Maury Chaykin
{{Short description|American-Canadian actor (1949-2010)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Maury Chaykin
| image = Maury Chaykin.jpg
| imagesize =
| alt =
| caption = Chaykin in 2010
| birthname = Maury Alan Chaykin
| birth_date = {{birth date|1949|7|27}}
| birth_place = New York City, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2010|07|27|1949|7|27}}
| death_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| othername =
| citizenship = {{hlist|United States|Canada{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/arts/29chaykin.html |title=Maury Chaykin, Character Actor, Dies at 61 |last=Weber |first=Bruce |date=2010-07-29 |website=The New York Times |access-date=2021-08-17}}}}
| alma_mater = University at Buffalo {{small|(BA)}}
| occupation = Actor
| yearsactive = 1968–2010
| spouse = {{Plainlist|
- Ilana Frank (married ?–1993)
- Susannah Hoffmann (married ?–2010)
}}
| children = 1
| awards = See below
}}
Maury Alan Chaykin (July 27, 1949 – July 27, 2010) was an American-Canadian actor. Described as "one of the most recognizable faces in Canadian cinema,"{{Cite web |title=Canadian Film Encyclopedia - Maury Chaykin |url=https://cfe.tiff.net/canadianfilmencyclopedia/content/bios/maury-chaykin |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=cfe.tiff.net}} he was best known for his portrayal of Rex Stout's detective Nero Wolfe on the television series A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001–2002), as well as for his work as a character actor in many films and television programs.
His notable film appearances include WarGames (1983), Twins (1988), Dances with Wolves (1990), My Cousin Vinny (1992), Money for Nothing (1993), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), Cutthroat Island (also 1995), The Sweet Hereafter (1997), Mouse Hunt (also 1997), The Mask of Zorro (1998), Entrapment (1999) and Mystery, Alaska (also 1999), Being Julia (2004), Blindness (2008), and Barney's Version (2010). During the 1990s, he was a frequent collaborator of Toronto New Wave director Atom Egoyan. On television, he starred as Sam Blecher on the first two seasons of the Canadian dramedy Less Than Kind (2008–2010).
Chaykin was a three-time Genie Award nominee, winning Best Actor in a Leading Role for Whale Music (1994), and a two-time Gemini Award winner. He won two Canadian Comedy Awards and an ACTRA Award for his work on Less Than Kind.
Early life
Chaykin was born to Jewish parents in Brooklyn, New York. His American father, Irving J. Chaykin (1912–2007), was born in Brooklyn, and was a professor of accountancy at City College of New York.[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D06E5D9153AF932A35757C0A9619C8B63 Irving Chaykin death notice] in The New York Times, April 1, 2007; [http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/news/irving_chaykin_memorial.htm Irving Chaykin memorial] at Baruch College His Canadian mother, Clarice Chaykin (née Bloomfield, 1921–2012),[http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=157754670#fbLoggedOut Clarice Chaykin Obituary] in The New York Times, May 23, 2012 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.[http://multiculturalcanada.ca/cdm_item/mcc_cjr/36072/100/116 Multicultural Canada] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120714110024/http://multiculturalcanada.ca/cdm_item/mcc_cjr/36072/100/116 |date=July 14, 2012 }}, Canadian Jewish Review, April 12, 1946, p. 18 Chaykin's Montreal-born 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.[http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/Deaths.20110516.93264871/BDAStory/BDA/deaths George Bloomfield obituary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210124/http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/Deaths.20110516.93264871/BDAStory/BDA/deaths |date=March 3, 2016 }}, The Globe and Mail, May 16, 2011. [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0089276/ George Bloomfield], Internet Movie Database (retrieved May 26, 2011). Bloomfield directed Chaykin in films including Riel, Double Negative and Nothing Personal. For television, Bloomfield directed Chaykin in the TV movie Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang as well as episodes of Street Legal, La Femme Nikita, Emily of New Moon and A Nero Wolfe Mystery ("Murder Is Corny," "Poison à la Carte").
