:Max Wright
{{Short description|American actor (1943–2019)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Other people}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Max Wright
| image = MaxWright-Headshot.png
| image_size = 250px
| caption = Wright as he appeared in 1988 on ALF
| birth_name = George Edward Wright
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1943|8|2}}
| birth_place = Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|06|26|1943|08|02}}
| death_place = Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1968–2011
| children = 2
| spouse = {{Marriage|Linda Ybarrondo|1965|2017|end=her death}}
}}
George Edward "Max" Wright (August 2, 1943 – June 26, 2019) was an American actor, known for his role as Willie Tanner on the sitcom ALF (1986–1990).
Early life
Wright was born August 2, 1943, in Detroit, Michigan, as George Edward Wright. He took the nickname "Max" as other actors were already known as George Wright.{{cite web |last=Padnani |first=Amisha |author-link=Amy Padnani |date=July 2, 2019 |title=Max Wright, Who Went From Theater Roles to 'ALF,' Dies at 75 |website=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/02/arts/television/max-wright-dead.html |access-date=July 3, 2019}}
He moved to the suburb of Southfield as a child, graduating from Southfield Senior High School in 1961. While a student at Southfield, he was very active in the theatre program and had leads in two different musical productions.{{Citation needed |date=March 2024}}
Career
=Film and television=
Wright made supporting appearances on television shows such as WKRP in Cincinnati, and was a regular cast member on Misfits of Science,{{cite web |last=Alexander |first=Bryan |date=June 27, 2019 |title=Max Wright, who played Willie Tanner on TV's 'ALF', dies at 75 |website=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2019/06/27/max-wright-willie-tanner-alf-dies-after-cancer-battle-75/1578386001/ |access-date=June 28, 2019}} AfterMASH,{{cite web |last=Didymus |first=John Thomas |date=June 27, 2019 |title=ALF star Max Wright dead at 75: Cause of death linked to cancer |website=Monsters & Critics |url=https://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/alf-star-max-wright-dead-at-75-cause-of-death-linked-to-cancer/ |access-date=July 2, 2019}} Buffalo Bill, and The Norm Show, and the made-for-TV adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand.{{cite web |last=Clark |first=Anne Victoria |date=June 26, 2019 |title=ALF Star Max Wright Has Passed Away |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/06/alf-star-max-wright-has-passed-away.html |access-date=July 2, 2019 |website=Vulture}} He appeared in the first and second seasons of the sitcom Friends as Terry, the manager of Central Perk. He played Günter Wendt in the 1998 HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon{{cite web |title=Max Wright |website=TV Guide |url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/max-wright/credits/190550/ |access-date=June 28, 2019}} and Dr. Josef Mengele in Playing for Time.{{cite web |title=Playing for Time |website=Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/playing_for_time_1980 |access-date=June 28, 2019}}
==''ALF''==
From 1986 to 1990, Wright appeared in the sitcom ALF as Willie Tanner, a typical father of a middle-class family, who finds an alien who has crash-landed on Earth. Despite becoming his best-known performance, the actor despised the role due to its huge technical demands and the fact that he, a human, played a supporting character for an "inanimate object". "It was hard work and very grim", he stated in a 2000 interview to People.{{cite web |title=Alf: 1986–1990 |website=People |url=https://people.com/archive/alf-1986-1990-vol-53-no-25/ |access-date=July 2, 2019}} He was also, reportedly, very happy when the show was canceled in 1990. "I was hugely eager to have it over with", he said in the same interview. According to his co-star in the show, Anne Schedeen, "there was one take, and Max walked off the set, went to his dressing room, got his bags, went to his car, and disappeared. Nobody had to say, 'Wrap,' and there were no goodbyes". However, Wright later admitted that as the years passed he looked back at ALF with less animosity and conceded that "It doesn't matter what I felt or what the days were like, ALF brought people a lot of joy."
=Stage=
Wright also had a stage career. In 1968, he appeared in the original production of The Great White Hope at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.{{cite magazine |last=Legaspi |first=Althea |date=June 27, 2019 |title=Max Wright, 'Alf' Star and Veteran Actor, Dead at 75 |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/max-wright-alf-star-actor-dead-at-75-852869/ |access-date=June 28, 2019}} In 1998, he appeared on Broadway in Ivanov, which garnered him a Tony nomination, and played Sir Andrew in Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |date=June 27, 2019 |title=Max Wright, Tony Nominee and Dad on TV's Alf, Dies at 75 |website=Playbill |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/max-wright-tony-nominee-and-dad-on-tvs-alf-dies-at-75 |access-date=June 28, 2019}} In 2007, he acted at the JET (Jewish Ensemble Theatre) in Detroit{{cite web |title=A beautiful production opens JET season |work=pridesource.com |url=http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=27447 |access-date=August 4, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929220911/http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=27447 |archive-date=September 29, 2011}} and in the production of No Man's Land at the American Repertory Theater.{{cite web |title=No Man's Land |work=americanrepertorytheater.org |url=http://www.americanrepertorytheater.org/events/show/no-mans-land}} He also appeared in The Public Theater's 2010 production of The Winter's Tale and The Merchant of Venice at Shakespeare in the Park festivals.{{cite web |date=August 22, 2006 |title=The Public Theater's website|publisher=Publictheater.org |url=http://www.publictheater.org/content/view/126/219 |access-date=December 15, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121121040328/http://www.publictheater.org/content/view/126/219 |archive-date=November 21, 2012}}
