Garrett's birth name is Leif Per Nervik. He was born on November 8, 1961 in Hollywood, CA. Garret broke into acting at a young age and had an uncredited role in the 1969 swingers film, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. He also had minor non-recurring roles on several TV shows during the early 1970s, such as Nanny and the Professor, Family Affair, Arnie, and Gunsmoke. Garrett had a role as the son of the star character Mike Prusser in the Walking Tall and its sequels in the mid-1970s. 
Garrett and his sister Dawn Lyn co-starred in the 1974 horror film, Devil Times Five (a.k.a. "Peopletoys"), as juvenile mental patients who go on a murder spree. Garrett also had a recurring role as Leonard Unger, the son of Tony Randall's Felix Unger character on the hit TV show, The Odd Couple, after replacing Willie Aames.
During the fall of 1976, Garrett signed a recording contract and recorded his first album, entitled Leif Garrett. The album was released in 1977 and included a cover version of "Runaround Sue" which reached #13 on the US Hot 100. Garrett signed a new contract with Scotti Brothers Records in 1978 and recorded his second album, "Feel the Need." Garrett's second album included his most popular song, "I Was Made For Dancin'," which reached #10 on the US Hot 100. Garrett released three additional albums between 1979 and 1981 but was unable to duplicate the success achieved by his second album.
Garrett was apparently a heartthrob in the late 1970s. Young girls overlooked his shaggy physical appearance and were instead enamored by his fame. Garrett appears to have been one of the first androgynous child stars, as shown in the pictures below. For some unexplained reason, he looks feminine and is standing like a girl in the picture on the left below. In the picture on the right, his lips almost appear glossy as though he were wearing lipstick. 
Garrett must have appealed to the pedophile community. This picture on the left below is reminiscent of a seductive Playboy photo of a woman barely hiding her breasts behind an open shirt! In the picture on the right, Garrett appears to be playing a nice game of "pocket pool" while dressed in his "Saturday Night Fever" outfit - I wonder if he won his game?
Although Garret should have felt like he was on top of the world in the late 1970s, he apparently thought that something was missing from his life and turned to drugs to fill the void. In 1979 Garrett was in a serious car accident while drunk and all hopped up on Quaaludes. Garrett's passenger and best friend, Roland Winkler, was seriously injured in the crash and was rendered a paraplegic. Garrett apparently felt so guilty about hurting his friend that he publicly promised to look after Winkler. Notwithstanding Garrett's promises, Winkler's mother filed a $25 million negligence lawsuit against him. Garrett claimed that he did not have the money, although the suit was reportedly settled for $7.1 million. 
Garrett reunited with Winkler during an episode of VH1's Behind the Music in 1999. During the episode he claimed that he had not used drugs since a 1996 intervention. However, Garrett quickly relapsed and was arrested for possession only months after the episode aired. Garrett was arrested again in March 2005 and pled guilty to possession of cocaine. Garrett was given probation, which he later violated, resulting in a judge issuing a warrant for his arrest in December 2005.
Garrett's legal troubles have continued over the years. On January 14, 2006, Garrett was arrested on a Metro Red Line subway platform in downtown Los Angeles, California, for allegedly not having a ticket. During a search of his person, police discovered Heroin and Quaaludes in his possession. After his arrest, he was was held in jail without bail before being sentenced to a live-in drug rehabilitation program. Garrett quit the program and was consequently sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years' probation on May 11, 2006.
Garrett was arrested on February 2, 2010 for possession of narcotics when police observed him "shaking and sweating" on a train platform. Police prompted questioned Garrett, who eventually admitted that he had Black Tar Heroin in his shoe. Garrett was charged with a felony count of heroin possession.
Garrett has had some success since the peak of his career in the late 1970s, although his successes are few and far in between. He did have a small role in the 1983 cult classic, The Outsiders. He has also released a few albums during the late 1990s, although none were very successful. In 2003 he appeared as himself along with other washed-up celebrities including Dustin Diamond, Barry Williams, Corey Feldman, and Danny Bonaduce in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star. In September 2006, Garrett appeared on the Celebrity edition of Fear Factor. He won the grand prize of US$50,000. More recently, Garrett has appeared on TruTV's The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest, a show featuring commentary from celebrities who have legal problems.
In February 2010, Ian Halperin, an apparently well-known Hollywood gossip reporter and former New York Times bestselling author, appeared on the Opie & Anthony radio show and claimed that Leif Garrett was a male prostitute. Halperin stated that a Hollywood madam informed him that wealthy older women in their late-40s and 50s were paying up to $5,000 a session to sleep with Garrett, who is dead-broke and needs the money. Some of the clients supposedly were upset that Garrett only had enough stamina for one round and complained that a "big Mack truck refuels quicker [than Garrett]." (It has also been reported that some of his clients were men.)
Leif Garrett was a big child star in the late 1970s. He was rich and famous both for his acting and music. However, instead of basking in his success, Garrett's addictive personality led him to drugs, which have apparently ruled his life much of the past 30 years. Garrett's drug addictions have drained his bank accounts, allegedly forcing him to turn tricks as a male prostitute in order to make enough money to support his drug addictions! For his and the other reasons discussed above, Leif Garrett is one washed-up celebrity!