Raised in New York City, Chaykin studied drama at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, where he co-founded an avant-garde troupe called the Swamp Fox Theater Group. After performing uninvited at an underground theatre festival in Toronto, Ontario, he was encouraged by artistic director Ken Gass to relocate there. He subsequently moved to Toronto in 1974, where he resided until his death.{{Cite web |title=Maury Chaykin {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/maury-chaykin |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca}}
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."Weitzman, Elizabeth, [https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/12/movies/oscar-films-veterans-the-nominees-for-hardest-working-actor-are.html?scp=1&sq=Maury%20Chaykin%20I%20drive%20by%20it%20constantly&st=cse&emc=eta1 "The Nominees for Hardest-Working Actor Are..."]; The New York Times, March 12, 2000. "It's a rare show of vanity for an actor who specializes in particularly unsavory characters," Weitzman wrote. The original movie's success led to the weekly series, A Nero Wolfe Mystery, which played for two seasons on A&E and aired 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.{{citation needed|date= October 2022}}
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.{{citation needed|date= October 2022}}
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.{{citation needed|date= October 2022}}
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)Zekas, Rita, "That's a Maury," Toronto Star, February 19, 2006. "I've been playing a character called Nerus on a few episodes of Stargate SG-1", Chaykin told the columnist. "The creator of the show is a big fan of Nero Wolfe. Nerus is a gourmand from a different planet." in Stargate SG-1.
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, an inspiration of the soon-to-be 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.{{citation needed|date= October 2022}}
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.[https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/less-than-kind-wins-3-geminis-1.896241 "Less Than Kind wins 3 Geminis"]. CBC News, November 13, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
"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."{{YouTube|dFepmublO0s|"Maury Chaykin on Q TV"}}; CBC Q video interview by Jian Ghomeshi, posted April 28, 2010
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.{{citation needed|date= October 2022}}
Personal life
Chaykin's first marriage, to Canadian producer Ilana Frank, ended in divorce.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/27/AR2010072705876.html "Award-winning actor was TV's 'Nero Wolfe'"];The Washington Post, July 28, 2010. Posner, Michael, "Obituaries; Maury Alan Chaykin, 61." The Globe and Mail, July 31, 2010 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.{{citation needed|date= October 2022}}
Critical appraisal
Writing for the Toronto International Film Festival, Brian D. Johnson summarized Chaykin's screen persona as "[bringing] an unnerving edge to whatever character he plays, a disturbing sense of dissociation. But while all his roles are weird, each is weird in its own way. Modifying his signature from one role to the next, Chaykin gives the impression of creating the character as the camera rolls."{{Cite web |title=Canadian Film Encyclopedia - Maury Chaykin |url=https://cfe.tiff.net/canadianfilmencyclopedia/content/bios/maury-chaykin |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=cfe.tiff.net}}
