Joe Flaherty, funnyman from 'SCTV' and Chicago's Second City, dies at 82

Comic actor Joe Flaherty, who rose from the ranks of Chicago’s Second City to acclaimed roles on television’s “SCTV” and “Freaks & Geeks,” has died at age 82.

His daughter Gudrun said Tuesday that Flaherty died Monday following a brief illness.

The Pittsburgh native was a fixture of “SCTV,” the Canadian-based sketch series that depicted the backstage doings of a hapless TV network as well as its bizarre programming. Staying with the show throughout its erratic 1976-84 run in syndication and on NBC, he worked with such future stars as John Candy, Martin Short, Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara.

“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 to Variety. “In ‘SCTV’ we called him the anchor. In life, he was simply the funniest man in the room. I just adored him.”

Second City

Like the rest of the cast, Flaherty played countless roles on the show but was most often seen as ruthless station owner Guy Caballero and as Count Floyd, the howling monster movie host who was a moonlighting news anchor. He also performed impressions, notably of screen greats Kirk Douglas and Gregory Peck.

Earlier Flaherty had written and performed in several Chicago revues at Second City. He had moved to town to work as a stage manager at the Old Town theater but had a revelation upon seeing the show.

“I thought, ‘I love this! This is great! They’re doing really funny clever stuff, and they’re improvising, too,’ ” Flaherty said in the book “The Second City Unscripted,” by Mike Thomas. “And I thought, ‘I’d love to do this!’ ”

He and castmates including Harold Ramis and Brian Doyle-Murray were labeled “the Next Generation” for the youthful sensibilities they brought to the theater in the early 1970s.

Another of his Second City colleagues, John Belushi, told the Chicago Daily News in 1972 that Flaherty “showed me the difference between shtick and entertainment. ... Flaherty taught me subtlety.”

The Second City

The Second City called Flaherty “one of our dearest alums” in a statement Tuesday, adding, “With a career spanning decades, Joe brought laughs to generations of comedy audiences.”

In 1973 Flahery moved to Toronto to perform and later direct at a Second City theater, from which most of the “SCTV” cast was drawn. He won Emmys in 1982 and 1983 for his writing on the show.

He was introduced to later generations through memorable turns including a jeering heckler in the 1996 film “Happy Gilmore.”

The film’s star, Adam Sandler, wrote on X that he “worshipped Joe growing up. Always had me and my brother laughing. Count Floyd, Guy Caballero. Any move he made.

“He crushed as border guard in ‘Stripes.’ Couldn’t be more fun to have him heckle me on the golf course. The nicest guy you could know. Genius of a comedian. And a true sweetheart.”

On the NBC cult comedy “Freaks and Geeks,” which ran from 1999 to 2000, Flaherty played the protective father of two of the show’s teens.

“Dad was an extraordinary man, known for his boundless heart and an unwavering passion for movies from the ’40s and ’50s,” his daughter wrote in Tuesday’s statement. “Cinema wasn’t merely a hobby for him; it profoundly influenced his career, particularly his unforgettable time with ‘SCTV.’ He cherished every moment spent on the show, so proud of its success and so proud to be part of an amazing cast.”

Contributing: AP