Joseph Maher
About
Biography
Biography
A veteran character player with a long career on stage and screen, the silver-haired, often mustachioed Joseph Maher was usually cast in comedic roles, generally as butlers or clerics. The Irish-born actor moved to Canada at age 22 where he briefly worked for an oil company and as a bartender before joining an amateur theater troupe. He made his professional debut with the Canada Players in a 1959 production of "The Taming of the Shrew" and migrated to the USA three years later. Maher soon became a prominent stage actor, co-starring with Dustin Hoffman in "Eh?" (1966-67), Zoe Caldwell in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" (1968) and Al Pacino in "The Local Stigmatic" (1969). During this time, he alternated between NYC and regional theaters. He also found time to act in the occasional TV production, like his supporting turn to Julie Harris in "Little Moon of Alban" (NBC, 1964).
Maher continued to spend much of the 70s and 80s alternating between theater and the small screen. He appeared in support of Rosemary Harris and Eva Le Gallienne in "The Royal Family" (1975-76) while simultaneously featured on the NBC daytime drama "Another World." Maher earned back-to-back Tony Award nominations in 1979 and 1980 as Best Featured Actor in a Play for "Spokesong," a drama set in Ireland, and "Night and Day," a revival of Tom Stoppard's play. In the 80s, the actor went on to establish himself as one of the foremost contemporary interpreters of the works of Joe Orton (often directed by John Tillinger). As the befuddled but determined police inspector Truscott in "Loot" (1986), Maher all but stole the show and earned a third Tony nomination. He similarly enlivened productions of Orton's "What the Butler Saw" (which he performed in both NYC and London) and "Entertaining Mr. Sloan." One of his last stage appearances was in a 1995 staging of "The Entertainer" at the Long Wharf Theatre.
Maher's stock in Hollywood rose in the 70s beginning with his turn as a Wall Street executive interested in sex games in "For Pete's Sake" (1974) followed by his butler to Warren Beatty in "Heaven Can Wait" (1978). He continued to amass credits in the 80s, although in mostly forgettable fare (e.g., "Going Ape!" 1981, "Funny Farm" 1988). In 1992, Maher played the bishop in "Sister Act" and ushered in a period of intense work. He was a museum curator in "The Shadow" (1994) and a dimwitted colleague of Albert Einstein's in "I.Q." (also 1994). The actor had one of his best roles as the artist's dealer in "Surviving Picasso" (1996) while his last released film "In & Out" (1997) typically cast him as a priest.
In tandem with his feature work, Maher appeared as a regular on a number of TV sitcoms. He was Billy Dee Williams' butler in the short-lived "Double Dare" (CBS, 1985), After a turn as St Peter counseling a returned soul in the Fox comedy "Second Chances" (1987-88), Maher joined the cast of "Anything But Love" (ABC) for the 1989-90 season. More recently, he had a recurring role of a doctor on "Chicago Hope," co-starred as a college chancellor in "Goode Behavior" (UPN, 1996) and was an interior designer on "Style & Substance" (CBS, 1998).
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1956
Moved to Canada
1959
Stage debut in Toronto production of "The Taming of the Shrew"
1961
Moved to NYC (date approximate)
1962
Off-Broadway debut in "The Hostage", starring Julie Harris
1964
Broadway debut as understudy in "The Chinese Prime Minister"
1964
TV debut in "Hallmark Hall of Fame" production of "Little Moon of Alban", also starring Harris
1965
Was a member of the acting company at the Theatre Company of Boston
1965
Film debut in small role in "Passages From James Joyce's Finnegans Wake"
1968
Co-starred with Zoe Caldwell in the Broadway production of "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie"
1969
Company member at Charles Playhouse in Boston, MA
1974
First major film role in "For Pete's Sake"
1978
Portrayed a butler in "Heaven Can Wait"
1979
Appeared in the CBS TV-movie "My Old Man"
1979
Play "Dance for Me, Simeon" performed at the George Street Theatre in NJ
1979
Received first Tony Award nomination for his featured performance in "Spokesong"
1980
Garnered second Tony nomination for "Night and Day"
1983
Stage directing debut, "The Hostage" at the Long Wharf Theatre; also acted in
1985
Co-starred as the butler Sylvester in the short-lived CBS detective series "Double Dare"
1986
Won critical acclaim for his turn as the police inspector in the revival of "Loot"; received thrid Tony nomination
1987
Played St Peter in the Fox sitcom "Second Chance"
1992
Played a doctor on the short-lived sitcom "Laurie Hill" (ABC)
1992
Cast as the bishop in "Sister Act"
1996
Co-starred on the UPN sitcom "Goode Behavior"
1996
Played the artist's art dealer in "Surviving Picasso"
1997
Last film role as a priest in "In & Out"
1998
Last TV appearance, as regular on the CBS sitcom "Style & Substance"
Videos
Trailer
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