Bruce Weber of The New York Times posthumously described Chaykin as "a ubiquitous character actor who specialized in comic roles with disturbing undertones and disturbing roles with comic undertones."{{Cite news |last=Weber |first=Bruce |date=2010-07-29 |title=Maury Chaykin, Character Actor, Dies at 61 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/arts/29chaykin.html |access-date=2022-10-25 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}
Death
Filmography
{{unreferenced section|date= October 2022}}
= Film =
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role !Director ! class="unsortable" | Notes !Ref. |
|---|
| 1975
| Me | Oliver Jordan | | |
| rowspan="3" | 1980
| Kanook | rowspan="2" |George Bloomfield | | |
| Double Negative
| Rollins | | |
| data-sort-value="Kidnapping of the President, The" | The Kidnapping of the President
| Harvey Cannon | | |
| 1981
| Clarence | | |
| rowspan="2" | 1982
| Dr. Wexler | | |
| Highpoint
| Falco | | |
| rowspan="3" | 1983
| Curtains | Monty | | |
| WarGames
| Jim Sting |Maurys scene directed by Martin Brest | |
| Of Unknown Origin
| Dan Errol | | |
| rowspan="2" | 1984
| Lawrence | | |
| Mrs. Soffel
| Guard Charlie Reynolds | | |
| rowspan="2" | 1985
| Turk 182 | Man In Wheelchair | | |
| Def-Con 4
| Vinny | | |
| rowspan="2" | 1986
| data-sort-value="Vindicator, The" | The Vindicator | Burt Arthurs | | |
| Meatballs III: Summer Job
| Huey |George Mendeluk | | |
| rowspan="6" | 1987
| data-sort-value="Bedroom Window, The" | The Bedroom Window | Pool Player | | |
| Wild Thing
| Jonathan Trask |Max Reid | | |
| Future Block
| Voice | Kevin McCracken |
| Nowhere to Hide
| Marchais | | |
| Hearts of Fire
| Charlie Kelso | | |
| Caribe
| Captain Burdoch | | |
| rowspan="4" |1988
| Higher Education | Guido |John Sheppard | Uncredited | |
| Stars and Bars
| Freeborn Gage | | |
| Iron Eagle II
| Sgt. Neville Downs | | |
| Twins
| Burt Klane | | |
| rowspan="4" | 1989
| Roger Keane | | |
| Cold Comfort
| Floyd Lucas | | |
| George's Island
| Mr. Droonfield |Paul Donovan | | |
| Breaking In
| Vincent Tucci | | |
| rowspan="3" | 1990
| Harry | | |
| Mr. Destiny
| Guzelman | | |
| Dances with Wolves
| Maj. Fambrough | |
| rowspan="3" | 1991
| data-sort-value="Adjuster, The" | The Adjuster | Bubba | | |
| data-sort-value="Pianist, The" | The Pianist
| Cody | | |
| Montréal vu par...
| Jurgen Van Doom |Atom Egoyan | Segment: "En passant" | |
| rowspan="4" | 1992
| Sam Tipton | |
| Leaving Normal
| Leon "Crazy-As" Pendleton | | |
| Buried on Sunday
| Dexter Lexcannon |Paul Donovan | | |
| Hero
| Winston | | |
| rowspan="4" | 1993
| Dawson | | |
| Money for Nothing
| Vincente Goldoni | | |
| Josh and S.A.M.
| Pizza Man | | |
| Beethoven's 2nd
| Cliff Klamath | | |
| rowspan="4" | 1994
| Exotica | Exotica Club Client |Atom Egoyan | Uncredited | |
| Whale Music
| Desmond Howl | | |
| Camilla
| Harold Cara | | |
| Transplant
| |Bradley Walsh |Short film | |
| rowspan="3" | 1995
| Arthur Lidz | | |
| Devil in a Blue Dress
| Matthew Terell | | |
| Cutthroat Island
| John Reed | | |
| 1996
| Holiday Pageant Director | Uncredited | |
| rowspan="7" | 1997
| Love and Death on Long Island | Irving Buckmuller | | |
| data-sort-value="Sweet Hereafter, The" | The Sweet Hereafter
| Wendell Walker |Atom Egoyan | | |
| Gone Fishin' | Kirk | Uncredited | |
| Strip Search
| Tomas |Rod Hewitt | | |
| Pale Saints
| The Pirate | | |
| data-sort-value="Life Less Ordinary, A" | A Life Less Ordinary
| Tod Johnson | | |
| Mouse Hunt
| Alexander Falko | | |
| rowspan="2" | 1998
| Billy | | |
| data-sort-value="Mask of Zorro, The" | The Mask of Zorro
| Prison Warden | | |
| rowspan="5" | 1999
| Bruce | | |
| Entrapment
