Maury Chaykin

Maury Alan Chaykin (July 27, 1949 – July 27, 2010) was an American-born Canadian actor, best known for his portrayal of detective Nero Wolfe, as well as for his work as a character actor in many films and television programs.[1]
== 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, 1921–2012),[3] 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.[4] Chaykin's maternal uncle, George Bloomfield (1930–2011), was a veteran Canadian director, producer, writer and actor who directed Chaykin in a number of projects for film and television.[5]
Raised in New York City, Chaykin studied drama at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. He subsequently moved to Toronto, Ontario, where he resided until his death. Chaykin's first marriage, to Canadian producer Ilana Frank, ended in divorce.[6] He was subsequently 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.
== 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."[7] 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.
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. In 1990, he had a small but pivotal role in the film Dances with Wolves, portraying Major Fambrough, an Army fort commander who kills himself as a result of becoming insane.
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.
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)[8] in Stargate SG-1.
Chaykin portrayed the colourful 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 disgraced 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.
Chaykin starred as Sam Blecher, the owner of a family-run driving school in Winnipeg, in the first two seasons (2008–2010) of the Canadian comedy-drama television series Less Than Kind. The series received the 2010 Gemini Award for Best Comedy Program or Series.[9]
"Sam is an out-of-control, good-hearted, big-hearted person who just can't quite get it right with his family," Chaykin told Q radio interviewer Jian Ghomeshi in April 2010. "He's full of love but he can't express it. But what he does express is anxiety, desperation, and the need to dominate, which is kind of pathetic." Asked whether he liked the character, Chaykin replied, "I love him. I do, I really do, and it's the same kind of love that a person has for family — where you see their foibles but at the same time you embrace them because they are a part of you. And Sam certainly is a part of me.[10]
In 2011 Chaykin posthumously received the ACTRA Toronto Award for Outstanding Performance — Male for his performance as Sam Blecher in Less Than Kind. He had been nominated for the award in 2003, for his portrayal of Nero Wolfe.
== Death ==
Maury Chaykin died in Toronto on July 27, 2010, his 61st birthday, from complications of a heart valve infection.[11]
== Theatre ==
Select theatre credits for Maury Chaykin were part of his resumé at Edna Talent Management, Ltd.[12]
Year 	Title 	Role 	Company 	Director
1968[13]	Oh! What A Lovely War 	Ambassador 	University at BuffaloTheatre 	Tom Moore
1973[14]	Fat Fell Down 	Spike 	Theater for the New City 	
1974 	Me? 	Oliver Jordan	Toronto Free Theatre 	John Palmer
1974[15]	Tony's Woman 	Alexq 	Theatre Passe Muraille 	Hrant Alianak
1977 	Gossip 	Sam Lewis 	Toronto Free Theatre 	John Palmer
1977[16]	The Boy Bishop 	De Bois 	Factory Theatre Lab 	Ken Gass
1977[17]	Romulus the Great 	Zeno 	Theatre Plus 	Marion André
1978[18]	Gimme Shelter 	Ton 	Brooklyn Academy of Music Dodger Theatre	Des McAnuff
1979[19]	Leave It to Beaver Is Dead	Thompson 	The Public Theatre 	Des McAnuff
1985[20]	A Man's a Man 	Jip 	La Jolla Playhouse 	Robert Woodruff
== Filmography ==
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1975 	Me 	Oliver Jordan 	
1978 	King of Kensington (TV series) 	 	"Polyfur"
1980 	Double Negative 	Rollins 	
1980 	Jimmy B. and André 	Bruno 	
1980 	Nothing Personal 	Kanook 	
1980 	The Kidnapping of the President 	Harvey Cannon 	
1981 	The July Group 	Harvey 	
1981 	Death Hunt 	Clarence 	
1981 	Just Jessie 	Joey Harper 	
1982 	Soup for One 	Wexler 	
1982 	Highpoint 	Falco 	
1982–1986	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 	
