Joe Flaherty, comedian known for work on SCTV and Freaks and Geeks, dead at 82

Joe Flaherty, the comic and author identified for his roles on reveals like Freaks and Geeks and SCTV, has died. He was 82.

“After a quick sickness, he left us yesterday, and since then, I have been struggling to return to phrases with this immense loss,” daughter Gudrun Flaherty shared with CBC Information through SCTV producer and shut household buddy Andrew Alexander.

“I take solace within the recollections we shared and the unimaginable affect he had on these round him. His spirit, humour and love shall be part of me endlessly.”

An improvisation professional with an iconic voice and present for the visitor spot, Flaherty’s credit run the gamut from film blockbusters comparable to Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy to TV staples comparable to Frasier, Freaks and Geeks and Household Man.  

Even with a profession spanning greater than 4 many years, he was maybe best-known for a small position as a heckler within the Adam Sandler movie Joyful Gilmore and as a author and performer within the Canadian comedy sequence SCTV.

He was one of many present’s authentic members, and labored alongside comedian legends comparable to John Sweet, Catherine O’Hara and Martin Quick. 

After the present resulted in 1984, Flaherty went on to star in a number of different comedies, however established himself as a consummate performer with the position of Harold Weir within the comedy-drama Freaks and Geeks in 1999.

‘So cool we thought he was Canadian’

Followers and former co-stars shared their condolences on X, quickly after information of his dying broke.

“I used to be so thrilled to have the ability to work with him,” wrote actor Jennifer Tilly, who performed Flaherty’s daughter in 1997’s The Flawed Man. “His efficiency was pitch excellent. A fantastic comic. Gone too quickly.”

“I used to be extremely lucky to have labored with Joe Flaherty just a few instances,” wrote Colin Mochrie. “A candy man that produced loads of laughs. My deepest condolences to his household and associates.

“Joe Flaherty, an American so cool we thought he was Canadian. Thanks, Floyd Robertson,” Ontario comic Stewart Reynolds posted — referencing the long-lasting information reporter character Flaherty performed on SCTV.

Flaherty earned his honorary Canadian standing from a long-running affiliation with the nation and a few of its most profitable sequence.

Born in Pittsburgh in 1941, Flaherty served with the U.S. Air Drive for 4 years earlier than becoming a member of Chicago improv group The Second Metropolis in 1969 — the place his time would overlap with future Saturday Night time Dwell star John Belushi in addition to Harold Ramis, the Ghostbusters actor and Groundhog Day director.

He finally moved to Toronto, the place he would assist set up the Toronto arm of the troupe and pave the way in which for a profession perpetually affiliated with Canada and Canadians. He would play Kirk Dirkwood on CTV’s David Steinberg Present, Mayor Andrews within the Canadian sitcom Name Me Fitz, and held a recurring position within the Vancouver-shot Robson Arms. He additionally had a visitor look on Royal Canadian Air Farce — and naturally his time at SCTV. 

He later grew to become a school member at Humber School, serving as an artist-in-residence and taking part within the faculty’s first comedy workshop.

He was married to Judith Dagley for 22 years till the 2 divorced. The couple had two kids, Gudrun and Gabriel Flaherty.