| Conrad Greene |Jon Amiel | | |
| Touched
| Bert | | |
| Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang
| Mr. Cooper / Louie Loser |George Bloomfield | | |
| Mystery, Alaska
| Bailey Pruitt | | |
| rowspan="2" | 2000
| Herbie Seelig | | |
| data-sort-value="Art of War, The" | The Art of War
| FBI Agent Frank Capella | | |
| rowspan="3" | 2001
| Bartleby | Ernest |Jonathan Parker | | |
| Plan B
| Donald Rossi | | |
| On Their Knees
| Norman | | |
| rowspan="3" | 2002
| Past Perfect | Chuck | | |
| data-sort-value="Wet Season, The" | The Wet Season
| Uncle Rick |Martha Ferguson | Short | |
| Hostage
| The Kidnapper | Segment for the BMW short film series The Hire | |
| 2003
| Frank Perlin |Richard Kwietniowski | | |
| rowspan="4" | 2004
| Sugar | Stanley |John Palmer | | |
| Being Julia
| Walter Gibbs | |
| Intern Academy
| Dr. Roger "Tony" Toussant | | |
| Wilby Wonderful
| Mayor Brent Fisher |Daniel MacIvor | | |
| 2005
| Sally Sanmarco |Atom Egoyan | | |
| rowspan="2" | 2006
| Lyle Harris |Terry Green | | |
| It's a Boy Girl Thing
| Stan Deane | | |
| rowspan="6" | 2008
| Production Office | Shelly |Deborah Marks | | |
| data-sort-value="Grift, The" | The Grift
| Rusty |Ralph E. Portillo | | |
| Blindness
| The Accountant | | |
| Adoration
| Passenger & Professor On-Line |Atom Egoyan | | |
| Bull
| Roland Gow |Kent Tessman | | |
| Hooked on Speedman
| Dietrich Baum |Michelle Ouellet | | |
| 2009
| H.E. Mr. Durand |Dilip Mehta | | |
| rowspan="2" | 2010
| John Emory |Richard J. Lewis | | |
| Casino Jack
| Anthony "Big Tony" Moscatiello | | |
| 2011
| Conduct Unbecoming | Colonel Fox |Sidney J. Furie | Posthumous release | |
= Television =
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes !Ref. |
|---|
| 1978
| Unknown | Episode: "Polyfur" | |
| 1980
| Jimmy B. and André | Bruno | TV movie | |
| rowspan="2" | 1981
| Just Jessie | Joey Harper | TV movie | |
| data-sort-value="July Group, The" | The July Group
| Harvey | TV movie | |
| 1982–86
| Randall Jackson | 4 episodes | |
| rowspan="2" | 1983
| "Mousey" | Episode: "Horatio Alger Updated: Frank and Fearless" | |
| American Playhouse
| Gondol | Episodes: "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank" | |
| rowspan="2" | 1984
| data-sort-value="Guardian, The" | The Guardian | Rudy Simbro | TV movie | |
| Hockey Night
| "Bum" Johnston | TV movie | |
| rowspan="3" | 1985
| In Like Flynn | Williams | TV movie | |
| Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks
| TV movie | |
| data-sort-value="Suicide Murders, The" | The Suicide Murders
| Sid | TV movie | |
| rowspan="6" | 1986
| Claude Vealey | TV movie | |
| Philip Marlowe, Private Eye
| Lieutenant Copernik | Episode: "Red Wind" | |
| Adderly
| Russian Agent | Episode: "Requiem" | |
| Night Heat
| Mallory / Merle Marlowe | 2 episodes | |
| Crime Story
| Steven Kordo | Episode: "Crime Pays" | |
| Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show
| Fire Captain | Episode: "There's an Elephant Stuck Up That Tree" | |
| rowspan="2" | 1987
| Diamonds | Murray Wolf | Episode: "Here Comes the Bride" | |
| Race for the Bomb
| 2 episodes | |
| 1988
| Hot Paint | Wilensky | TV movie | |
| 1989
| data-sort-value="Twilight Zone, The" | The Twilight Zone | James L. "Fats" Brown | Episode: "A Game of Pool" | |
| rowspan="2" | 1990
| Ben Tochet | 2 episodes | |
| Labor of Love
| Unknown | TV movie | |
| 1991
| Lawyer D'Arcy Bancroft | Episode: "Episode #1.1" | |
| 1992
| Split Images | Walter Kouza | TV movie | |
| 1993
| Matrix | Lionel Meeks / Charles Meeks | 2 episodes | |
| 1995
| TV movie | |
| 1996
| If Looks Could Kill | TV movie | |
| rowspan="3" | 1997
