Jack McFarland
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| John Philip "Jack" McFarland | |
|---|---|
 Sean Hayes as Jack McFarland The image above is believed to be a replaceable fair use image. It will be deleted on 2007-03-29 if not determined to be irreplaceable. If you believe this image is not replaceable, follow the instructions on the image page to dispute this assertion. |
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| First appearance | "Pilot; Love and Marriage" |
| Last appearance | "Finale" |
| Cause/Reason | Series End |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Jackie; Poodle; Just Jack |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 29 at series beginning |
| Year of birth | 1969 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Relationships | Rosario Salazar (immigration reasons; divorced) |
| Children | Elliot |
| Episode count | All of series |
| Portrayed by | Sean Hayes |
| Created by | Max Mutchnick |
John Philip "Jack" McFarland was a fictional character on the American television sitcom Will & Grace, played by Sean Hayes.
[edit] Character personality
A "camp" gay man, Jack has always had a passion for acting and the theatre, although many people doubt his abilities in this area. Very whimsical, he changes careers rapidly from Banana Republic and Barneys New York salesman to acting teacher to student nurse (which may be a nod to Scrubs, which Sean also guest-starred in) to surfer to back-up dancer for Jennifer Lopez and Janet Jackson. Although he considers all his relationships serious, only one lasted longer than a few weeks (with Stuart, a client of Will's played by Dave Foley), and even that one ended with Jack's cheating.
Jack is unashamedly vain and self-absorbed, with an adoration of all gay icons, particularly Cher, of whom he has a rare doll. (He met her once, although he mistook her for a drag queen and declared, "You're not that great, Mr. Sister. I do a better Cher than you." It was only when she slapped him and exclaimed "Snap out of it!" that he realized and promptly fainted.) He also collects clippings of celebrities' hair, including a complete collection from the four main actresses on The Golden Girls, as well as Bernadette Peters and — as of season seven — Patti LuPone. He is also decidedly hyperactive and air-headed, causing Will to once refer to him as "Jumping Ferret Jack," and another time thinking that he had set Will and himself up on dates with twins, but soon realizing it was just one guy taking his glasses on and off.
[edit] Character history
Jack was raised by his mother Judith (Veronica Cartwright) and stepfather Daniel (Beau Bridges). His mother did not know he was gay ("How could she not know? What is she, headless?" Karen demanded), and his stepfather was not close to him. He claims to have come out as early as preschool. While he was in high school, Jack befriended college student Will Truman (Eric McCormack) and helped Will realize his own homosexuality. They have been best friends ever since.
When the series begins, Jack's home is unknown but he is living with Will while his floors are re-done. At the start of season three however, Karen refers to him as having been living 'above a blinking light in Times Square'. At the end of season one, Jack agrees to marry Karen's maid Rosario (Shelley Morrison) in order to secure her green card. Jack lives with Karen for the entirety of season two but after a year together, the marriage is annulled when Rosario wants to date Karen's gardener. Therefore at the end of season two, Jack is homeless and moving in with Will, but when Will takes in his other best friend Grace Adler (Debra Messing)after an attempted burglary at her apartment, Jack agrees to sublet Grace's apartment — although Will, Karen, and his mother pay the rent. (In "Moveable Feast Part 1," it emerged that each of the three pays one half of the cost, meaning that Jack is actually collecting one and a half times the actual amount of his rent.)
Since the first season, Jack has established a close bond with alcoholic socialite Karen Walker (Megan Mullally), who chooses to work merely as a source of distraction.
In season three, Jack undertakes a search for his real father, which ends when he discovers that his father died. Jack does, however, meet Elliot (Michael Angarano), his own biological son, whom he fathered by depositing at a sperm bank as a teenager so that he could buy a coat. He later discovers that the boy's mother Bonnie (Rosie O'Donnell) is a lesbian; she was a nurse at the sperm bank who stole Jack's deposit and was inseminated with it.
Jack's most consistent vocation results from his taking over the class of his acting teacher Zandra (Eileen Brennan) after she is fed up with his lack of talent. After taking everyone's money and leaving, another student(played by Stacy Keach) takes over the class and begins teaching the "McFarland method" ("acting is attracting") without Jack's knowledge. He trains to be a student nurse, but ultimately gives it up when, during Karen's fourth wedding, he meets Jennifer Lopez and becomes her back-up dancer (and, for a short time, Janet Jackson's back-up dancer), a career that fizzles as well.
In the seventh season, Jack embarks on a proper career as a producer on OutTV, a new gay television network. By season's end, his profile rises to the point that he is given a talk show of his own to host.
In season eight, Jack loses his job at the network after he speaks out against the new right-wing ownership of the show, which has given him a supposedly conservative cohost named Amber Louise (played by Britney Spears) who is actually a drug-taking, leather loving, lesbian Shortly after this, he auditions for a role on a television show and - going against his natural over-dramatic acting style - he ends up getting the lead role of Chuck Rafferty, a straight alcoholic cop.
In the show's series finale, Jack had a brief and unwanted relationship with Karen's friend/rival Beverly Leslie, who left Jack as his sole heir in the case of his death. Beverly Leslie soon died when he was lifted off his penthouse balcony on a gust of wind, and Jack was left with millions of dollars. He is then shown to have lived with Karen (who had lost her money when she found out everything Stan owned was borrowed) and Rosario in his own mansion for the rest of his life after the show ended.
[edit] Relationships
Jack's longest relationship is with Stuart Lamarack (Dave Foley), which lasts several months during the sixth season, until Jack cheats on Stuart.
Jack is also the owner, or former owner, of a dog (Klaus Von Puppy) and a parrot (Guapo). Since the start of season three until he moves into Karen's mansion at some point after the eighth season, Jack lives across the hall from Will and Grace, and in his spare time he operates a one-table café, Jacques, in the hallway outside his front door.
| Will Truman | Grace Adler | Jack McFarland | Karen Walker | Rosario Salazar | Supporting Characters
Episodes | Awards | Guest Stars | DVDs |
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