---
name: "Jay Tarses"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/jay-tarses"
fi1m_id: "jay-tarses"
imdb_id: "nm0850695"
tmdb_id: 70868
wikidata_id: "Q6167247"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "3 July 1939"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-10-04T19:01:43.809814+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Jay Tarses

## Identity

Jay Tarses

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/jay-tarses
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** jay-tarses
- **IMDb ID:** nm0850695
- **TMDB ID:** 70868
- **Wikidata ID:** Q6167247
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Tarses, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6167247, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0850695/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/70868

Actor. Born 3 July 1939 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 3 July 1939, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- **Also known as:** Michael Jay Tarses
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Tarses, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6167247, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0850695/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/70868

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Teen Wolf*](https://film.one/film/teen-wolf.md) (55)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Jay Tarses, also credited as Michael Jay Tarses, is an American television comedy writer, producer and occasional actor. Born on 3 July 1939 in Baltimore, Maryland, he graduated from Williams College in 1961.

He wrote for *The Bob Newhart Show* (1972) and co-wrote the screenplays for *The Great Muppet Caper* (1981) and *The Muppets Take Manhattan* (1984). Tarses created and produced the series *Open All Night* (1981), *Buffalo Bill* (1983) and *The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd* (1987). His most prominent acting role was as Coach Bobby Finstock in the film *Teen Wolf* (1985).

He is the father of television executive Jamie Tarses and writer Matt Tarses.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Teen Wolf* (1985), Fi1m 55, as Coach Finstock — [page](https://film.one/film/teen-wolf.md)

## Complete filmography (24)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Franklin & Bash* (2011), series, as Judge Christopher Regan
- *My Boys* (2006), series, Actor
- *Touch 'Em All McCall* (2003), Executive Producer
- *Public Morals* (1996), series, Writer, Producer, Creator
- *Black Tie Affair* (1993), series, Producer, Creator
- *The Slap Maxwell Story* (1987), series, Creator
- *The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd* (1987), series, as Gary, Nick Donatello · Writer, Creator
- *Teen Wolf* (1985), as Coach Finstock — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/teen-wolf.md)
- *The Comedy Factory* (1985), series, Director, Writer, Executive Producer
- *The Muppets Take Manhattan* (1984), Screenplay, Story
- *The Duck Factory* (1984), series, as Marty Fenneman
- *Buffalo Bill* (1983), series, Writer, Executive Producer, Creator
- *St. Elsewhere* (1982), series, as Chuck Brechman — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/st-elsewhere.md)
- *Family Ties* (1982), series, as Ron Davis
- *Open All Night* (1981), series, as Officer Steve · Writer, Creator
- *The Great Muppet Caper* (1981), as Air Steward (uncredited) · Writer
- *Up the Academy* (1980), Writer
- *We've Got Each Other* (1977), series, Creator
- *The Chopped Liver Brothers* (1977), as Jay Luckman · Producer, Writer
- *The Tony Randall Show* (1976), series, Producer, Writer, Creator
- *The Bob Newhart Show* (1972), series, as Waiter · Executive Producer, Writer, Producer, Teleplay
- *The Jackson 5: Goin' Back to Indiana* (1971), Writer
- *Diana!* (1971), Writer
- *Assisted Living*, series, Creator

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/jay-tarses