Actor and writer Joe Flaherty, an original cast member of the SCTV sketch comedy series, died on Monday, April 1, 2024. His daughter, Gudrun Flaherty confirmed that he passed after a brief illness. He was 82 years old.

Flaherty starred in all six seasons of SCTV, becoming known for characters like Guy Caballero, Count Floyd, Big Jim McBob, and Floyd Robertson. He won two Emmys for writing on the variety show and was nominated an additional seven times. For the Canadian-American sitcom Maniac Mansion, he starred as scientist/father Fred Edison, and wrote and directed for the show.

Born in Pittsburgh, PA on June 21, 1941, Flaherty studied acting at the Pittsburgh Playhouse when he was a teenager. After four years in the US Air Force, he worked as a draftsman then moved to Chicago to be a stage manager for Second City.

Flaherty got his start at the Chicago-based Second City comedy troupe and then moved to Toronto in 1973 to help open their Canadian location. After that, he moved on to SCTV, working with comedy greats like Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, John Candy, Harold Ramis, and several others.

In the mid-1970s, Flaherty also worked on the National Lampoon Radio Hour and helped open a Second City location in Pasadena. While working on SCTV, he was also on The David Steinberg Show.

His film and TV credits also include Tunnel Vision, 1941, Stripes, Heavy Metal, Follow that Bird, One Crazy Summer, Innerspace, Who’s Harry Crumb?, Back to the Future Part II, he heckled Adam Sandler’s titular character in Happy Gilmore, he had a recurring role on Police Academy: The Series, Detroit Rock City, played Harold Weird in Freaks and Geeks, and played Father McAndrew on King of Queens.