Max Wright
Encyclopedia
George Edward Maxwell "Max" Wright (born August 2, 1943) is an American actor, best known for his role as Willie Tanner in the sitcom ALF
.
.
Prior to ALF he made appearances in TV shows such as WKRP in Cincinnati
, and was a regular cast member in Misfits of Science
, AfterMASH
, Buffalo Bill
and The Norm Show
as well as appearing in the made-for-TV adaptation of Stephen King
's The Stand
. He also appeared briefly in the first and second season of the sitcom Friends
, as Terry, the manager of Central Perk, played Guenter Wendt
in the 1998 HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon and Dr. Josef Mengele
in Playing for Time
.
Wright has also enjoyed a stage career and has acted at regional theaters around the country. He received a Tony
nomination in 1998 for Ivanov. Another Broadway
appearance of note was in Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center as Sir Andrew. He was in the original production of The Great White Hope
at The Arena Stage
in Washington, D.C. In 2007 he acted at the JET - Jewish Ensemble Theatre in Detroit and in the production of "No Man's Land" at the American Repertory Theater. He appeared in The Public Theater's 2010 production of "Winters Tale" and "Merchant of Venice" at Shakespeare in the Park
.
. He is in remission.
In January 2000, Wright was arrested for drunken driving in Los Angeles, California. At the time he was appearing on the show Norm
. He was sentenced to probation. Another DUI arrest followed in 2003.
ALF (TV series)
ALF is an American science fiction sitcom that originally aired on NBC from 1986 to 1990, created by Paul Fusco. The title character was Gordon Shumway, a friendly extraterrestrial nicknamed ALF , who crash lands in the garage of the suburban middle-class Tanner family.The series starred Max...
.
Biography
Wright was born George Edward Maxwell Wright in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
.
Prior to ALF he made appearances in TV shows such as WKRP in Cincinnati
WKRP in Cincinnati
WKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta...
, and was a regular cast member in Misfits of Science
Misfits of Science
Misfits of Science is an American superhero fantasy television series that aired on NBC from October 1985 to February 1986. It featured a cast of super-powered humans and their madcap adventures...
, AfterMASH
AfterMASH
AfterMASH was an American situation comedy that aired on CBS from September 26, 1983 to December 11, 1984. A spin-off of the series M*A*S*H , the show took place immediately following the end of the Korean War and chronicled the adventures of three characters from the original series: Colonel...
, Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill (TV series)
Buffalo Bill is an American television situation comedy that featured the misadventures of an egotistical talk show host and his staff at WBFL-TV, a small TV station in Buffalo, New York. It premiered May 31, 1983 on NBC and ran for only part of two seasons...
and The Norm Show
The Norm Show
The Norm Show is an American television sitcom that ran from 1999 through 2001 on the ABC television network.-Synopsis:...
as well as appearing in the made-for-TV adaptation of Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
's The Stand
The Stand
The Stand is a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel by American author Stephen King. It demonstrates the scenario in his earlier short story, Night Surf...
. He also appeared briefly in the first and second season of the sitcom Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, as Terry, the manager of Central Perk, played Guenter Wendt
Guenter Wendt
Günter F. Wendt was a German-American engineer noted for his work in the U.S. manned spaceflight program. An employee of McDonnell Aircraft and later North American Aviation, he was in charge of the spacecraft close-out crews at the launch pads for the entire Mercury and Gemini programs , and the...
in the 1998 HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon and Dr. Josef Mengele
Josef Mengele
Josef Rudolf Mengele , also known as the Angel of Death was a German SS officer and a physician in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. He earned doctorates in anthropology from Munich University and in medicine from Frankfurt University...
in Playing for Time
Playing For Time (film)
Playing For Time is a 1980 CBS television film, written by Arthur Miller and Fania Fénelon, based on Fénelon's autobiography, The Musicians of Auschwitz...
.
