‘Route 66′ star George Maharis dead at 94

George Maharis, the Queens-born actor who played Buz Murdock on the popular 1960s series “Route 66,” has died at age 94, his caretaker announced.

A cause of death was not released for Maharis, who died last Wednesday, according to the announcement over the weekend.

“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,” Marc Bahan wrote in a Facebook post. “My dear friend, you’ll be terribly missed.”

Born in Astoria in 1928, Maharis attended Flushing High School. He appeared in more than 70 screen and stage roles during a career spanning four decades, including the off-Broadway play “Deathwatch” during the late 1950s.

He was best known for his starring gig on “Route 66,” appearing as the New York native Murdock on dozens of episodes, including the series’ first in 1960. The show largely centered on Murdock and Martin Milner’s character, Tod Stiles, embarking on adventures throughout the U.S. in a Chevrolet Corvette.

“When you get to be a certain age you begin to wonder what the hell you’re going to do with the rest of your life,” Maharis told the Seattle Times in 2008. “And in the show what happens is Tod and myself — Buz — we decided that we were going to go and see where we could find, and if we found someplace that we really liked or that really clicked with us, that’s where one of us would stay or both of us.”

Maharis, who received an Emmy nomination in 1962 for “Route 66,″ left during the show’s third season because he contracted hepatitis, he confirmed to the newspaper. The CBS series ended in 1964 after its fourth season.

Maharis also appeared on shows including “Fantasy Island,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Kojak” and “The Most Deadly Game” and released seven albums as a singer as well.