Max Wright

Early Film and television

Wright made supporting appearances on television shows such as WKRP in Cincinnati^[2] and Cheers,^[3] and was a regular cast member on Misfits of Science,^[3] AfterMASH,^[4] and Buffalo Bill.^[5] He had roles in the films All That Jazz (1979),^[3] Reds (1981),^[3] The Sting II (1983),^[3] and Soul Man (1986),^[3] and played Dr. Josef Mengele in the 1980 TV movie Playing for Time.^[6]

ALF

From 1986 to 1990, Wright appeared in the sitcom ALF as Willie Tanner, a typical father of a middle-class family, who finds an alien who has crash-landed on Earth. Despite this becoming his best-known performance, the actor despised the role due to its huge technical demands and the fact that he, a human, played a supporting character for an "inanimate object". "It was hard work and very grim", he stated in a 2000 interview to People.^[7] He was also, reportedly, very happy when the show was canceled in 1990. "I was hugely eager to have it over with", he said in the same interview. According to his co-star in the show, Anne Schedeen, "there was one take, and Max walked off the set, went to his dressing room, got his bags, went to his car, and disappeared. Nobody had to say, 'Wrap,' and there were no goodbyes". However, Wright later admitted that as the years passed he looked back at ALF with less animosity and conceded that "It doesn't matter what I felt or what the days were like, ALF brought people a lot of joy."^[7]

Later Film and television

Wright's later appearances included Murder, She Wrote,^[8] Quantum Leap,^[8] Murphy Brown,^[8] Early Edition,^[8] and the first and second seasons of the sitcom Friends as Terry, the manager of Central Perk.^[5] He also appeared as Dr. Herbert Denninger in the 1994 made-for-TV adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand,^[9] Berger in the 1994 film The Shadow,^[3] the inspector in the 1995 film Grumpier Old Men,^[8] Günter Wendt in the 1998 HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon,^[8] and Norm's boss in the sitcom The Norm Show.^[3]

Stage

Wright also had a stage career. In 1968, he appeared in the original production of The Great White Hope at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.^[2] In 1998, he appeared on Broadway in Ivanov, which garnered him a Tony nomination,^[2] and played Sir Andrew in Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.^[10] In 2007, he acted at the JET (Jewish Ensemble Theatre) in Detroit^[11] and in the production of No Man's Land at the American Repertory Theater.^[12] He also appeared in The Public Theater's 2010 production of The Winter's Tale and The Merchant of Venice at Shakespeare in the Park festivals.^[13]

Legal issues

On January 10, 2000, Wright was arrested and charged for alleged DUI following a non-injury car accident in Hollywood, he was later released on a bail of $7,500.^[15]

In August 2003, he was arrested and charged for another alleged DUI for driving through New York state after running over some mailboxes and a traffic sign, his license was suspended for six months; he was booked into the Columbia County Jail and posted bail a month later on September 30, 2003.^[16][17]

Film

Television