Michael Jay Tarses (born July 3, 1939) is an American screenwriter, producer and actor. He created and produced '' The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd'' and ''

The Slap Maxwell Story ''The Slap Maxwell Story'' (sometimes seen in print as ''The "Slap" Maxwell Story'') is an American sitcom broadcast by American Broadcasting Company, ABC as part of its 1987-88 United States network television schedule, 1987–88 lineup. It sta ...

'', co-created ''Buffalo Bill'' (with

Tom Patchett Tom Patchett is an American film director, screenwriter, actor and producer who is best known as the co-creator of ''ALF (TV series), ALF''. He co-wrote the films ''Up the Academy'', ''The Great Muppet Caper'', ''The Muppets Take Manhattan'', and ...

), and was an executive producer for '' The Bob Newhart Show''. Tarses was born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

. He graduated from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

in 1961. He was co-creator and co-writer (with Andy Hamilton) of

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

situation comedy A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

'' Revolting People'', which was set in colonial-era Baltimore; he played the role of sour shopkeeper Samuel Oliphant to Hamilton's cheerfully corrupt British soldier Sergeant McGurk. His most notable acting role was as Coach Bobby Finstock in the 1980s teen comedy '' Teen Wolf'' (1985). He also co-starred with

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. Known primarily for his energetic slapstick performances, he has received two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for BAFTA Awards and ...

on the sitcom '' The Duck Factory'' in 1984. In 1990, he received an exclusive deal with NBC.

Personal life

Tarses and his wife, Rachel, have three children: TV executive Jamie Tarses (1964-2021); TV writer Matt Tarses; and teacher and writer Mallory Tarses. An emergency exit at MassMoCA is named in honor of Tarses and his wife.

Selected filmography

*'' The Bob Newhart Show'' (1972–1976, TV) *''

The Carol Burnett Show ''The Carol Burnett Show'' is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Harv ...

'' (1972–1978, TV) *'' The Tony Randall Show'' (1976–1978, TV, Co-creator, with

) *'' We've Got Each Other'' (1977–1978, TV) *'' Mary'' (1978, TV) *'' Up the Academy'' (1980, feature film, with

) *'' The Great Muppet Caper'' (1981, feature film, with

, Jerry Juhl and Jack Rose) *'' Open All Night'' (1981–1982, TV, Creator) *'' Buffalo Bill'' (1983–1984, TV, Co-creator, with

) *'' The Muppets Take Manhattan'' (1984, feature film with

and

Frank Oz Frank Richard Oznowicz (born May 25, 1944), known professionally as Frank Oz, is an American puppeteer, filmmaker and actor. He is best known for his involvement with Jim Henson and George Lucas through ''The Muppets'', ''Sesame Street'', and '' ...

) *''

'' (1987–1988, TV, Creator) *'' The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd'' (1987–1991, TV, Creator) *'' Black Tie Affair'' (1993, TV) *'' Public Morals'' (1996, TV, Co-creator, with Steven Bochco)

Radio

*'' Revolting People'' (2000) (BBC, Co-Creator, with Andy Hamilton)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tarses, Jay 1939 births Living people Television producers from Maryland American television writers American male television writers Primetime Emmy Award winners Writers from Baltimore American male television actors Male actors from Baltimore 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Screenwriters from Maryland Writers Guild of America Award winners 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century American male writers Williams College alumni