TORONTO (AP) – Actor and comedian Joe Flaherty of “SCTV” fame has died after a brief illness, according to his daughter. Flaherty was 82.
Flaherty was born in Pittsburgh, moved to Chicago to join The Second City comedy group, then went to Toronto to be part of Second City there.
He created characters like horror TV host Count Floyd, news anchor Floyd Robertson and talk-show host Sammy Maudlin for “SCTV.” One of his co-stars of that show, Martin Short, expressed sadness at Flaherty’s passing.
“In over 50 years of our friendship, there were very few people as wise or hilarious when it came to comedy, teaching improvisation and the art of character work as Joe,” Short said in a statement. “In SCTV we called him the anchor. In life, he was simply the funniest man in the room. I just adored him.”
Flaherty also played the heckler in “Happy Gilmore” and the dad on “Freaks and Geeks.”
In later years, he served as an artist-in-residence at Humber College in Toronto.
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