Broadway actor Lanny Flaherty passed away February 18, as confirmed by his longtime manager Tony Cloer. Mr. Flaherty was 81.

Born in Pontotoc, Mississippi July 27, 1942, Mr. Flaherty served in the U.S. Army throughout the 1960s before attending Mississippi State University and Southern Methodist University, with a focus on acting and playwriting. By the mid-1970s, Mr. Flaherty had moved to New York City, where he was a part of the 1974 Broadway revival cast of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

Alternating his time between Mississippi and New York for the rest of his life, Mr. Flaherty went on to appear on Broadway in Sweet Bird of Youth, Inherit the Wind, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and Requiem for a Heavyweight, in addition to numerous productions at the Actors Theatre of Louisville and the Steppenwolf Theatre.

As a playwright, Mr. Flaherty wrote numerous works, including A-Birthing At Nubbin Ridge, Cedars Mark The Campground, Crisscrosscreeks, and Whilhom. His piece Showdown at the Adobe Model, presented at Hartford Stage in 1981, starred Oscar winner Henry Fonda in his final live performance.

Mr. Flaherty is survived by his daughter, Sara Suzuki; her husband, Ryosuke Suzuki; and his twin granddaughters.