyped with the amazing performance in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. He then transformed his career in the music industry and had a very successful career as a singer. His hit song “I Was Made for Dancing” boosted up his music career. He got significant publicity later on due to his drug abuse and legal issues.
Real Name | Leif per Nervik |
Famous as | Leif Garrett |
Well-known for | Singer and Actor |
Read this article to learn about Leif Garrett’s bio, age, height, family, career, relationship, net worth, lifestyle, and more!
Early life of Leif
Leif Garrett was born on November 8, 1961, in Hollywood, California, United States. His father’s name is Rick Nervik, and his mother’s name is Carolyn Stellar. Her mother is an actress. He became mature in the family of showbiz, which enhanced his initial interest in the showbiz industry. At the age of five, he started his acting career. When he was young, his parent got divorced. He initially grew up under the care of his mother.
Leif has one sister named Dawn Lyn. She is also an actress; her hit television show is “My Three Sons”. At an early age, both started acting due to their mother’s work in Hollywood. He passed his graduation from high school at the age of 15. Most of his education occurred through tutors because of his work on films and television.
Date of Birth | November 8, 1961 |
Place of Birth | Hollywood, California, United States |
Ethnicity | Caucasian |
Nationality | American |
Siblings | Dawn Lyn |
Mother | Carolyn Stellar |
Father | Rick Nervik |
Career Life of Lief
Garrett debuts his acting career in his teenage years, with his roles in Television series like The Odd Couple and Gunsmoke, in addition to popular movies like Bob & Carol &Ted & Alice (1969). As he little bit he continued to perform, and in 1970 he was selected to perform an ongoing role in the sitcom “Family”.
Additionally, he performed Leonard Unger in the ABC comedy The Odd Couple, replaced by Willie Aames as Felix Unger’s son (Tony Randall).
From 1975 to 1978
At the end of 1975, Garrett starred as Endy Karras in the CBS drama series Three for the Road which has 12 episodes, alongside Vincent VanPatten and Alex Rocco. Besides that, Arrett worked with Lee Van Cleef in the Spaghetti Westerns God’s Gun and Kid Vengeance, both are actually produced in Israel. Then he featured as the lead role in the Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion movies.
Garrett got a five-album production deal with Atlantic Records at the end of 1976. In the beginning of 1977, he recorded a single” Come Back When You Grow Up”, after that he released his debut album, Leif Garrett. His first four songs had achieved average success on the US Billboard Hot 100. These songs were copies of famous songs that came out of the late 1950s and early 190s, such as “The Wanderer” and “Runaround Sue”.
From 1978 to 1980
In the middle of 1978, he contracted with Scotti Brothers Records and released his second album Feel the Needed. Earlier in 1979, his debut song ” I was made for Dancin” it at the number 10 on the US Hot 100 and placed 4 on the UK Songs charts. Eventually, it became his biggest success in the US and UK. Later, at the beginning of 1980, he completely gave up on music recording and focused on acting for the remaining years of the decade.
Afterwards, when he was in his teenage ages, he stated that the producers were refusing him to allow him the write songs for adult audiences. He performed lead vocals on the single ” The Way to Happiness” and performed background vice on the album’s title track, The Road to Freedom, with L.Ron Hubbard in 1986.
Garrett claims that he began consuming drugs at the age of fourteen. A few days before turning eighteen, on November 3, 1979, he smashed the Porsche 914 that his mother had rented when he was driving to buy more cocaine. He had drunk a highly substance level of alcohol in his blood three times higher than the prevailing legal limit. His license to drive was canceled for one year, and he got jailed after his trial as a young person on the allegation of driving while he was drunk.
From 1980 to 2000
Garrett made a comeback in his acting career in 1980, appearing in a minor role as Bob Sheldon in the Francis Ford Coppola movie The Outsiders. He played the role of mechanic in Shaker Run, and in the Thunder Alley movie, he was the lead singer of a pop band that was destroyed through drugs in 1985. Garrett’s famous movies, Cheerleader Camp and Delta Fever are of that decades.
