Joe Flaherty, Star of ‘SCTV’ and ‘Freaks and Geeks,’ Has Died

Joe Flaherty, who was on Canadian sketch program Second City Television (SCTV) and played the grouchy father on Freaks and Geeks, died April 1. He was 82.

Flaherty’s daughter Gudrun mentioned a brief illness in a statement.

Flaherty grew up in Pittsburgh and spent time in the Air Force.

He initially was a stage manager for the Chicago comedy troupe Second City, before shifting to a performer. He later moved to Toronto to help open a new Second City chapter.

Flaherty was an original cast member on SCTV, which debuted on Canadian television in 1976. With John Candy, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis and Catherine O’Hara, among other comedy standouts, in its cast, the show’s premise was a fictional TV station and the low-rent programs it aired. Flaherty did impersonations, including ones of Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley, and his characters included sleazy station president Guy Caballero, horror movie show host Count Floyd and Big Jim McBob, who hosted farm segments.

Flaherty was on the show for all six seasons. NBC aired SCTV 1981-1983.

Flaherty played Harold Weir, unsmiling father of Lindsay and Sam Weir, on Freaks and Geeks. The show debuted in 1999 and went for one season on NBC.

"He was a hilarious, sweet man who will be missed," said Patty Lin, who was a writer on Freaks and Geeks.

His TV credits also included The Big Bang Theory and King of Queens. 

Flaherty also had a bit part in Happy Gilmore, taunting Adam Sandler’s golfer character from the crowd. Other film roles included parts in Stripes, One Crazy Summer and Who’s Harry Crumb?