George Maharis

 

 

 

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George Maharis (born September 1, 1928)[1] is an American actor who portrayed Buz Murdock in the first three seasons of the TV series Route 66. Maharis also recorded numerous pop music albums at the height of his fame, and later starred in the short-lived TV series The Most Deadly Game.

Early years

Maharis was one of seven children born to Greek immigrants in Astoria, Queens.[1] Original spelling Mahairas. Although his father was in the restaurant business, George had early ambitions to be a professional singer. After injuring his vocal cords through overuse, however, he switched to acting.

He studied at the Actor's Studio and appeared in Off-Broadway productions of Jean Genet's Deathwatch and Edward Albee's The Zoo Story. Soon he was on television as well, in such showcases as Studio One, Kraft Television Theater, Goodyear Television Playhouse, Stirling Silliphant's Naked City and Otto Preminger's Exodus. Maharis also was featured on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow as Bud Gardner, one of Joanne Gardner's relatives who married Janet Bergman Collins.
Route 66

In 1960, Maharis shot to stardom with his successful turn as Buz Murdock in the popular TV series Route 66, which co-starred Martin Milner as formerly rich, now orphaned Tod Stiles. The show featured the two rebel-hunks traveling throughout the United States along Route 66 (and elsewhere) in a new Corvette that belonged to Milner's character. The series featured directors as acclaimed as Sam Peckinpah and Arthur Hiller, as well as guest stars as renowned as Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Buster Keaton, Ethel Waters and Martin Sheen. Even in such company, Maharis' own acting skills did not go unnoticed, as he received an Emmy nomination in 1962 for his continuing performance as Buz.

Maharis departed without completing his third season on the series. His participation that season had been spotty due to health problems, including two bouts of infectious hepatitis beginning in April 1962.[2] Maharis insisted that he left Route 66 entirely for health reasons, due to the long hours and grueling conditions he frequently experienced while shooting episodes on location. "I have to protect my future," Maharis said in a 1963 interview. "If I keep going at the present pace, I'm a fool. Even if you have $4,000,000 in the bank, you can't buy another liver."[3] This interpretation of events was disputed by series producers Stirling Silliphant and Herbert B. Leonard, who believed that the health issue camouflaged Maharis' desire to break his contract and make movies. Another claim was that there were conflicts between Milner and Maharis over acting styles, but this appears to have been less of an issue than was reported at the time.[3] After Maharis' departure, the show's appeal declined. Glenn Corbett stepped in as Milner's new sidekick on the road, Linc Case, but a year later, Route 66 was canceled.
Later career

For Maharis, a string of unsuccessful films followed, including Quick, Before It Melts (1964), The Satan Bug and Sylvia (both 1965), A Covenant With Death and The Happening (both 1967) and The Desperados (1969). Returning to series television in 1970, Maharis starred as criminologist Jonathan Croft in the ABC adventure series The Most Deadly Game, co-starring Ralph Bellamy as Mr. Arcane. The series lasted twelve episodes, ending in January 1971. However, Maharis remained a popular sex symbol and in July 1973 posed nude for Playgirl's second issue.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Maharis guest-starred in dozens of hit television series, including Mission: Impossible, Fantasy Island, Kojak, McMillan & Wife, Barnaby Jones, Police Story, Switch, Cannon, Night Gallery and The Bionic Woman as well as Murder, She Wrote in 1990. His most significant film role of this era is probably as Count Machelli, King Cromwell's War Chancellor in The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982). In the 1980s, he also frequently starred in Las Vegas dinner theater. In 1993, he performed in Doppelganger. Maharis is now reported to be "fully retired."

Filmmaker Mercedes Maharis, maker of the controversial 2005 documentary Cochise County USA - Cries From The Border, is married to Maharis' brother Robert.
Arrest and scandal

