Actor, writer, and comedian Joe Flaherty, renowned for his performances on the Canadian sketch comedy series “Second City Television” and “Freaks and Geeks,” passed away on Monday at the age of 82. Flaherty’s daughter, Gudrun, confirmed the news to Variety in a statement released through the Comedic Artists Alliance, which had previously raised funds for Flaherty to secure a 24-hour care provider.
“After a brief illness, he departed from us yesterday, and since then, I’ve been grappling with the enormity of this loss,” Flaherty stated. “”My father was an extraordinary person, known for his endless compassion and steadfast passion for movies from the 1940s and 1950s. His profound understanding of the golden age of cinema not only shaped his professional career but also served as an endless source of fascination for me.
In these final months, as he confronted his health challenges, we cherished the precious opportunity to watch many of those classic movies together — moments that I will forever treasure.”
Flaherty played a significant role as a writer and performer on “SCTV,” alongside John Candy, Catherine O’Hara, and Martin Short. The Canadian show, airing from 1976 to 1984, showcased a variety of sketches presented as programming on the fictional TV station/network of Melonville.
Renowned for his celebrity impressions on “SCTV,” Flaherty portrayed characters such as Kirk Douglas, Richard Nixon, Art Garfunkel, Gregory Peck, and Alan Alda. Moreover, he brought to life original personas such as SCTV president Guy Caballero, Big Jim McBob, and Count Floyd.. The show garnered nine Primetime Emmy Award nominations for outstanding writing in a variety or music program, winning two.
Born on June 21, 1941, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Flaherty began his career performing at The Second City in Chicago, where he wrote and acted in several Mainstage revuesHe took center stage in productions such as “The Next Generation,” “Justice is Done or Oh, Cal Coolidge,” and “Cooler Near the Lake,” sharing the screen with Brian Doyle-Murray and Harold Ramis. Flaherty also worked alongside John Belushi in productions such as “Cum Grano Salis,” “No, No, Wilmette,” and “43rd Parallel or Mr. McCabre and Ms. Miller.”
Following this, he featured on the “National Lampoon Radio Hour” alongside Belushi, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Chevy Chase, Doyle-Murray, and Ramis.. After seven years in Chicago, Flaherty moved to Toronto, where he played a pivotal role in establishing Second City Toronto and contributed to “SCTV.”