Personal life
Wright was married to Linda Ybarrondo from 1965 until her death from breast cancer in 2017. The couple had two children.{{cite news |date=June 27, 2019 |title=Max Wright: Star of Alf and Buffalo Bill dies aged 75 |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48784885 |access-date=June 28, 2019}}{{cite news |last=Haring |first=Bruce |date=June 26, 2019 |title=Max Wright Dies: Father On '80s Sitcom 'Alf' Was 75 |work=Deadline Hollywood |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |location=United States |url=https://deadline.com/2019/06/max-wright-dies-father-on-80s-sitcom-alf-was-75-1202638569/ |access-date=June 26, 2019}}
Death
In 1995, he was diagnosed with lymphoma, which was successfully treated and remained in remission until 2019. He died from the disease on June 26, 2019, at the age of 75 at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey.{{cite news |last=Merrett |first=Robyn |date=June 26, 2019 |title=ALF Star Max Wright Dies at 75 Following Decades-Long Battle with Lymphoma |work=People |publisher=Meredith Corporation |location=United States |url=https://people.com/tv/max-wright-dies-cancer-lymphoma/ |access-date=June 26, 2019}}{{cite news |last=Anderson |first=Natasha |date=June 26, 2019 |title=Report: 'Alf' star Max Wright passes away at 75 |work=WJW |publisher=Tribune Broadcasting |location=Cleveland |url=https://fox8.com/2019/06/26/report-alf-star-max-wright-passes-away-at-75/ |access-date=June 26, 2019}}{{cite news |last=Barnes |first=Mike |date=June 26, 2019 |title=Max Wright, Who Played the Dad on 'ALF,' Dies at 75 |newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/max-wright-dead-alf-dad-tony-nominated-actor-was-75-1221314 |access-date=June 30, 2019}}
Filmography
=Film=
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 1974
| Etienne | Episode: "In Fashion" |
| 1977
| Red Alert | | TV movie |
| 1980
| Dr. Mengele | TV movie |
| 1981
| For Ladies Only | Shakespeare Director | TV movie |
| rowspan="4" | 1982
| Dr. Robert Chase | Episode: "Hart of Diamonds" |
| CBS Afternoon Playhouse
| | 1 episode |
| WKRP in Cincinnati
| Frank Bartman | 2 episodes |
| Taxi
| Mr. Ambrose | Episode: "The Road Not Taken: Part 2" |
| 1983
| Mr. Bundle | Episode: "Trick or Treat" (Pilot) |
| 1983-1984
| Karl Shub | 25 episodes |
| rowspan="3" | 1984
| Burt Philbrick | Episode: "Less Miserables" |
| The Boy Who Loved Trolls
| Secretary | TV movie |
| E/R
| Marvin Brock | Episode: "Mr. Fix-It" |
| rowspan="5" | 1985
| Scandal Sheet | Stan Clark | TV movie |
| Code Name: Foxfire
| | 1 episode, Episode: "Slay It Again, Sam" |
| Benson
| Bernard | Season 6 episode 19 "Mid-life Cowboy" |
| Konrad
| Dr. Al Monford | TV movie |
| Misfits of Science
| Dick Stetmeyer | TV movie |
| 1985–1986
| Misfits of Science | Dick Stetmeyer | 15 episodes |
| rowspan="3" | 1986
| Cheers | Jim Fleener | 2 episodes |
| Comedy Factory
| | Episode: "The Faculty" |
| Liberty
| Alexandre Gustave Eiffel | TV movie |
| 1986–1990
|ALF |Willie Tanner |99 episodes |
| 1987
| Prince Heinrick | Episode: "The Dancing Princesses" |
| 1988
| Reader | Episode: "Oh How Pleasant to Know Mr. Lear!" |
| 1991
| Gerald Yelverton | Episode: "The Taxman Cometh" |
| rowspan="3" | 1992
| Mr. Brinker | 4 episode |
| Quantum Leap
| Doc Kinman | 2 episodes |
| The Powers That Be
| Justice Reynolds | Episode: "Sophie's Big Decision" |
| rowspan="3" | 1993
| Dudley | Paul | 6 episodes |
| Murphy Brown
| Marshall Corwin | Episode: "All the Life That's Fit to Print" |
| Roc
| Mr. Cole | Episode: "Shove It Up Your Asprin" |
| rowspan="3" | 1994
| Monty | Wild, Wild Willy | Episode: "Wild, Wild Willy and His O.K. Corral" |
| The Stand
| Dr. Herbert Denninger | 1 episode |
| White Mile
| Bill Spencer | TV movie |
| 1995
| A Mother's Gift | Herman Mandelbrot | TV movie |
| 1994–1995
| Friends | Terry | 2 episodes |
| rowspan="4" | 1996
| Jackson Bishop | Episode: "Some Call Them Beasts" |
| Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
| Herbie Hinkle (voice) | Episode: "You Only Scare Twice" |
| Early Edition
| Mayor Mike Garfield | Episode: "Thief Swipes Mayor's Dog" |
| High Incident
| Gass | Episode: "Change Partners" |
| 1997
| Dead by Midnight | Dr. Jonas Reilly | TV movie |
| rowspan="3" | 1998
| Guenter Wendt | Episode: "We Have Cleared the Tower" |
| Twelfth Night, or What You Will
| Sir Andrew Aguecheek | TV movie |
| Mad About You
| Man in Elevator | Episode: "Season Opener" |
| 1999
| Drew's Stomach | Episode: "Drew's Stomachache" |
| 1999–2001
| Max Denby | 49 episodes |
| 2003
| The Mayor | Episode: "Stan Hooper Goes to Washington" |
| 2005
| Back to Norm | Uncle Joe | TV movie, final film role |
Stage
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0942642|Max Wright}}
- {{Find a Grave|200547902}}
- {{IBDB name}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Max}}
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male stage actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:Deaths from cancer in New Jersey
Category:Deaths from lymphoma in the United States