What Happened To David Garrison From Married... With Children?
Before playing the beloved Steve Rhoades on "Married... With Children," actor David Garrison had primarily set his sights on theatre and broadway. Among his many roles, Garrison played Bruce Ismay in "Titanic," The Wizard of Oz in "Wicked," and The Police Sergeant in "The Pirates of Penzance" (via Broadway World). In 1980, he was nominated for a Tony award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for "A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine" (via his official site).
That same year, Garrison starred in the TV movie "A Day with Conrad Green (via IMDb), which kickstarted his screen career. However, he was soon starring opposite a young Jason Bateman in the short-lived NBC sitcom "It's Your Move," created by Ron Leavitt and Michael Moye, the creators of "Married... With Children." While "It's Your Move" only ran for a season, Garrison formed a strong connection with Leavitt and Moye, who invited him to shoot the pilot of their new show on Fox. "None of us had any notion that [the show] would become such a hit," Garrison told getTV.
David Garrison starred in Broadway productions of Titanic and Wicked
David Garrison soon became known as Al Bundy's neighbor and best buddy, Steve Rhoades. He continued to be so until he was written out of the fourth season. That's when Garrison decided to leave "Married... With Children," partly because of the long commute from New York to Los Angeles he'd take on the regular and a longing to return to theatre (via getTV). But he didn't say goodbye to the show completely, and he'd return from time to time throughout the rest of the series run.
Once his obligation to Fox was up, Garrison returned to his native New York City and returned to what he loved most — performing on stage. In 1997 he starred in the Broadway production of "Titanic" (via Playbill), followed by "Bells Are Ringing" and "Wicked." But Garrison couldn't stay away from screen work for long and came back to television in 2000 in an episode of "Welcome to New York" (via IMDb).
Garrison wouldn't say no to another regular television role
After numerous episode roles in shows like "Family Law," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," and "That's Life" (via IMDb), Garrison had appeared on three episodes of "The Practice," in addition to four episodes on "The West Wing" and "Law & Order." As for his more recent television ventures, Garrison starred in some pretty big-name shows between 2013 and 2017, including "The Good Wife," "30 Rock," "Madam Secretary," and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."
As for why he hasn't returned to a big commitment like "Married... With Children," Garrison found it easier to hop in and out of shows. "There is much more prime television work in New York now than there was during the years 'Married... With Children' was shooting, so it's easier to pick up guest work, even if you're doing a full schedule," he told getTV. But that's not to say he would say no to a regular role. "If a good permanent role in a New York-based series came along, I'd be happy to pursue it."
For now, though, Garrison has ventured into the realm of directing. He produced an opera performance for the Merola Opera Program in 2020 (via Opera Wire). He had previously said in a masterclass that it was "the next logical progression" for him (via YouTube).