[2][3] Garfield was born in Newark, New Jersey, to a Jewish family, the son of Alice (née Lavroff) and Philip Goorwitz.

A 1957 graduate of Weequahic High School,[6] he was a sports reporter and Golden Gloves boxer before becoming an actor.

He attended The Actors Studio in New York City, studying with both Lee Strasberg and Elia Kazan, and worked on stage before acting in film.

Garfield suffered another massive stroke in 2004 and thereafter was a long-term nursing care resident at The Motion Picture Home.

Garfield died of complications related to COVID-19 and his previous strokes at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital on April 7, 2020, at age 80.