Wright has also enjoyed a stage career and has acted at regional theaters around the country. He received a Tony
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nomination in 1998 for Ivanov. Another Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
appearance of note was in Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center as Sir Andrew. He was in the original production of The Great White Hope
The Great White Hope
The Great White Hope is a 1967 play written by Howard Sackler, later adapted in 1970 for a film of the same name. The play was first produced by Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on October 3, 1968 for a run of 546 performances, directed by Edwin Sherin...
at The Arena Stage
Arena Stage
Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest Washington, D.C. Its declared mission"is to produce huge plays of all that is passionate, exuberant, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit. Arena has broad shoulders and a capacity to produce anything from vast epics...
in Washington, D.C. In 2007 he acted at the JET - Jewish Ensemble Theatre in Detroit and in the production of "No Man's Land" at the American Repertory Theater. He appeared in The Public Theater's 2010 production of "Winters Tale" and "Merchant of Venice" at Shakespeare in the Park
Shakespeare in the Park
Shakespeare in the Park is a concept used across the world, as a form of free public presentation of William Shakespeare's works. Such performances exist in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America....
.
Personal life
He has been married to his wife, Linda, since 1965; the couple have two children, Ben and Daisy. In 1995, he was diagnosed with lymphomaLymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
. He is in remission.
In January 2000, Wright was arrested for drunken driving in Los Angeles, California. At the time he was appearing on the show Norm
The Norm Show
The Norm Show is an American television sitcom that ran from 1999 through 2001 on the ABC television network.-Synopsis:...
. He was sentenced to probation. Another DUI arrest followed in 2003.
Filmography
- Last EmbraceLast EmbraceLast Embrace is a 1979 thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme. Based on the novel The 13th Man by Murray Teigh Bloom, it stars Roy Scheider, Janet Margolin and Christopher Walken.-Plot summary:...
(1979) - All That JazzAll That JazzAll That Jazz is a 1979 American musical film directed by Bob Fosse. The screenplay by Robert Alan Aurthur and Fosse is a semi-autobiographical fantasy based on aspects of Fosse's life and career as dancer, choreographer and director. The film was inspired by Bob Fosse's manic effort to edit his...
(1979) - SimonSimon (1980 film)Simon is a 1980 American comedy film. It was directed by Marshall Brickman and stars Alan Arkin.- Plot summary :The Institute for Advanced Concepts, a group of scientists with an unlimited budget and a propensity for elaborate pranks, brainwash a psychology professor named Simon Mendelssohn who was...
(1980) - Playing for TimePlaying For Time (film)Playing For Time is a 1980 CBS television film, written by Arthur Miller and Fania Fénelon, based on Fénelon's autobiography, The Musicians of Auschwitz...
(1980) - Reds (1981)
- The Sting IIThe Sting IIThe Sting II is an 1983 film sequel to The Sting. Directed by Jeremy Kagan and written by David S. Ward , it stars Jackie Gleason, Mac Davis, Teri Garr, Karl Malden and Oliver Reed...
(1983) - Fraternity VacationFraternity VacationFraternity Vacation is a 1985 low-budget American sex comedy starring Stephen Geoffreys as a nerdy pledge to the Theta Pi Gamma fraternity at Iowa State, with Tim Robbins and Cameron Dye as egregious Theta Pi Gamma frat boys...
(1985) - Touch and Go (1986)
- Soul ManSoul Man (film)Soul Man is a comedy film made in 1986 about a man who undergoes racial transformation with pills to qualify for a Black only scholarship at Harvard Law School. It stars C. Thomas Howell, Rae Dawn Chong, Arye Gross, James Earl Jones, Leslie Nielsen, James B...
(1986) - Going to the Chapel (1988)
- The ShadowThe Shadow (1994 film)The Shadow is a 1994 American superhero film, directed by Russell Mulcahy, and based on the character of the same name created by Walter B. Gibson in 1931. Alec Baldwin starred in the title role...
(1994) - Grumpier Old MenGrumpier Old MenGrumpier Old Men is a 1995 romantic comedy film, and a sequel to the 1993 film Grumpy Old Men. The film stars Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret, and Sophia Loren, with Burgess Meredith, Daryl Hannah, Kevin Pollak, Katie Sagona, Ann Morgan Guilbert...
(1995) - A Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's Dream (1999 film)A Midsummer Night's Dream is a 1999 American film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Michael Hoffman. The ensemble cast features Kevin Kline as Bottom, Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Everett as Titania and Oberon, and Calista Flockhart, Anna Friel,...
(1999) - Snow Falling on CedarsSnow Falling on Cedars (film)Snow Falling on Cedars is a film directed by Scott Hicks. It is based on David Guterson's novel of the same title. It was released in 1999 and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.-Plot:...
