Max Wright

George Edward Maxwell Wright (August 2, 1943 – June 26, 2019) was an American actor, known for his role as Willie Tanner on the sitcom ALF (1986–1990).

Max Wright
Wright as he appeared in 1988 on ALF
Born	George Edward Maxwell Wright August 2, 1943 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died	June 26, 2019 (aged 75) Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1974–2005
Spouse(s)	Linda Ybarrondo ​ ​ (m. 1965; died 2017)​
Children	2

Career

Film and television

Wright appeared on television shows such as WKRP in Cincinnati,[1] and was a regular cast member on Misfits of Science,[2] AfterMASH,[3] Buffalo Bill,[4] and The Norm Show,[2] and the made-for-TV adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand.[5] He appeared in the first and second seasons of the sitcom Friends as Terry, the manager of Central Perk.[4] He played Günter Wendt in the 1998 HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon[6] and Dr. Josef Mengele in Playing for Time.[7]

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.[8] 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."[8]

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.[1] In 1998, he appeared on Broadway in Ivanov, which garnered him a Tony nomination,[1] and played Sir Andrew in Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.[9] In 2007, he acted at the JET (Jewish Ensemble Theatre) in Detroit[10] and in the production of No Man's Land at the American Repertory Theater.[11] 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.[12]

Personal life

Wright was married to Linda Ybarrondo from 1965 until her death from breast cancer in 2017. The couple had two children.[2][4][13]

In 1995, he was diagnosed with lymphoma, which was successfully treated and remained in remission until 2019.[14] He died from the disease on June 26, 2019, at the age of 75 at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey.[14][15][16][17]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1979	Last Embrace	Second Commuter	Mystery-thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme Based on the novel The 13th Man by Murray Teigh Bloom	[18][6]
	All That Jazz	Joshua Penn	Drama-musical film directed by Bob Fosse and written by Robert Alan Aurthur & Fosse	[6]
1980	Simon	Leon Hundertwasser	Comedy-science fiction film directed ans written by Marshall Brickman
1981	Reds	Floyd Dell	Biographical-historical drama directed by Warren Beatty and written by Beatty & Trevor Griffiths
1983	The Sting II	Floor Manager	Crime film directed by Jeremy Paul Kagan
1985	Fraternity Vacation	Millard Tvedt	Comedy film directed by James Frawley
1986	Touch and Go	Lester	Romantic film directed by Robert Mandel
	Soul Man	Dr. Aronson	Romantic film directed by Steve Miner
1988	Going to the Chapel	Howard Haldane	Comedy film directed by Paul Lynch	[19]
1994	The Shadow	Berger	Action-adventure film directed by Russell Mulcahy	[6]
1995	Grumpier Old Men	County Health Inspector	Comedy film directed by Howard Deutch
1999	A Midsummer Night's Dream	Robin Starveling	Comedy film directed and written by Michael Hoffman Based on William Shakespeare comedic play of the same name
	Snow Falling on Cedars	Horace Whaley	Mystery film directed by Scott Hicks and written by Ron Bass & Hicks Based on the novel of the same name by David Guterson	[6][20]
2002	Easter	Zaddock Pratt	Comedy film directed and written by Richard Caliban Based on Will Scheffer's play of the same name	[21]

Television[6]

Great Performances (1974, Episode: "In Fashion") as Etienne Red Alert (1977, TV Movie) Playing for Time (1980, TV Movie) as Dr. Mengele For Ladies Only (1981, TV Movie) as Shakespeare Director Hart to Hart (1982, Episode: "Hart of Diamonds") as Dr. Robert Chase CBS Afternoon Playhouse (1982, 1 episode) WKRP in Cincinnati (1982, 2 episodes) as Frank Bartman Taxi (1982, Episode: "The Road Not Taken: Part 2") as Mr. Ambrose Tales from the Darkside (1983, Episode: "Trick or Treat" (Pilot)) as Mr. Bundle Buffalo Bill (1983–1984, 25 episodes) as Karl Shub AfterMASH (1984, Episode: "Less Miserables") as Burt Philbrick The Boy Who Loved Trolls (1984, TV Movie) as Secretary E/R (1984, Episode: "Mr. Fix-It") as Marvin Brock Scandal Sheet (1985, TV Movie) as Stan Clark Code Name: Foxfire (1 episode, 1985, Episode: "Slay It Again, Sam") Benson (1985, Episode: "Mid-life Cowboy") as Bernard Konrad (1985, TV Movie) as Dr. Al Monford Misfits of Science (1985, TV Movie) as Dick Stetmeyer Misfits of Science (1985–1986, 15 episodes) as Dick Stetmeyer Cheers (1986, 2 episodes) as Jim Fleener ALF (1986-1990, 99 episodes) as Willie Tanner Comedy Factory (1986, Episode: "The Faculty") Liberty (1986, TV Movie) as Alexandre Gustave Eiffel Faerie Tale Theatre (1987, Episode: "The Dancing Princesses") as Prince Heinrick