1983 	ABC Weekend Special (TV series) 	Mousey 	"Horatio Alger Updated: Frank and Fearless"
1983 	Curtains 	Monty 	
1983 	WarGames 	Jim Sting 	
1983 	Of Unknown Origin 	Dan Errol 	
1984 	Hockey Night 	Bum Johnston 	
1984 	Harry & Son 	Lawrence 	
1984 	The Guardian 	Rudy Simbro 	
1984 	Mrs. Soffel 	Guard Charlie Reynolds 	
1985 	The Suicide Murders 	Sid 	
1985 	Turk 182 	Man in Wheelchair 	
1985 	Def-Con 4 	Vinny 	
1985 	In Like Flynn 	Williams 	
1985 	Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks 	Harold Chamberlain Banks 	
1986 	Meatballs III: Summer Job 	Huey, River Rat Leader 	
1986 	The Vindicator 	Burt Arthurs 	
1986 	Act of Vengeance 	Claude Vealey 	
1986 	Philip Marlowe, Private Eye(TV series) 	Lt. Copernik 	"Red Wind"
1986 	Night Heat (TV series) 	Mallory 
Merle Marlowe 	"Dead Ringer" 
"Body Conscious"
1986 	Crime Story (TV series) 	Steven Kordo 	"Crime Pays"
1987 	Adderly (TV series) 	Russian Agent 	"Requiem"
1987 	Higher Education 	Guido 	
1987 	Future Block 	 	
1987 	The Bedroom Window 	Pool Player 	
1987 	Wild Thing 	Jonathan Trask 	
1987 	Race for the Bomb (TV miniseries) 	General Leslie Groves 	
1987 	Nowhere to Hide 	Marchais 	
1987 	Diamonds (TV series) 	Murray Wolf 	"Here Comes the Bride"
1987 	Hearts of Fire 	Charlie Kelso 	
1987 	Caribe 	Captain Burdoch 	
1988 	Stars and Bars 	Freeborn Gage 	
1988 	Hot Paint 	Wilensky 	
1988 	Iron Eagle II 	Sgt. Downs 	
1988 	Twins 	Burt Klane 	
1989 	Cold Comfort 	Floyd Lucas 	
1989 	The Twilight Zone (TV series) 	James L. "Fats" Brown 	"A Game of Pool"
1989 	George's Island 	Mr. Droonfield 	
1989 	Millennium 	Roger Keane 	
1989 	Breaking In 	Vincent Tucci 	
1990 	Labor of Love 	 	
1990 	Where the Heart Is 	Harry 	
1990 	Street Legal (TV series) 	Ben Tochet 	"Holy Thursday" 
"Spare Parts"
1990 	Mr. Destiny 	Guzelman 	
1990 	Dances with Wolves 	Major Fambrough 	
1991 	The Pianist 	Cody 	
1991 	Montréal vu par... 	 	"En passant" (segment)
1991 	The Adjuster 	Bubba 	
1991 	Conspiracy of Silence 	Lawyer D'Arcy Bancroft 	
1992 	Split Images 	Walter Kouza 	
1992 	My Cousin Vinny 	Sam Tipton 	
1992 	Leaving Normal 	Leon "Crazy-As" Pendleton 	
1992 	Buried on Sunday 	Dexter Lexcannon 	
1992 	Hero 	Winston, Bernie's Landlord	
1993 	Sommersby 	Lawyer Dawson 	
1993 	Matrix (TV series) 	Lionel Meeks/Charles Meeks	"A Madness to His Method"
1993 	Money for Nothing 	Vincente Goldoni 	
1993 	Josh and S.A.M. 	Pizza Man 	
1993 	Beethoven's 2nd 	Cliff Klamath 	
1994 	Transplant 	 	
1994 	Exotica 	 	uncredited
1994 	Whale Music 	Desmond Howl 	Genie Award
1994 	Camilla 	Harold Cara 	
1995 	Unstrung Heroes 	Arthur Lidz 	
1995 	Devil in a Blue Dress 	Matthew Terell 	
1995 	Sugartime 	Tony Accardo 	
1995 	Cutthroat Island 	John Reed 	
1996 	If Looks Could Kill 	Dr. Richard Boggs 	
1997 	Keeping the Promise 	Ben Loomis 	
1997 	La Femme Nikita (TV series) 	Rudy 	"Innocent" — Gemini Award
1997 	Love and Death on Long Island 	Irving Buckmuller 	
1997 	The Sweet Hereafter 	Wendell Walker 	
1997 	Gone Fishin' 	Kirk, Waiter 	uncredited
1997 	Strip Search 	Tomas 	
1997 	Northern Lights 	Ben Rubadue 	
1997 	Pale Saints 	The Pirate 	
1997 	A Life Less Ordinary 	Tod Johnson 	
1997 	MouseHunt 	Alexander Falko 	
1997–1998	Due South (TV series) 	Pike 
Jasper Gutman 	"Spy vs. Spy" (1997) 
"Mojo Rising" (1998)
1998 	Death by Dawn 	 	
1998 	Tracey Takes On... (TV series) 	Kurt Rasmussen 	"Marriage"
1998 	Emily of New Moon (TV series) 	Lofty John 	
1998 	Jerry and Tom 	Billy 	
1998 	The Mask of Zorro 	Prison Warden 	
1998 	Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal (TV series)	Dr. Bob Dalhousie 	"Harlequin"
1999 	Let the Devil Wear Black 	Bruce 	
1999 	Lexx (TV series) 	Pa Gollean 	"Love Grows" 
"White Trash"
1999 	Entrapment 	Conrad Greene 	
1999 	Joan of Arc (TV miniseries) 	Sir Robert de Baudricourt 	
1999 	Touched 	Bert 	
1999 	Mystery, Alaska 	Bailey Pruitt 	
1999 	Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang 	Mr. Cooper/Louie Loser 	
1999 	Made in Canada (TV series) 	Captain McGee 	"For the Children"
2000 	What's Cooking? 	Herbie Seelig 	
