Memorable sitcom foil on ‘Maude’
Bill Macy, an actor best known for his role as Walter Findlay, Bea Arthur’s harried husband, on the popular 1970s sitcom “Maude,” died Thursday night at his home in Los Angeles. He was 97.
The death was confirmed by his wife, Samantha Harper Macy.
Mr. Macy’s acting career took off after he turned 40 and peaked with his role on “Maude.” He played Walter for the show’s entire run, from 1972-78.
“Maude” pushed sitcom boundaries. Its lead character was an outspoken middle-aged feminist whose atypical household consisted of her husband, her daughter from an earlier marriage and the daughter’s son. The show, seen on CBS, addressed complex social issues like abortion, alcoholism, and racial and sexual relations. Some episodes generated thousands of complaints.
Mr. Macy grew up in New York City and had driven a taxi, and his blue-collar background made him perfect for the character of Walter, the owner of a struggling appliance store who had some memorable clashes with Maude, an idealistic firebrand.
The show began as a spinoff of the pioneering producer Norman Lear’s breakthrough hit series “All in the Family,” in which Ms. Arthur appeared occasionally as Edith Bunker’s cousin and stood up to Edith’s bigoted husband, Archie.
While driving a taxi, Mr. Macy began booking small parts onstage. Mr. Macy was finally able to give up driving a cab for good in 1966, after landing roles in two of the three one-act plays that made up Jean-Claude van Itallie’s dark off Broadway satire “America Hurrah.”
Mr. Macy said that Mr. Lear saw his performance and invited him to California for a brief appearance as a police officer on “All in the Family.” He later thought of him while casting “Maude.”
After “Maude,” Mr. Macy starred as a university president on Mr. Lear’s shortlived CBS sitcom “Hanging In.” He also appeared on television shows like “The Love Boat,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Seinfeld” and “My Name Is Earl,” and in movies like “The Producers” (1967), the film adaptation of “Oh! Calcutta!” (1972) and “Analyze This” (1999).”