Harry Galifianakis, father of actor Zach Galifianakis, has died
Harry Galifianakis, a Wilkesboro resident and the father of actor and comedian Zach Galifianakis, died in his North Carolina home last week.
He was born in Durham and lived much of his adult life in Wilkesboro before passing away at age 82.
Interviews with his son Zach, who earned fame for his role in “The Hangover” movie series, offer clues into how Harry Galifianakis’ personality may have helped shape his son’s peculiar comedic persona.
During an appearance with nighttime television host Conan O’Brien in 2017, Zach Galifianakis talked about his father’s more whimsical tendencies, including being a noted “mouth-kisser.”
The interview gave the audience “a sense of how [Zach] came to be who he is,” the Huffington Post wrote. Family and friends called Harry everything from “Mr. G” to “Uncle Bubbles,” according to his obituary.
Harry was something of an actor himself, his family wrote in his obituary.
“He participated in community theater, landing roles as ‘Rabbi’ in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and ‘Moonface Martin’ in ‘Anything Goes,’ they wrote. “He was also eligible to join the Screen Actors Guild. With acting, as well as about anything thing else in his life, he rarely followed a script.”
Neither does Zach, as anyone who’s seen his own mock-talk show internet series, Between Two Ferns.
Before Zach Galifianakis popularized the term “wolfpack” as an endearing — if misguided — ideal for friendship among a group of ill-fitting bachelor party attendees in “The Hangover,” his father steeped him in the history of another Wolfpack: North Carolina State football.
Harry Galifianakis played football at NC State in the 1960s, and his obituary notes that he “was the most athletic of [his] brothers, easily beating them at sports such as tennis, golf, ping-pong, and gin rummy.” Zach told Rolling Stone that during his football playing days, his dad’s nickname was “The Greasy Greek.”
In a 2010 interview with North Carolina State, Zach said his father’s example was why he went to NC State as well.
“Well, my father and my older brother went there. My father played football, so we inherited being Wolfpack fans from that,” Zach said. “As far as my time there, I really liked Raleigh and Hillsborough Street.”
A memorial service for Harry Galifianakis was held at the Walter Center Saturday. He is survived by his wife, Mary Frances, sons Greg and Gia of North Carolina, Zach and Quinn of California, and daughter Merritt and Palmer Owings of South Carolina; Brothers Nick and Louise of Durham, NC, Mike and Frances of Atlanta, GA, Pete of Washington, DC, and John and Helen of NY; Grandchildren Palmer, Susannah, Olivia, Franklin, and Rufus; and sister-in-law Susannah Cashion of Florida; as well as numerous nephews, nieces and great nephews and nieces, according to his obituary.
This story was originally published July 21, 2018, 3:19 PM.