2000 	The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery (TV) 	Nero Wolfe 	
2000 	The Art of War 	Frank Capella 	
2001 	Bartleby 	Ernest 	
2001 	Varian's War 	Marcello 	
2001 	Plan B 	Donald Rossi 	
2001 	On Their Knees 	Norman 	
2001–2002	A Nero Wolfe Mystery (TV series) 	Nero Wolfe 	
2002 	Crossed Over 	Ethan Lowry 	
2002 	Bleacher Bums 	Scorekeeper Billy 	
2002 	Past Perfect 	Chuck 	
2002 	The Wet Season 	Uncle Rick 	
2002 	Hostage 	The Kidnapper 	
2002 	Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales 	Dan Weisman 	
2003 	Owning Mahowny 	Frank Perlin 	
2003 	Andromeda (TV) 	Citizen Eight 	"Pieces of Eight"
2004 	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (TV series) 	Joseph Greene/Joe Landers 	"No More Bets"
2004 	Intern Academy 	Dr. Roger "Tony" Toussant 	
2004 	Sugar 	Stanley 	
2004 	The Eleventh Hour (TV series) 	Dr. Jackson 	"The Revenge Specialist"
2004 	Being Julia 	Walter Gibbs 	
2004 	Wilby Wonderful 	Mayor Brent Fisher 	
2004 	Sex Traffic 	Ernie Dwight 	
2005 	Where the Truth Lies 	Sally Sanmarco 	
2005 	The Hunt for the BTK Killer 	Robert Beattie 	
2005–2006	Stargate SG-1 (TV series) 	Nerus 	"Beachhead" (2005) 
"Off the Grid" (2006)
2005–2007	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"
2006 	At the Hotel (TV series) 	Jerry Mitchell 	"The Perfect Couple" — Gemini Award
2006 	Trailer Park Boys (TV series) 	Chief of Police 	"Gimme My Fuckin Money or Randy's Dead"
2006 	Eureka (TV series) 	Sheriff William Cobb 	Pilot
2006 	Heavens Fall 	Lyle Harris 	
2006 	It's a Boy Girl Thing 	Stan Deane 	
2007 	Superstorm (TV miniseries) 	Senator Wallace 	
2007 	Elijah 	Premier Howard Pawley 	
2008 	Hooked on Speedman 	Dietrich Baum 	
2008 	Production Office 	Shelly 	
2008 	The Grift 	Rusty 	
2008 	Blindness 	Accountant 	
2008 	Adoration 	 	
2008 	Glitch 	Mr. Linkletter 	
2008 	Bull 	Roland Gow 	
2008 	Murder on Her Mind 	John Emory 	
2008–2010	Less Than Kind (TV series) 	Sam Blecher 	ACTRA Toronto Award
2009 	Cooking with Stella 	H. E. Mr. Durand 	
2009 	Abroad 	Lord Oldenberg 	
2010 	Barney's Version 	John Emory 	
2010 	Casino Jack 	Big Tony 	
2010 	The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour 	Doctor Funtime 	
2011 	Conduct Unbecoming 	Col. Fox 	
== Awards ==
* 1986, Nominee, Gemini AwardCanada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. BanksBest Performance by a Lead Actor in a Single Dramatic ProgramAcademy of Canadian Cinema and Television
* 1989, Nominee, Genie AwardIron Eagle IIBest Performance by an Actor in a Supporting RoleAcademy of Canadian Cinema and Television
* 1990, Nominee, Genie AwardCold ComfortBest Performance by an Actor in a Supporting RoleAcademy of Canadian Cinema and Television
* 1994, Winner, Genie AwardWhale MusicBest Performance by an Actor in a Supporting RoleAcademy of Canadian Cinema and Television
* 1997, Winner, National Board of Review AwardThe Sweet HereafterBest Acting by an Ensemble[21]National Board of Review of Motion Pictures
* 1998, Winner, Gemini AwardLa Femme Nikita (episode "Innocent")Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role in a Dramatic SeriesAcademy of Canadian Cinema and Television	
* 1998, Nominee, Gemini AwardEmily of New Moon (episode "Paradise Lost")Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role in a Dramatic SeriesAcademy of Canadian Cinema and Television
* 2003, Nominee, ACTRA Toronto AwardA Nero Wolfe MysteryOutstanding Performance – MaleAlliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists[22][23]
* 2006, Winner, Gemini AwardAt the Hotel (episode "The Perfect Couple")Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role in a Dramatic SeriesAcademy of Canadian Cinema and Television
* 2009, Winner, Canadian Comedy AwardLess Than KindBest Performance by an Ensemble – Television The Canadian Comedy Foundation for Excellence[24]
* 2010, Winner, Canadian Comedy AwardLess Than KindBest Performance by an Ensemble – Television The Canadian Comedy Foundation for Excellence[25]
* 2011, Winner, ACTRA Toronto AwardLess Than KindOutstanding Performance – MaleAlliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists[26]