(1999) - EasterEasterEaster is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
(2000)
Television
- In Fashion (1974) (TV Movie)
- Red Alert (1977) (TV Movie)
- Playing for TimePlaying For Time (film)Playing For Time is a 1980 CBS television film, written by Arthur Miller and Fania Fénelon, based on Fénelon's autobiography, The Musicians of Auschwitz...
(1980) (TV Movie) - For Ladies Only (1981) (TV Movie)
- Hart to HartHart to HartHart to Hart is an American television series, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, a wealthy couple who also moonlighted as amateur detectives. The series was created by writer Sidney Sheldon and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg...
(1 episode, 1982) - CBS Afternoon Playhouse (1 episode, 1982)
- WKRP in CincinnatiWKRP in CincinnatiWKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta...
(2 episodes, 1982) - TaxiTaxi (TV series)Taxi was an American sitcom that originally aired from 1978 to 1982 on ABC and from 1982 to 1983 on NBC. The series, which won 18 Emmy Awards, including three for "Outstanding Comedy Series", focuses on the everyday lives of a handful of New York City taxi drivers and their abusive dispatcher...
(1 episode, 1982) - Tales from the DarksideTales from the DarksideTales from the Darkside is an anthology horror TV series produced by George A. Romero; it originally aired from 1983 to 1988. Similar to Amazing Stories, The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, The Outer Limits, and Tales From The Crypt, each episode was an individual short story that ended with a plot...
(1 episode, 1983) - Buffalo BillBuffalo Bill (TV series)Buffalo Bill is an American television situation comedy that featured the misadventures of an egotistical talk show host and his staff at WBFL-TV, a small TV station in Buffalo, New York. It premiered May 31, 1983 on NBC and ran for only part of two seasons...
(25 episodes, 1983–1984) - AfterMASHAfterMASHAfterMASH was an American situation comedy that aired on CBS from September 26, 1983 to December 11, 1984. A spin-off of the series M*A*S*H , the show took place immediately following the end of the Korean War and chronicled the adventures of three characters from the original series: Colonel...
(1 episode, 1984) - E/RE/RE/R is an American television sitcom that aired in 1984 and 1985. Developed from a successful play of the same name, the series was produced by Embassy Television and lasted a single season.-Synopsis:...
(1 episode, 1984) - The Boy Who Loved TrollsThe Boy Who Loved TrollsThe Boy Who Loved Trolls is a 1984 American Fantasy/Adventure film. The story was adapted by James A. DeVinney from a play by John Wheatcroft. The original play, entitled Ofoeti, was telecast in 1966, on NET Playhouse.-Plot:...
(1984) (TV Movie) - Scandal Sheet (1985) (TV Movie)
- Code Name: Foxfire (1 episode, 1985)
- BensonBenson (TV series)Benson is an American television sitcom which aired from September 13, 1979, to April 19, 1986, on ABC. The series was a spin-off from the soap opera parody Soap ; however, Benson discarded the...
(1 episode, 1985) - Konrad (1985) (TV Movie)
- Misfits of ScienceMisfits of ScienceMisfits of Science is an American superhero fantasy television series that aired on NBC from October 1985 to February 1986. It featured a cast of super-powered humans and their madcap adventures...
(1985) (TV Movie) - Misfits of ScienceMisfits of ScienceMisfits of Science is an American superhero fantasy television series that aired on NBC from October 1985 to February 1986. It featured a cast of super-powered humans and their madcap adventures...
(15 episodes, 1985–1986) - ALFALF (TV series)ALF is an American science fiction sitcom that originally aired on NBC from 1986 to 1990, created by Paul Fusco. The title character was Gordon Shumway, a friendly extraterrestrial nicknamed ALF , who crash lands in the garage of the suburban middle-class Tanner family.The series starred Max...
(102 episodes, 1986–1990) - CheersCheersCheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
(2 episodes, 1986) - Comedy Factory (1 episode, 1986)
- Liberty (1986) (TV Movie)
- Faerie Tale TheatreFaerie Tale TheatreFaerie Tale Theatre is a live-action children's television anthology series retelling popular fairy tales. Shelley Duvall serves as narrator, host and executive producer of the program, and occasionally stars in episodes...
