Thursday, August 26, 2010

Maury Chaykin,, American-born Canadian actor (Dances with Wolves, My Cousin Vinny, A Nero Wolfe Mystery), died of kidney failure he was 61

Maury Alan Chaykin was an American-Canadian actor died of kidney failure he was 61. Best known for his portrayal of detective Nero Wolfe, he was also known for his work as a character actor in many films and on television programs.[1]
(July 27, 1949 – July 27, 2010)





Personal life




Chaykin was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father, Irving J. Chaykin (1912–2007), was born in Brooklyn, and was a professor of accountancy at City College of New York.[2] His mother, Clarice Chaykin (née Bloomfield), was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, but raised in Montreal, Quebec since the age of three. She graduated from Beth Israel Hospital nursing school in Newark, New Jersey.[3] Chaykin's maternal uncle, George Bloomfield, is a Canadian writer/director/producer.

Raised in New York City, Chaykin studied drama at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He subsequently moved to Toronto, Ontario, where he resided until his death. He was married to Canadian actress Susannah Hoffmann, with whom he had one daughter, Rose. Best known for having played Jen Pringle in the Anne of Avonlea series, Hoffmann had a supporting role in a 2002 episode of the television series, A Nero Wolfe Mystery, in which Chaykin starred.

Death

Maury Chaykin died in Toronto on July 27, 2010, his 61st birthday, from complications of a heart valve infection.[4]

Career

Chaykin was known for portrayals of blustery supporting characters. One of his rare leading roles was Nero Wolfe. Chaykin first played the legendary detective in The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2000), an A&E telefilm adaptation of the 1953 novel by Rex Stout. Timothy Hutton costarred in the production as Archie Goodwin. The New York Times reported Chaykin's "undisguised delight" at starring in the promotion for The Golden Spiders: "There's an extraordinary billboard up on Sunset Boulevard right now, with a humongous photograph of my face. ... I drive by it constantly, back and forth, back and forth."[5] The original movie's success led to the weekly series, A Nero Wolfe Mystery, which played for two seasons on A&E and continues to air internationally. Chaykin and Hutton had worked together previously, albeit briefly, in the 1985 film Turk 182; and they worked together subsequently, in the 2006 film Heavens Fall.

Chaykin had his first starring role in Whale Music, a 1994 film in which he played a burned-out rock star, a character based largely on Brian Wilson. Chaykin was named Best Actor at the 15th Genie Awards for his portrayal.

Two of Chaykin's early motion picture roles brought him public recognition: computer programmer Jim Sting in WarGames and prosecution witness Sam Tipton in My Cousin Vinny. Chaykin also had roles on the television series Seeing Things and Emily of New Moon as well as a recurring role as the intergalactic gourmand Nerus (a nod to Nero Wolfe)[6] in Stargate SG-1. In 1990, he had a small but pivotal role in the film Dances with Wolves, portraying Major Fambrough.

Chaykin portrayed the colorful bookie Frank Perlin opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman's compulsive gambler Dan Mahowny in Owning Mahowny, a film that critic Roger Ebert named as one of the ten best of 2003. In 2006, Chaykin appeared in an episode of the Ken Finkleman miniseries, At the Hotel, and received a Gemini Award for best performance by an actor in a guest role. He had a semi-recurring role in the HBO series Entourage, as volatile movie producer Harvey Weingard, a send-up of the celebrated producer Harvey Weinstein. He also appeared as Stan Deane, father of Kevin Zegers' character Woody Deane, in the 2006 romantic comedy It's a Boy Girl Thing.[citation needed]

To celebrate the first 30 years of his career, the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film presented Chaykin with its Career So Far Award in 2006. Chaykin spoke to the Toronto Star about the honor[7]:

I got this strange call from Chlotrudis ... I thought it was a disease. It's a society for independent film and they said, "We're giving you The Career So Far Award. Not The Lifetime Achievement Award. We hope you will do a lot more indie films." They want to fly me down to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Last year's winner was Philip Seymour Hoffman. I looked up their website and they are legit. Nero Wolfe raised orchids. Maybe he had a rare form of Chlotrudis.


Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1975 Me

1978 King of Kensington (TV series)
"Polyfur"
1980 Double Negative Rollins
Jimmy B. and André Bruno
Nothing Personal Kanook
The Kidnapping of the President Harvey Cannon
1981 The July Group Harvey
Death Hunt Clarence
Just Jessie Joey Harper
1982 Soup for One Wexler
Highpoint Falco
19821986 Seeing Things (TV series) Randall Jackson "Evil Eye" (1982)
"I'm Looking Through You" (1984)
"Defective Vision" (1986)
"Optical Illusion" (1986)
1983 Overdrawn at the Memory Bank Gondol
ABC Weekend Special (TV series) Mousey "Horatio Alger Updated: Frank and Fearless"
Curtains Monty
WarGames Jim Sting
Of Unknown Origin Dan Errol
1984 Hockey Night Bum Johnston
Harry & Son Lawrence
The Guardian Rudy Simbro
Mrs. Soffel Guard Charlie Reynolds
1985 The Suicide Murders Sid
Turk 182 Man in Wheelchair
Def-Con 4 Vinny
In Like Flynn Williams
Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks Harold Chamberlain Banks
1986 Meatballs III: Summer Job Huey, River Rat Leader
The Vindicator Burt Arthurs
Act of Vengeance Claude Vealey
Philip Marlowe, Private Eye (TV series) Lt. Copernik "Red Wind"
Night Heat (TV series) Mallory
Merle Marlowe
"Dead Ringer"
"Body Conscious"
Crime Story (TV series) Steven Kordo "Crime Pays"
1987 Adderly (TV series) Russian Agent "Requiem"
Higher Education Guido
Future Block

