Joseph Flaherty (born Joseph O'Flaherty, June 21, 1941 – April 1, 2024) was an American actor, writer, and comedian. He is best known for his work on the Canadian

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...

'' SCTV'' from 1976 to 1984 (on which he also served as a writer, winning two Primetime Emmy Awards), his role as Harold Weir on ''

Freaks and Geeks ''Freaks and Geeks'' is an American teen comedy-drama television series created by Paul Feig and executive-produced by Judd Apatow that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season. The show is set in a suburban high school near ...

'' (1999), and as the heckler in ''

Happy Gilmore ''Happy Gilmore'' is a 1996 American sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, produced by Robert Simonds, and starring Adam Sandler in the title role, with Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen and Carl Weathers. The film follows the namesak ...

'' (1996).

Early life and career

Joseph O'Flaherty was born on June 21, 1941, in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, the eldest of seven children. His father was a production clerk at Westinghouse Electric and of Irish heritage and his mother was of Italian descent. Flaherty served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

for four years, before becoming involved in dramatic theatre. Flaherty moved to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, where he started his comedy career in 1969 with the Second City Theater as Joe O'Flaherty and would work with future stars such as

John Belushi John Adam Belushi ( ; January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, singer and musician. He was one of seven ''Saturday Night Live'' cast members of the first season. He was arguably the most popular member of the ''Satur ...

and Harold Ramis. He dropped the "O" in his birth name as there was another Joseph O'Flaherty registered with Actors Equity. Along with several other Second City performers, he began appearing on the '' National Lampoon Radio Hour'' from 1973 to 1974. After seven years in Chicago, he moved to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

to help establish the Toronto Second City theatre troupe. During those years, he was one of the original writer/performers on ''SCTV'', where he spent eight years on the show, playing such characters as Big Jim McBob (of ''Farm Film Report'' fame), Count Floyd/ Floyd Robertson, and station owner/manager Guy Caballero, who goes around in a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditio ...

only for respect and undeserved sympathy. ''SCTV'' ceased production in 1984. The same year, Flaherty played Count Floyd in a short film that was shown at concerts by the rock band Rush before the song "The Weapon", for their tour in support of '' Grace Under Pressure'' (and can be seen in the home video, '' Grace Under Pressure Tour''). In 1988, Flaherty reprised his Count Floyd character for live-action segments of the animated series ''

The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley ''The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and featuring Martin Short's fictional character Ed Grimley (with Short reprising his role as Grimley). The sh ...

'', a character created and voiced by another SCTV alum,

Martin Short Martin Hayter Short (born March 26, 1950) is a Canadian and American comedian, actor, and writer. Short is known as an energetic comedian who gained prominence for his roles in sketch comedy. He has also acted in numerous films and television ...

. Flaherty appeared in a number of cult-favorite films, including an appearance as a

Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Denver, Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the co ...

postal worker who delivers Doc Brown's 70-year-old letter to

Marty McFly Marty McFly is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Back to the Future (franchise), ''Back to the Future'' franchise. He is a high school student living in the fictional town of Hill Valley (Back to the Future), Hill Valley, California ...

in ''

Back to the Future Part II ''Back to the Future Part II'' is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale; both wrote the story. It is a sequel to the 1985 film ''Back to the Future'' and the second installment in the Back ...

'' (1989), as well as the crazed fan yelling "jackass!" who secretly works for antagonist Shooter McGavin in ''

'' (1996). In season eight of ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...

'', Flaherty once again played the Western Union man in " Something, Something, Something, Dark Side". Flaherty plays a Vatican Messenger in the '' Family Guy season 9'' episode "The Big Bang Theory". In 1989, he played a guest role in '' Married... with Children'' in the season-four episode "Tooth or Consequences", as a dentist who must repair Al Bundy's teeth. From 1990–93, Flaherty starred in The Family Channel series, '' Maniac Mansion''. During 1997–1998, Flaherty starred in the television adaptation of ''Police Academy'' ('' Police Academy: The Series'') as Cmdt. Stuart Hefilfinger. The series lasted for only one season. In 1999, Flaherty joined the cast of ''

'', an NBC hour-long

dramedy Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

set in the 1980–1981 academic year, in which he played Harold Weir, the "imperfect perfect" father of two teens. Despite a dedicated cult following, the show only lasted one season. Flaherty made appearances on the CBS sitcom ''

The King of Queens ''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, with a total of 207 half-hour episodes spanning nine seasons. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who al ...

'' as Father McAndrew, the priest at the Heffernans' church. He starred on the Bite TV original program, ''Uncle Joe's Cartoon Playhouse'', and served as a judge on the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

program '' The Second City's Next Comedy Legend''. From 2001 to 2004, he had appeared in various

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shows and films, including '' The Legend of Tarzan'' and '' Home on the Range''. In 2018, Flaherty participated in a SCTV cast reunion at Toronto's Elgin Theatre filmed by

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

for a yet to be released

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

special on SCTV. Beginning in 2004, Flaherty was artist-in-residence at

Humber College The Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, rebranded as Humber Polytechnic since 2024, is a public Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has three mai ...

's School of Creative and Performing Arts in Toronto, where he taught a comedy writing course. He previously helped found the school's comedy writing and performance program serving as its artistic director. He was also on the program's advisory committee.

Personal life and death

Flaherty was married to Judith Dagley for 22 years until their divorce in 1996. They had two children, Gudrun, who is also an actress and writer, and Gabriel. His brothers, Paul (b. 1945) and Dave (1948–2017), were both comedy writers. Flaherty died on April 1, 2024, at the age of 82, after a short illness.

Characterizations

Flaherty impersonated a number of celebrities, including

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. ...

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 12th-greatest male ...

Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner and a three-time Tony Award nominee, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pier ...

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

, Gavin McLeod, William F. Buckley Jr. and

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

. Flaherty appeared in a cameo in the deleted scenes from '' Anchorman'' as the manager of a Texas television station and the boss of Veronica Corningstone (

Christina Applegate Christina Applegate (born November 25, 1971) is an American actress. With a career spanning five decades, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, along with nominations for four Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. After appearing in se ...

), one of the members of the station's news team. He also appeared as an immigration

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

officer in the " Canadian Road Trip" episode of ''

That '70s Show ''That '70s Show'' is an American television teen sitcom that aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from 197 ...

'' alongside fellow SCTV member Dave Thomas. In the third episode of ''

'', "Tricks and Treats", he is dressed up as a vampire, a reference to his character Count Floyd.

Discography

*'' Gold Turkey'' ( National Lampoon album, 1975) *''Count Floyd'' (1982) (RCA)

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* *
Interview on The Sound of Young America, 9/06

Article at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flaherty, Joe 1941 births 2024 deaths 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American male actors American expatriate male actors in Canada American male comedians American male film actors American male television actors American male television writers American male voice actors American people of Irish descent American people of Italian descent American sketch comedians American television writers American writers of Italian descent Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Canadian Screen Award winners Comedians from Pittsburgh Male actors from Pennsylvania Male actors from Pittsburgh Military personnel from Pennsylvania Military personnel from Pittsburgh Primetime Emmy Award winners Screenwriters from Pennsylvania United States Air Force airmen Academic staff of Humber College Canadian Screen Award winning writers Screenwriters from Ontario