On November 21, 1974, Maharis was arrested and charged with Commission of a Lewd Act after being caught having sex with Perfecto Telles, a 33-year old hairdresser, in the men's room of a Los Angeles gas station. Police said he was booked on a "sex perversion charge" and released on $500 bail. Maharis had previously been arrested on December 15, 1967, by a vice officer who said the actor had made a pass at him in the men's room of a Hollywood restaurant; that charge had been dropped when Maharis pleaded guilty to one count of disturbing the peace and paid a $50 fine.[4]
Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1953	The Philco Television Playhouse	Dancer at the Dance Club
1957	Goodyear Television Playhouse
1958	The Mugger	Nicholas Grecco
1959	Brenner
1960	Alcoa Theatre	Johnny Cesare
1959–60	Naked City	Johnny Gary
1960	Exodus	Yaov
1961	Splendor in the Grass		uncredited
1960–61	Search for Tomorrow	Bud Gardner
1960–63	Route 66	Buz Murdock
1963	The Judy Garland Show
1964	Quick, Before It Melts	Peter Santelli
1965	Sylvia	Alan Macklin
1965	The Satan Bug	Lee Barrett
1965	Hullabaloo
1966	A Small Rebellion	Michael Kolinos	TV film
1966	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre	Miles Catlan; Michael Kolinos
1967	A Covenant with Death	Ben Lewis
1967	The Happening	Taurus
1967	The Danny Thomas Hour	Phil Pearson
1968	Escape to Mindanao	Joe Walden	TV film
1968	Journey to the Unknown	Drake
1969	The Desperados	Jacob Galt
1969	The Monk	Gus Monk	TV film
1970	Land Raiders	Paul Cardenas
1970	El Último Día de la Guerra (The Last Day of the War)	Sgt. Chips Slater
1970	The Most Deadly Game	Jonathan Croft
1971	Night Gallery	Peter Lacland
1971	Cade's County	Deck Minty
1971	Medical Center	Evan Kenbrook
1972	Cannon	Paul Stubber
1972	The Victim	Ben Chapel	TV film
1973	Mission: Impossible	Thomas Bachman
1973	Barnaby Jones	Warren Davis
1974	Movin' On	Harry Armour
1974	The Wide World of Mystery	Walter
1974	Shaft	Wally Doyle
1974	Marcus Welby, M.D.	Curtis Haynes
1974	The Snoop Sisters	Robert Duware
1974	Thriller	Mark Fields
1974	Death in Space	Dr. Dan Summit	TV film
1974	McMillan & Wife	Walter Webley
1974	Nakia	Joe Arnold
1975	Murder on Flight 502	Robert Davenport	TV film
1976	Ellery Queen	Dr. Tony Bender
1976	Rich Man, Poor Man	Joey Quales	TV miniseries
1976	Good Heavens	Gary Lawrence
1976	Jigsaw John	Robert Derek
1976	Bert D'Angelo/Superstar	Lee Mitchell
1976	Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby	Guy Woodhouse	TV film
1976	Gibbsville
1976	The Bionic Woman	Sgt. Bob Welton
1977	SST: Death Flight	Les Phillips	TV film
1977	Kojak	Ringer
1973–77	Police Story	Sgt. Hank Delany; J.R. Peters; Salter
1977	The Feather and Father Gang	Sherwin
1977	Switch	Clouston
1978	Return to Fantasy Island	Benson	TV film
1978	Logan's Run	Gavin
1978	Crash	Evan Walsh	TV docudrama
1979–82	Fantasy Island	Joe Capos; Prof. Alan Blair; Mario Ferini; Dr. Hal Workman; Jack Becker
1982	The Sword and the Sorcerer	Machelli, Cromwell War Chancellor
1984	Matt Houston	Dr. Charles Brockway
1984	The Master	Simon Garrett
1989	Superboy	Jack McAlister
1990	Murder, She Wrote	Alex Burton
1993	Doppelganger	Mike Wallace

Art and music

Maharis released several LPs and numerous singles through Epic Records earlier in his career. After this period, he continued to perform in nightclubs, and pursued a secondary career as an impressionist painter. As of 2008, Maharis was still painting, while splitting his time between New York and Beverly Hills.[5]

Discography
Albums

Original releases

1962 – George Maharis Sings! – Epic LN 24001/BN 26001[9]
1962 – Portrait in Music – Epic LN 24021/BN 26021[10]
1963 – Just Turn Me Loose! – Epic LN 24037/BN 26037[11]
1963 – Where Can You Go For a Broken Heart? – Epic LN 24064/BN 26064[12]
1964 – Make Love to Me – Epic LN 24079/BN 26079
1964 – Tonight You Belong to Me – Epic LN 24111/BN 26111
1966 – New Route: George Maharis – Epic LN 24191/BN 26191

CD reissues

1995 – George Maharis & John Davidson (Songs from George Maharis Sings!) Sony 28950
2000 – George Maharis Sings!/Portrait in Music (2 LPs on 1 CD) Collectibles ASIN B00004TRWR[13]

Singles
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Original releases

1962 – "After the Lights Go Down Low" / "Teach Me Tonight" – Epic 5-9504
1962 – "They Knew About You" / "Love Me as I Love You" – Epic 5-9522
1962 – "I'll Never Smile Again" / "Can't Help Falling In Love" – Epic 5-9545
1962 – "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" / "You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby" – Epic 3-9548
1962 – "Baby Has Gone Bye Bye" / "After One Kiss" – Epic 5-9555
1963 – "Don't Fence Me In" / "Alright, Okay, You Win" – Epic 5-9569
1963 – "Where Can You Go (For a Broken Heart)" / "Kiss Me" – Epic 5-9600
1963 – "That's How It Goes" / "It Isn't There" – Epic 5-9613
1963 – "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" / "Sara Darling" – Epic 5-9653
1964 – "Tonight You Belong to Me" / "The Object of My Affection" – Epic 5-9696
1965 – "I'm Coming Back for You" / "Lonely People Do Foolish Things" – Epic 5-9753
1965 – "Where Does Happiness Go" / "More I Cannot Do" – Epic 5-9772
1965 – "You Always Hurt the One You Love" / "Quien Sabe? (Who Knows? Who Knows?)" – Epic 5-9844
1965 – "A World Without Sunshine" / "Ivy" – Epic 5-9858

Reissues

"Teach Me Tonight"/"Baby Has Gone Bye Bye" (At least one reissue on Memory Lane)

References

^ "Stars of TV's 'Route 66' working on opposite coasts.", Albuquerque Journal, November 16, 2003. Accessed November 30, 2007. "George Maharis was born September 1, 1928, in Astoria, N.Y."
^ "George Is Back on the Road", "Television" Supplement to Australian Women's Weekly, August 8, 1962, archived from the original on 2004-08-28
^ a b "They Come to Blows: Route 66", Movie Screen Yearbook 1963, August 8, 1962, archived from the original on 2009-10-26
^ Article on Queer Music Heritage web site
^ Rahner, Mark (March 5), "George Maharis, "Route 66" and that Corvette are back — on DVD", The Seattle Times

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