The Bedroom Window Pool Player
Wild Thing Jonathan Trask
Race for the Bomb (TV miniseries) General Leslie Groves
Nowhere to Hide Marchais
Diamonds (TV series) Murray Wolf "Here Comes the Bride"
Hearts of Fire Charlie Kelso
Caribe Captain Burdoch
1988 Stars and Bars Freeborn Gage
Hot Paint Wilensky
Iron Eagle II Sgt. Downs
Twins Burt Klane
1989 Cold Comfort Floyd Lucas
The Twilight Zone (TV series) James L. "Fats" Brown "A Game of Pool"
George's Island Mr. Droonfield
Millennium Roger Keane
Breaking In Vincent Tucci
1990 Labor of Love

Where the Heart Is Harry
Street Legal (TV series) Ben Tochet "Holy Thursday"
"Spare Parts"
Mr. Destiny Guzelman
Dances with Wolves Major Fambrough
1991 The Pianist Cody
Montréal vu par...
"En passant" (segment)
The Adjuster Bubba
Conspiracy of Silence D'Arcy Bancroft
1992 Split Images Walter Kouza
My Cousin Vinny Sam Tipton
Leaving Normal Leon "Crazy-As" Pendleton
Buried on Sunday Dexter Lexcannon
Hero Winston, Bernie's Landlord
1993 Sommersby Lawyer Dawson
Matrix (TV series) Lionel Meeks/Charles Meeks "A Madness to His Method"
Money for Nothing Vincente Goldoni
Josh and S.A.M. Pizza Man
Beethoven's 2nd Cliff Klamath
1994 Transplant

Exotica
uncredited
Whale Music Desmond Howl Genie Award
Camilla Harold Cara
1995 Unstrung Heroes Arthur Lidz
Devil in a Blue Dress Matthew Terell
Sugartime Tony Accardo
Cutthroat Island John Reed
1996 If Looks Could Kill Dr. Richard Boggs
1997 Keeping the Promise Ben Loomis
La Femme Nikita (TV series) Rudy "Innocent" — Gemini Award
Love and Death on Long Island Irving Buckmuller
The Sweet Hereafter Wendell Walker
Gone Fishin' Kirk, Waiter uncredited
Strip Search Tomas
Northern Lights Ben Rubadue
Pale Saints The Pirate
A Life Less Ordinary Tod Johnson
MouseHunt Alexander Falko
19971998 Due South (TV series) Pike
Jasper Gutman
"Spy vs. Spy" (1997)
"Mojo Rising" (1998)
1998 Death by Dawn

Tracey Takes On... (TV series) Kurt Rasmussen "Marriage"
Emily of New Moon (TV series) Lofty John
Jerry and Tom Billy
The Mask of Zorro Prison Warden
Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal (TV series) Dr. Bob Dalhousie "Harlequin"
1999 Let the Devil Wear Black Bruce
Lexx (TV series) Pa Gollean "Love Grows"
"White Trash"
Entrapment Conrad Greene
Joan of Arc (TV miniseries) Sir Robert de Baudricourt
Touched Bert
Mystery, Alaska Bailey Pruitt
Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang Mr. Cooper/Louie Loser
Made in Canada (TV series) Captain McGee "For the Children"
2000 What's Cooking? Herbie Seelig
The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery (TV) Nero Wolfe
The Art of War Frank Capella
2001 Bartleby Ernest
Varian's War Marcello
Plan B Donald Rossi
On Their Knees Norman
20012002 A Nero Wolfe Mystery (TV series) Nero Wolfe
2002 Crossed Over Ethan Lowry
Bleacher Bums Scorekeeper Billy
Past Perfect Chuck
The Wet Season Uncle Rick
Hostage The Kidnapper
Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales Dan Weisman
2003 Owning Mahowny Frank Perlin
Andromeda (TV) Citizen Eight "Pieces of Eight"
2004 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (TV series) Joseph Greene/Joe Landers "No More Bets"
Intern Academy Dr. Roger "Tony" Toussant
Sugar Stanley
The Eleventh Hour (TV series) Dr. Jackson "The Revenge Specialist"
Being Julia Walter Gibbs
Wilby Wonderful Mayor Brent Fisher
Sex Traffic Ernie Dwight
2005 Where the Truth Lies Sally Sanmarco
The Hunt for the BTK Killer Robert Beattie
20052006 Stargate SG-1 (TV series) Nerus "Beachhead" (2005)
"Off the Grid" (2006)
20052007 Entourage (TV series) Harvey Weingard "The Sundance Kids" (2005)
"Malibooty" (2007)
"Sorry, Harvey" (2007)
"The Cannes Kids" (2007)
2006 Boston Legal (TV series) Ryan Myerson "Live Big"
At the Hotel (TV series) Jerry Mitchell "The Perfect Couple" — Gemini Award
Trailer Park Boys (TV series) Chief of Police "Gimme My Fuckin Money or Randy's Dead"
Eureka (TV series) Sheriff William Cobb Pilot
Heavens Fall Lyle Harris
It's a Boy Girl Thing Stan Deane
2007 Superstorm (TV miniseries) Senator Wallace
Elijah Premier Howard Pawley
2008 Hooked on Speedman Dietrich Baum
Production Office Shelly
The Grift Rusty
Blindness Accountant
Adoration

Glitch Mr. Linkletter
Bull Roland Gow
Murder on Her Mind John Emory
20082010 Less Than Kind (TV series) Sam Blecher
2009 Cooking with Stella H. E. Mr. Durand
Abroad Lord Oldenberg
2010 Barney's Version John Emory
Casino Jack Big Tony
The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour Doctor Funtime






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