Garry Kief: Everything About Barry Manilow’s Spouse

Garry Kief is a TV executive, manager, and companion of Barry Manilow born Barry Alan Pincus. Garry’s partner Barry Manilow is an American singer and songwriter who has a career that spans more than five decades. He is known for hit recordings including “I Write the Songs,” “Looks Like We Made It,” and “Mandy”. He is also a philanthropist.

Garry Kief: Bio Summary

How Old Is Garry Kief?

Gary Charles Kief also known as Garry Clayton Kief was born on August 31, 1948, in Houston, Texas, USA. He will be 76 years old after celebrating his birthday in 2024, on the 31st of August. His parents, siblings, and other relatives’ details are not available. There isn’t much information about his life as a child. He studied at the University of Southern California.

Garry Kief serves on the board of directors of Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, Sigma Phi Epsilon, McCallum Theatre, and Palm Springs International Film Festival. He is a TV executive and producer. He served as the executive producer of the TV Special, Barry Manilow: Big Fun on Swing Street and Live by Request: Barry Manilow. He produced Manilow Live!

Garry executive produced Ultimate Manilow!, One Night with Barry Manilow, Manilow: Music and Passion, and First & Farewell: Barry Manilow. He was an executive producer for the TV Series, Jacob & Joshua: Nemesis Rising. His other works as an executive producer include Barry Manilow: The First Television Specials, and Barry Manilow: Songs from the Seventies.

Garry Kief is also known for his work as an executive producer of Family Armor, Matt Dusk: Live from Las Vegas, Extreme Christmas Trees, Ultimate Treehouses, Treehouse Masters, and Barry Manilow’s A Very Barry Christmas. He worked as a camera operator in two episodes of Family Feud. He is the longtime manager of singer and songwriter Barry Manilow.

Garry Kief is the President of Barry Manilow Productions. He also has several celebrity clients. He serves as the president and CEO of Stiletto Entertainment. He is the trustee of the Judy Garland Heirs Trust.

How Did Garry Kief And Barry Manilow Meet?

Garry Kief and Barry Manilow met in the year 1978. Barry instantly fell in love with Garry. “I knew that this was it,” Barry said. “I was one of the lucky ones. I was pretty lonely before that … Garry didn’t know what I did, even though I had all these records out. He was a guy, and I was a guy, so we could just deal with each other like two normal people, not like a superstar and a person.”

ALSO, READ: Susan Deixler: Inside The Life Of Barry Manilow’s Ex-wife

Garry Kief and Barry Manilow kept their relationship very private. Barry didn’t want their relationship to be in the spotlight and he didn’t publicly come out as gay until 2017. “I’m so private,” Barry said. “I always have been.” Garry and Barry decided to get married after dating for several years. The longtime partners got married in the year 2014, in a private ceremony.

Their wedding took place at their Palm Springs, California, home. Invited to their wedding were “20 to 30 guests” who believed they were meeting the couple to have lunch. Speaking of the wedding Barry Manilow said: “I didn’t think it was going to be that emotional. It was deeper than we thought it was going to be, looking at each other, saying, ‘I love you’ in front of people.”

Garry Kief and Barry Manilow are not only involved with each other romantically but professionally as well (Garry is Barry’s manager). “He’s the smartest guy I’ve ever met in my life — and a great guy, too” Barry revealed. According to Garry and Barry’s friend Suzanne Somers: “There’s Barry Manilow the performer, and then there’s the Barry ‘machine”.

“It takes enormous savvy and know-how to book and market complicated arena tours, choreograph promotion, direct the entire team and make it look effortless, and that part is Garry’s domain. A major career takes two. Between them, there is enormous comfort and trust.” Garry has been credited for keeping Barry out of trouble at the height of his career.

During an appearance on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? Barry said: “Garry saved my life. As my career exploded, it was just crazy. And, you know, going back to an empty hotel room, you can get into a lot of trouble if you’re alone night after night after night. But I met Garry right around when it was exploding. And I didn’t have to go back to those empty hotel rooms. I had somebody to cry with or to celebrate with.”

“I wish that young people, that they don’t have to go back to those hotel rooms by themselves because you get yourself in trouble. I never did. But it was pretty lonely until I met Garry. And then it was fun.” Before Barry came out as gay and before he married Garry, he was married to a woman. He married his high-school sweetheart, Susan Deixler. They married in 1964.

Barry Manilow’s marriage to Susan didn’t last long. Barry revealed that he was in love with Susan but “was not ready for marriage.” He made it known that their marriage didn’t fail because he was gay. Susan had the marriage annulled in 1966. “We had a very nice marriage, it was great, but I was away every night making music as a young musician would be and it just, it wasn’t good for me and it wasn’t good for her,” Barry said.

ALSO, READ: Edna Manilow: Who Was Barry Manilow’s Mother?

“I couldn’t be the proper husband. I was just away making music with a band. I wrote an off-Broadway musical called the Drunkard. And I was having a ball. I just couldn’t be a husband.” Meanwhile, Garry Kief has a daughter called Kirsten Kief from a previous marriage to a woman. Barry said: “Garry had a daughter when we met and she was only one-year-old, and we raised her. She turned out to be a great, beautiful girl, just like you turned out to be a successful guy.”

“Our relationship and my being gay – I’ve always been a proud gay man. I’ve always been very proud of Garry and I. Nothing really changed.”