Joseph Maher | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 29, 1933 Westport, County Mayo, Irish Free State |
| Died | July 17, 1998 (aged 64) |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1958−1998 |
Joseph Sylvester Maher (pronounced Ma-her or Ma-HARR,[1][2] December 29, 1933 – July 17, 1998) was an Irish-born American character actor, playwright and director, best known for his roles in motion pictures, television and the theater. He was nominated for three Tony Awards, won a Drama Desk Award and Obie Award, and was a nominee of the Olivier Award for his supporting roles on the stage. He was also known for appearing in plays by Joe Orton.
Early life[]
Maher was one of ten children born to Delia A. (née O'Malley) and Joseph Maher, a schoolteacher, in Westport, County Mayo, Irish Free State. He was educated by the Irish Christian Brothers and emigrated to Canada in 1956 where he worked for an oil company before becoming interested in theatre. He worked for three years with the Canadian Players before making his New York stage debut in Brendan Behan's The Hostage.[3]
Stage[]
Maher's Broadway theatre credits include The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, King Henry V, The Royal Family, Night and Day, and Loot.
Film[]
Maher's film credits include For Pete's Sake, Heaven Can Wait, Time After Time, Just Tell Me What You Want, I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can, The Evil That Men Do, Frankenweenie, My Stepmother is an Alien, Sister Act, Funny Farm, I.Q., In & Out, The Shadow, Mars Attacks! and The Out-of-Towners.
Television[]
Maher's appearances on television included roles in the soap operas Guiding Light and Another World. He also guest-starred in several other TV series including M*A*S*H, Wonder Woman, When Things Were Rotten, Ellery Queen, St. Elsewhere, ALF, Gimme a Break!, Moonlighting, Thirtysomething, Murder, She Wrote, Seinfeld, Tales from the Crypt and Chicago Hope.
Death[]
Maher died of a brain tumor at his home in Los Angeles, California, on July 17, 1998. Maher's interment was in his hometown of Westport, County Mayo, Ireland.
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Passages from James Joyce's Finnegans Wake | Celebrant | |
| 1972 | It Ain't Easy | Charlie | |
| 1974 | For Pete's Sake | Mr. Coates | |
| 1976 | Diary of the Dead | Walter Johnson | |
| 1978 | Heaven Can Wait | Sisk | |
| 1979 | Time After Time | Adams | |
| 1980 | Just Tell Me What You Want | Dr. Coleson | |
| 1980 | Those Lips, Those Eyes | Fibby Geyer | |
| 1981 | Going Ape! | Gridley | |
| 1981 | Under the Rainbow | The Duke | |
| 1982 | I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can | Doctor Kalman | |
| 1984 | The Evil That Men Do | Molloch | |
| 1984 | Frankenweenie | Mr. Chambers | Short |
| 1988 | Funny Farm | Michael Sinclair | |
| 1988 | My Stepmother is an Alien | Lucas Budlong | |
| 1990 | The Local Stigmatic | David | |
| 1992 | Sister Act | Bishop O'Hara | |
| 1994 | Killer | Dr. Alstricht | |
| 1994 | The Shadow | Isaac Newboldt | |
| 1994 | I.Q. | Nathan Liebknecht | |
| 1996 | Surviving Picasso | Kahnweiler | |
| 1996 | Mars Attacks! | White House Decorator | |
| 1997 | In & Out | Father Tim | |
| 1998 | OK Garage | Lilly | |
| 1998 | Hoods | Dr. Alstrich | |
| 1999 | The Out-of-Towners | Mr. Wellstone | (final film role) |
References[]
- ↑ "Joseph Maher Biography (1933-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Joseph Maher, Versatile Character Actor, Is Dead at 64 - The New York Times". Nytimes.com. July 21, 1998. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Joseph Maher profile, FilmReference.com; accessed June 11, 2017.
External links[]
- Joseph Maher at the Internet Movie Database
- Joseph Maher at the Internet Broadway Database
- Joseph Maher at the Internet Off-Broadway DatabaseLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 21: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Joseph Maher papers, 1960-1998, held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
- Joseph Maher at Find a Grave