Jamie grew up in the town of Toledo, Ohio. His parents, Samuel and Jamelia Farah, had little, with Samuel working as a grocer and Jamelia being a seamstress. After performing in a local acting contest, he decided to pursue an acting career. While attending Woodward High School, Farr starred in several school productions. After high school, instead of going to college, he joined the military. While in the military, he fought in several different countries, including both Korea and Japan. When he retired from the military, Farr continued to pursue his acting career. Several years after retiring from the army, Farr married Joy Ann Richards on February 16, 1963. Nearly ten years later, Farr's acting career skyrocketed as he began performing as Corporal Maxwell Klinger on M*A*S*H. Since then, Farr and Joy Ann have had two children, Jonas and Yvonne Farr, and Jamie has even wrote a book on his experiences on M*A*S*H, entitled Just Farr Fun. Farr has now retired from show business, and he now hold's a woman's golf tournament once every year. Because of his contributions to Hollywood, Farr received his very own "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1985, several years after the season finale of M*A*S*H.