| Ben Loomis | TV movie | |
| La Femme Nikita
| Rudy | Episode: "Innocent" | |
| Northern Lights
| Ben Rubadue | TV movie | |
| 1997–98
| Pike / Jasper Gutman | 2 episodes | |
| rowspan="3" | 1998
| Kurt Rasmussen | Episode: "Marriage" | |
| Emily of New Moon
| Lofty John | Episode: "Paradise Lost" | |
| Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal
| Dr. Bob Dalhousie | Episode: "Harlequin" | |
| rowspan="3" | 1999
| Lexx | Pa Gollean | 2 episodes | |
| Made in Canada
| Captain McGee | Episode: "For the Children" | |
| Joan of Arc
| 3 episodes | |
| 2000
| data-sort-value="Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery, The" | The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery | TV movie | |
| 2001
| Marcello | TV movie | |
| 2001–02
| data-sort-value="Nero Wolfe Mystery, A" | A Nero Wolfe Mystery | 20 episodes | |
| 2001
| Billy, The Scorekeeper | TV movie | |
| 2002
| Ethan Lowry | TV movie | |
| rowspan="2" | 2003
| Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales | Dan Weisman | TV movie | |
| Andromeda
| Citizen Eight | Episode: "Pieces of Eight" | |
| rowspan="3" | 2004
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Joseph Greene / Joe Landers | Episode: "No More Bets" | |
| data-sort-value="Eleventh Hour, The" | The Eleventh Hour
| Dr. Jackson | Episode: "The Revenge Specialist" | |
| Sex Traffic
| Ernie Dwight | 2 episodes | |
| 2005
| data-sort-value="Hunt for the BTK Killer, The" | The Hunt for the BTK Killer | Robert Beattie | TV movie | |
| 2005–06
| Nerus | 2 episodes | |
| 2005–07
| Harvey Weingard | 4 episodes | |
| rowspan="4" | 2006
| Ryan Myerson | Episode: "Live Big" |
| At the Hotel'
| Jerry Mitchell | Episode: "The Perfect Couple" | |
| Trailer Park Boys
| Chief of Police | Episode: "Gimme My Fuckin Money or Randy's Dead" | |
| Eureka
| Sheriff William Cobb | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2007
| Senator Wallace | 3 episodes | |
| 2007
| Elijah | Premier Howard Pawley | TV movie | |
| 2008
| Glitch | Mr. Linkletter | TV movie | |
| 2008
| Murder on Her Mind | John Emory | TV movie | |
| 2008–10
| Sam Blecher | 26 episodes | |
| 2009
| Abroad | Lord Oldenberg | TV movie | |
| 2011
| data-sort-value="Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour, The" | The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour | Doctor Funtime | Episode: "Maury Chaykin Fucked Us" | |
Partial theatre credits
Select theatre credits for Maury Chaykin were part of his resumé at Edna Talent Management, Ltd.{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204132858/http://www.etmltd.com/html/male/chaykin.html|date=December 4, 2008|title=Maury Chaykin}}, Edna Talent Management Ltd., archived 2008-12-04 from the [http://etmltd.com/html/male/chaykin.html original] at the Internet Archive. Retrieved 2013-12-14.
Awards and honours
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0001999}}
- {{Tcmdb name}}
{{ACCT Best Actor}}
{{Authority control|state=expanded}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaykin, Maury}}
Category:American people of Jewish descent
Category:Canadian people of American-Jewish descent
Category:American Ashkenazi Jews
Category:Canadian Ashkenazi Jews
Category:Male actors from Toronto
Category:American male film actors
Category:Jewish American male actors
Category:American emigrants to Canada
Category:American male television actors
Category:Canadian male film actors
Category:Jewish Canadian male actors
Category:Canadian male television actors
Category:Deaths from kidney failure in Canada
Category:Male actors from Brooklyn
Category:University at Buffalo alumni