Gary Springer the JAWS 2 star who was babysat by Marilyn Monroe

Hello, Islanders,

You would think having Marilyn Monroe babysit you would be the highlight of anyone’s life.  But if you’re Gary Springer, it’s just another Saturday night.

The son of famed Hollywood publicist John Springer, whose clients included not only Monroe but Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Gary made his film debut opposite Carrol O’Connor and Ernest Borgnine in the comedy Law and Disorder, released in 1974..  Billed as the “F.U. Kid,” he did his best to rile up authority.  

Gary with his JAWS 2 cast members

The next year he appeared opposite Al Pacino in the Oscar nominated Dog Day Afternoon.  He spent the next couple years working in both film (Between the Lines) and television (“Happy Days,” “M*A*S*H”)    He then took a recurring role as Chet Morton,  best friend of the titular “Hardy Boys.”  He left the show when he was cast as everyone’s best friend, Andy Nicholas, in JAWS 2.  

 Request a video message from Gary!

Gary continued to act into the next decade, appearing in both films (Hometown U.S.A. and A Small Circle of Friends) and television, including both Afterschool and Weekend Specials for ABC television.  He also appeared in Shelly Duvall’s popular “Faerie Tale Theatre.”  

It was while filming JAWS 2 that Gary met his late wife, Nancy.  Actually he had met her several months before.  While still in California he found himself at a traffic light.  Next to him was a friend of his with a girl in the car.  Gary told them he was getting ready to head to Martha’s Vineyard to begin filming JAWS 2. He thought nothing abut the exchange until, while eating dinner in a restaurant on the Vineyard, he was approached by a familiar face.  It was Nancy.  She had heard that some of the cast was in the restaurant and had asked producer David Brown if Gary was there.  Their son, Nicholas, overcame a childhood tragedy to become a Gold Medal winner in Wheelchair Rugby at the 2008 Paralympic Games.  He also won a bronze in 2012.  Sadly, Nicholas passed way in April 2021.  

Today Gary heads the successful agency started by his father, handling clients and films all over the world.  

Watch our exclusive JAWS 2 45th anniversary interview with Gary

Words by Michael A Smith. Michael is co-author of Jaws 2: The Making Of The Hollywood Sequel. You can order the book by contacting Michael at OsFanMike@aol.com.

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