Maury Chaykin (born July 27, 1949) is a American-Canadian actor. He is known for his work as a character actor in many films and television series.
Chaykin was born in Brooklyn, New York to an American father of Russian ancestry and a Canadian mother. Raised in New York City, he studied drama at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He subsequently moved to Toronto, Ontario, where he has resided ever since. Chaykin is the nephew of film director George Bloomfield. He is married to actress Susannah Hoffman, with whom he has one daughter.
A large man, Chaykin is known for portrayals of blustery supporting characters. One of his rare leading roles is as Nero Wolfe. Chaykin first played the detective genius in The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2000), an A&E telemovie adaptation of the 1953 novel by Rex Stout. Timothy Hutton costars as Archie Goodwin. The original movie's success led to the critically acclaimed series, A Nero Wolfe Mystery, which played for two seasons on A&E and continues to air internationally. (Chaykin and Hutton worked together previously, albeit briefly, in the 1985 film Turk 182, in which Hutton played the title role, and Chaykin played a very minor character.)
Two of Chaykin's early motion picture roles brought him public recognition. He portrayed young computer programmer Jim Sting in WarGames; and as prosecution witness Sam Tipton in My Cousin Vinny, he successfully voiced a Southern accent ("No self-respectin' Southerner uses instant grits").
Chaykin has also had television roles in the series Seeing Things and Emily of New Moon, and a recurring role as the intergalactic gourmand Nerus (a nod to Nero Wolfe) in Stargate SG-1. In 1990, he had a small but pivotal role in the film Dances with Wolves. He portrayed the colorful bookie Frank Perlin opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman's compulsive gambler Dan Mahowny in Owning Mahowny, a film that critic Roger Ebert named as one of the ten best of 2003.
In 2006, Chaykin appeared in an episode of the Ken Finkleman miniseries, At the Hotel. He received a Gemini Award for best performance by an actor in a guest role. He has a semi-recurring role in the HBO series Entourage, as volatile movie producer Harvey Weingard, a send-up of the celebrated producer Harvey Weinstein. He also appeared as Stan Deane, father of Kevin Zegers' character Woody Deane, in the 2006 romantic comedy It's a Boy Girl Thing.
To celebrate the first 30 years of his career, the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film presented Chaykin with its Career So Far Award in 2006. Chaykin spoke to the Toronto Star about the honor:
"I got this strange call from Chlotrudis," he recalls. "I thought it was a disease. It's a society for independent film and they said, 'We're giving you The Career So Far Award. Not The Lifetime Achievement Award. We hope you will do a lot more indie films.' They want to fly me down to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Last year's winner was Philip Seymour Hoffman. I looked up their website and they are legit. Nero Wolfe raised orchids. Maybe he had a rare form of Chlotrudis."
Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks
Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Single Dramatic Program
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television
Iron Eagle II
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television
Cold Comfort
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television
Whale Music
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television
The Sweet Hereafter
Best Acting by an Ensemble
National Board of Review of Motion Pictures
La Femme Nikita (episode "Innocent")
Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television
Emily of New Moon (episode "Paradise Lost")
Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television
A Nero Wolfe Mystery
Outstanding Performance – Male
Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film
At the Hotel (episode "The Perfect Couple")
Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television