In 1995, he recorded lyrics for their song ” Smells Like Teen Spirit” on The Crybaby (2000). His best hit collection was The Leif Garrett Collections released in 1998. At the end of the 1990s, Garrett started hosting that 8-Track Flashback series for the music channel VH-1. Garrett was taken into custody by Los Angeles police on June 29, 1999. It was reported that he tried to purchase heroin and, cocaine from hidden police officers. Firstly, he didn’t appear in court, and then the judge ordered an arrest warrant for him.
From 2003 to 2007
Garrett made an appearance in the David Spade film Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star in 2003. He also worked as a songwriter and singer of the “Former Child Star” movie. He was featured in the Popstar movie with Aaron Carter.
Garrett made an appearance on Fear Factor’s celebrity version in September 2006. He won the first position with a $50,000 prize.
Onward from 2007
After that, Garrett participated in Country Music Television (CMT) with nine celebrities in August 2007 and took part in Ty Murray’s Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge. But he dropped after one episode because of discomfort. However, in November 2007, his third album which consisting some new and some old songs was produced by 1990s bands Godspeed and current band F8. Garrett performed in Seoul and Busan when he visited a tour in South Korea in May 2010. However, he went on another international tour in 2013.
However, He was featured as a cast member in Dr. Drew’s fourth season of Celebrity Rehab Program, which explores his battles with heroin addiction. This season was started on December 1, 2010, with 7 episodes. At the beginning of the decades, Garrett started working with songwriter Craig Else and with punk rock musicians. In 2010, Garrett produced two singles that are available on the Internet, “Everything” and “Help You, Make You” in 2012.
Once again, Garrett was arrested for holding drugs on February 1, 2010. Initially, he denied holding any drugs later he confirmed to the police that he had black tar heroin in his shoe. He was arrested for possessing illegal heroin but was released after securing a $10,000 bail. Furthermore, He wrote his autobiography released in 2019 titled Idol Truth
Social Media Accounts
Height, Age, Weight, Net Worth, and Zodiac
As of 2024, Lief is 62 years old, 1.73m tall, and weighs 78kg(172 lbs). His net worth is estimated at $10,000. Lief is Scorpio by Zodiac.
Height | 1.73m tall |
Age | 62 years old |
Weight | 78 kg(172 lbs) |
Net Worth | $10,000 |
Zodiac Sign | Scorpio |
Personal life of Leif
In the 1970s and 1980s, Leif Garrett has been having romantic relationships with many high-profile women during his career. In the late 1970s Lief dated Nicollete Sheridan, an actress who was famous for Desperate Housewives. Also, Lief has a romantic relationship with Kristy McNichol, who is also an actress. His other girlfriend, whom he dated in the late 1970s is actress Tautum O’Neal.
Interesting Fact
- Apart from singing and acting, Lief’s hobbies included enjoying motorcycles and taking part in motorsports in the past.
- Lief’s hair color is Blonde.
- The color of Lief’s eyes is Brown.
- On Facebook, He has 20k followers.
- 2.5k fans follow Lief’s Twitter (X) account.
Highlights
Filmography
Title | Year |
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice | 1969 |
Walking Tall | 1973 |
God’s Gun | 1976 |
Longshot | 1981 |
Shaker Run | 1985 |
Thunder Alley | 1985 |
Thunder Alley | 1985 |
The Banker | 1989 |
The Art of a Bullet | 1999 |
Television Work
Title | year |
Nanny and the Professor | 1970 |
Family Affair | 1971 |
The Old Couple | 1974 |
Three for the Road | 1975 |
Family | 1978 |
Frequently asked question
Q1. Who is Lief Garret?
Leif is a well-known American personality who became famous for his acting and singing.
Q2. Is Lief Garret married?
Lief has many romantic affairs but he is not married.
Q3. What is the height of Lief Garret?
The height of Lief is 1.73 meters.
Q4. What is the nationality of Lief Garret?
The Lief has American nationality.
Q5. What is the age of Lief Garret?
The age of Lief Garret is 62.
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