George Maharis Dies: ‘Route 66’ & ‘Fantasy Island’ Actor Was 94
deadline.comGeorge Maharis, the Route 66 actor that left the series during the height of its popularity, died on Wednesday, May 24. He was 94. “George is well known for his stardom in Route 66, stage productions, singing, artist, and above all a great guy would do anything for anyone.
My dear friend, you’ll be terribly missed,” Maharis’ friend Marc Bahan shared in a Facebook post. Maharis was born on September 1, 1928, in Astoria, New York.
He studied at the Actors Studio and got his start working in off-Broadway productions. His first television role came in 1958 with The Mugger.
Maharis would go on to land other TV credits in shows like Naked City, Exodus and Search for Tomorrow. It would be until 1960 that he would land the role of Buz Murdock on Route 66, an indirect spinoff of Naked City that shared its same creator Stirling Silliphant.
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