Murder, She Wrote (1991, Episode: "The Taxman Cometh") as Gerald Yelverton Ghostwriter (1992, 4 episodes) as Mr. Brinker Quantum Leap (1992, 2 episodes) as Doc Kinman The Powers That Be (1992, Episode: "Sophie's Big Decision") as Justice Reynolds Dudley (1993, 6 episodes) as Paul Murphy Brown (1993, Episode: "All the Life That's Fit to Print") as Marshall Corwin Roc (1993, Episode: "Shove It Up Your Asprin") as Mr. Cole Monty (1994, Episode: "Wild, Wild Willy and His O.K. Corral") ... Wild, Wild Willy The Stand (1994, 1 episode) as Dr. Herbert Denninger White Mile (1994, TV Movie) as Bill Spencer A Mother's Gift (1995, TV Movie) as Herman Mandelbrot Friends (1994-1995, 2 episodes) as Terry The John Larroquette Show (1996, Episode: "Some Call Them Beasts") as Jackson Bishop Early Edition (1996, Episode: "Thief Swipes Mayor's Dog") as Mayor Mike Garfield High Incident (1996, Episode: "Change Partners") as Gass Dead by Midnight (1997, TV Movie) as Dr. Jonas Reilly From the Earth to the Moon (1998, Episode: "We Have Cleared the Tower") as Guenter Wendt Twelfth Night, or What You Will (1998, TV Movie) as Sir Andrew Aguecheek Mad About You (1998, Episode: "Season Opener") as Man in Elevator The Drew Carey Show (1999, Episode: "Drew's Stomachache") as Drew's Stomach The Norm Show (1999-2001, 49 episodes) as Max Denby A Minute with Stan Hooper (2003, Episode: "Stan Hooper Goes to Washington") as The Mayor Back to Norm (2005, TV Movie) as Uncle Joe (final film role)

References

1. Legaspi, Althea (June 27, 2019). "Max Wright, 'Alf' Star and Veteran Actor, Dead at 75". Rolling Stones. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
2. Alexander, Bryan (June 27, 2019). "Max Wright, who played Willie Tanner on TV's 'ALF', dies at 75". USA Today. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
3. Didymus, John Thomas (June 27, 2019). "ALF star Max Wright dead at 75: Cause of death linked to cancer". Monsters & Critics. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
4. "Max Wright: Star of Alf and Buffalo Bill dies aged 75". BBC. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
5. Victoria Clark, Anne (June 26, 2019). "ALF Star Max Wright Has Passed Away". Vulture. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
6. "Max Wright". TV Guide. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
7. "Playing for Time". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
8. "Alf: 1986–1990". People. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
9. Gans, Andrew (June 27, 2019). "Max Wright, Tony Nominee and Dad on TV's Alf, Dies at 75". Playbill. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
10. "A beautiful production opens JET season". pridesource.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
11. "No Man's Land". americanrepertorytheater.org.
12. "The Public Theater's website". Publictheater.org. 2006-08-22. Archived from the original on 2012-11-21. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
13. Haring, Bruce (June 26, 2019). "Max Wright Dies: Father On '80s Sitcom 'Alf' Was 75". Deadline Hollywood. United States: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
14. Merrett, Robyn (June 26, 2019). "ALF Star Max Wright Dies at 75 Following Decades-Long Battle with Lymphoma". People. United States: Meredith Corporation. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
15. Padnani, Amisha (July 2, 2019). "Max Wright, Who Went From Theater Roles to 'ALF,' Dies at 75". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
16. Anderson, Natasha (June 26, 2019). "Report: 'Alf' star Max Wright passes away at 75". WJW. Cleveland: Tribune Broadcasting. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
17. Barnes, Mike (26 June 2019). "Max Wright, Who Played the Dad on 'ALF,' Dies at 75". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
18. Bloom, Murray Teigh (1977). The 13th Man. London: Macmillan Publishers. ASIN B001KJ8SYU.
19. "Going to the Chapel". Rotten Tomatoes. United States: Fandango Media. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
20. Guterson, David (1995). Snow Falling on Cedars (1st ed.). New York City: Vintage Books. ISBN 978-0679764021.
21. McCarthy, Todd (April 23, 2003). "Easter". Variety. United States: Variety Media, LLC. (Penske Media Corporation). Retrieved June 28, 2019.

External links

• Max Wright at IMDb
• Max Wright at Find a Grave
• Max Wright at the Internet Broadway Database