Max Wright

George Edward "Max" Wright (August 2, 1943 – June 26, 2019) was an American actor, known for his role as Willie Tanner on the sitcom ALF (1986–1990).

Early life Wright was born August 2, 1943, in Detroit, Michigan, as George Edward Wright. He took the nickname "Max" as other actors were already known as George Wright.

He moved to the suburb of Southfield as a child, graduating from Southfield Senior High School in 1961. While a student at Southfield, he was very active in the theatre program and had leads in two different musical productions.

Career Early film and television Wright made supporting appearances on television shows such as WKRP in Cincinnati and was a regular cast member on Misfits of Science, and Buffalo Bill.

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. 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." Berger in the 1994 film The Shadow, Günter Wendt in the 1998 HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, In 1998, he appeared on Broadway in Ivanov, which garnered him a Tony nomination, 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 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.

Personal life Wright was married to Linda Ybarrondo from 1965 until her death from breast cancer in 2017. The couple had two children.

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.

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.

Death In 1995, he was diagnosed with lymphoma, which was successfully treated and remained in remission until 2019.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes1979 Last Embrace Second Commuter 1994 The Shadow Berger Action-adventure film directed by Russell Mulcahy 2002 Easter Zaddock Pratt

Television Year Title Role Notes 1974 Great Performances Etienne Episode: "In Fashion" 1971 The Taming of the Shrew Grumio Guthrie Theater 1974 Leonce and Lena performer Arena Stage Horatio Phrenologist Arena Stage 1975 The Ascent of Mount Fuji Mainbet Abavev Arena Stage 1976 Heartbreak House Mazzini Dunn Arena Stage Waiting for Godot Didi Arena Stage Our Town performer Arena Stage The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel Parker Longacre Theatre 1978 Stages Arnold Glickman, Father, Jack, Trooper Belasco Theatre Once in a Lifetime Lawrence Vail Circle in the Square Theatre Theatre World Award The Inspector General Iván Alexándrovich Khlestakóv Circle in the Square Theatre 1979 Richard III Second Murderer Cort Theater 1980 A Midsummer Night's Dream Francis Flute American Repertory Theater Happy End Bob Marker American Repertory Theater The Inspector General Mayor American Repertory Theater Lunch Hour Leo Ethel Barrymore Theatre 1981 Henry IV, Part 1 Glendower Delacorte Theater 1982 The Front Page Endicott Long Wharf Theatre 1992 What the Butler Saw Dr. Prentice La Jolla Playhouse 1995 Denial Professor Bernard Cooper Long Wharf Theatre 1997 Ivanov Pavel Lebedev Vivian Beaumont Theater Tony Award nomination Drama Desk Award nomination 1998 Twelfth Night Sir Andrew Aguecheek Vivian Beaumont Theater The Cripple of Inishmaan Johnnypateenmike Geffen Playhouse 1999 The Taming of the Shrew Christopher Sly Delacorte Theater 2005 Happy End Narrator Pacific Resident Theatre 2007 No Man's Land Spooner American Repertory Theater Elliot Norton Award 2010 The Winter's Tale Old Shepherd Delacorte Theater The Merchant of Venice Prince of Aragon Delacorte Theater