Joseph Maher

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.

Joseph Maher
Born	(1933-12-29)December 29, 1933 Westport, County Mayo, Irish Free State
Died	July 17, 1998(1998-07-17) (aged 64) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Character actor (stage, film and television) playwright director (theatre)
Years active	1958−1998

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	O.K. Garage	Lilly
1998	Hoods	Dr. Alstrich
1999	The Out-of-Towners	Mr. Wellstone	(final film role)

References

1. "Joseph Maher Biography (1933-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
2. "Joseph Maher, Versatile Character Actor, Is Dead at 64 - The New York Times". Nytimes.com. July 21, 1998. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
3. Joseph Maher profile, FilmReference.com; accessed June 11, 2017.

External links

• Joseph Maher on IMDb
• Joseph Maher at the Internet Broadway Database
• Joseph Maher at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• 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