Character actor Maury Chaykin, a familiar face known equally for volatile comic performances in WarGames to Entourage as for playing the titular detective in A&E’s A Nero Wolfe Story, sadly passed away on the 27th July on his 61st birthday.
Chaykin was born and raised in New York but moved to Toronto shortly after college, where he began a film and television career that spanned more than 150 credits. Taking on Rex Stout’s portly genius detective Nero Wolfe —a part he first assayed in 2000’s The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery —was one of Chaykin’s few lead roles, casting him opposite Timothy Hutton as Archie Goodwin, although he also earned critical raves (and Canada’s Genie Award) starring as a burned-out, Brian Wilson-like rock star in 1994’s Whale Music
Stargate fans will remember him for his gluttonous character Nerus in Stargate SG1, who soon become a thorn in the side of SG1.
Our thoughts go out to his family during this difficult time.