Remembering the times Stanny upstaged the girls.
Today, Sex and the City fans all over the world were shocked to learn the sad news that Willie Garson had died at the age of 57.
The star, who had been filming the Sex and the City And Just Like That spin-off until recently, is fondly remembered by all of us who enjoyed his flamboyant, catty and heartfelt performance as the glorious Stanford Blatch.
From Carrie’s chronically single, fashion-forward friend (remember the green suit?), to the groom at the most fabulously camp wedding cinema has ever seen, Stanny was simply sensational.
As we reflect on Willie Garson’s legacy, it seems fitting to look back on some of Mr Blatch’s most iconic moments.
Standing up to Carrie
Yes, Carrie was always banging on about how important her friendships were but with hindsight we’ve all realised she was completely self-absorbed. Stanny was never afraid to call her out on her nonsense, and one particular scene from series five is an absolute delight. Stanford has just got together with dreamboat Marcus, but Carrie only wants to talk about Aidan (typical). Not only does he stop Carrie in her tracks for being a bad listener, but he ends up buying Heather Graham a pretzel – classy.
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Caught in the act
You remember the scene: Carrie and Samantha have fallen out after Carrie catches Sam getting frisky with the delivery guy at her office. Then Samantha walks in on Stanford and Marcus getting busy and realises how awkward Carrie must have felt. It’s a brief moment, but the smug look on Stanny’s face is a scene-stealer.
Meeting Anthony for the first time
It was a fix-up that had to happen: Charlotte’s best friend Anthony and Carrie’s best friend Stanford. But the path to true love never did run smooth. The first meeting, in season four (in the episode where Carrie turned her hand to runway modelling) was incredibly awkward. Anthony immediately judged Stanny on how he looked and poor Stanford was jilted on account of “a decorating emergency”. Still he kept his dignity and wasn’t too bruised to throw out a zinger, calling Carrie “fashion roadkill” when she stacked it in her heels.
Becoming prom King
Poor Stanford missed his prom first time round. He said it was because he broke up with his girlfriend, while Anthony said it was because he was gay. Either way, he managed to banish the demons of his school prom when he and Carrie were crowned “Queen and Queen” of a charity prom he helped to organise. And it even led him back to boyfriend Marcus, awww…
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Stanford and Anthony’s wedding – with Liza Minnelli!
OK, we know the SATC films aren’t strictly canon, but the second movie did give us the incredible wedding of Stanford and Anthony. It had everything – swans, Liza Minnelli singing Beyonce’s Single Ladies and even some soppy tears from Anthony. But it was Stanny’s beaming smile that stole the show – he had been saving up for his wedding since he was 19, and the stunning event was definitely worth the wait.
To find out what’s on TV tonight, check out our TV Guide.