(1 episode, 1987) - Murder, She WroteMurder, She WroteMurder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
(1 episode, 1991)
- GhostwriterGhostwriter (TV series)Ghostwriter is an American television program created by Liz Nelson and produced by the Children's Television Workshop and BBC One. It began airing on PBS on October 4, 1992, and the final episode aired on February 13, 1995...
(4 episodes, 1992) - Quantum Leap (2 episodes, 1992)
- The Powers That BeThe Powers That Be (TV series)The Powers That Be is a United States television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman that aired briefly on NBC from 1992 to 1993. Norman Lear served as executive producer for the show.-Plot:...
(1 episode, 1992) - DudleyDudley (TV Series)Dudley is an American Primetime television series starring Dudley Moore and Joanna Cassidy. The series premiered April 16, 1993 on CBS, temporarily replacing on Friday primetime-slot the series Major Dad, and was canceled May 14, 1993, just one episode before its regular ending.-Synopsis:The...
(6 episodes, 1993) - Murphy BrownMurphy BrownMurphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...
(1 episode, 1993) - RocRoc (TV series)Roc is an American comedy-drama television series which ran on Fox from August 1991 to May 1994. The series stars Charles S. Dutton as Baltimore garbage collector Roc Emerson and Ella Joyce as his wife Eleanor.-Early episodes:...
(1 episode, 1993) - MontyMonty (TV series)Monty is a short lived American sitcom that aired on the FOX network in 1994. The series starred Henry Winkler as a loud, obnoxious conservative TV commentator , Monty had also written a best-selling book tilted I'm Right. I'm Right. I'm Right. Shut Up...
(1 episode) - The StandThe Stand (TV miniseries)# Project Blue [1:33]# The Dream Begins [2:08]# On the Road to Kansas [3:57]# The Trashmen in Vegas [1:58]# Headin' West [1:56]# Larry & Nadine [2:38]# Mother Abigail [3:10]# 'Sorry Mister, I Don't Understand' [2:54]# Mid Country [3:22]...
(Miniseries, 1994) - White MileWhite MileWhite Mile is a 1994 American film directed by Robert Butler and starring Alan Alda and Peter Gallagher.- Plot summary :Dan Cutler, the head of an advertising agency, invites his colleagues to a whitewater rafting trip.- Cast :*Alan Alda as Dan Cutler...
(1994) (TV Movie) - A Mother's Gift (1995) (TV Movie)
- FriendsFriendsFriends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
(2 episodes in season 1 & 2, 1994–1995) - The John Larroquette ShowThe John Larroquette ShowThe John Larroquette Show is a situation comedy that ran on the NBC network from 1993 to 1996. The show, created by Don Reo, was a vehicle for John Larroquette following his run as Dan Fielding on Night Court. The series took place in a seedy bus terminal in St. Louis, Missouri and focused on the...
(1 episode, 1996) - Early EditionEarly EditionEarly Edition is an American television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 1996 to May 27, 2000. Set in the city of Chicago, Illinois, it follows the adventures of a man who mysteriously receives each Chicago Sun-Times newspaper the day before it is actually published, and who uses this...
(1 episode, 1996) - High IncidentHigh IncidentHigh Incident is a police drama series produced by DreamWorks Television for the ABC network. The show was created by Steven Spielberg, Michael Pavone, Eric Bogosian and Dave Alan Johnson...
(1 episode, 1996) - Dead by Midnight (1997) (TV Movie)
- From the Earth to the Moon (Miniseries, 1998)
- Twelfth Night, or What You Will (1998) (TV Movie)
- Mad About YouMad About YouMad About You is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992 to May 24, 1999. The show starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple in New York City. Reiser played Paul Buchman, a documentary film maker. Hunt played Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist...
(1 episode, 1998) - The Drew Carey ShowThe Drew Carey ShowThe Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
(1 episode, 1999) - The Norm ShowThe Norm ShowThe Norm Show is an American television sitcom that ran from 1999 through 2001 on the ABC television network.-Synopsis:...
(49 episodes, 1999–2001) - A Minute with Stan HooperA Minute with Stan HooperA Minute with Stan Hooper, also known as Stan Hooper, is an American sitcom starring Norm Macdonald. The series was a Carsey-Werner production in association with Paramount Television and aired on Fox...
(1 episode, 2003) - Back to Norm (2005) (TV Movie)