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Max Gail

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Max Gail
Gail in 1975
Born
Maxwell Trowbridge Gail Jr.

(1943-04-05) April 5, 1943 (age 81)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Alma materWilliams College (BA)
University of Michigan (MBA)
OccupationActor
Years active1970–present
Spouses
Willie Beir
​
​
(m. 1983; died 1986)​
Nan Harris
​
​
(m. 1989; sep. 2000)​
Children3
AwardsDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (General Hospital; 2019)

Maxwell Trowbridge Gail Jr. (born April 5, 1943)[1] is an American actor who has starred on stage, and in television and film roles. He is best known for his role as Detective Stan "Wojo" Wojciehowicz on the sitcom Barney Miller (1975–1982), which earned him two consecutive Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nominations.[2] Gail also won the 2019 and 2021 Daytime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Mike Corbin on the soap opera General Hospital.

Early life

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Gail was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Mary Elizabeth (née Scanlon) and Maxwell Trowbridge Gail, a businessman,[1] and raised in Grosse Ile, Michigan. He has a twin sister, actress Mary Gail,[citation needed] and another sister, Emily T. Gail.[3]

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan.[4] Gail was later an instructor for the University Liggett School before becoming an actor. His acting debut came in 1970 for the Little Fox Theatre in San Francisco, California, playing Chief Bromden in the original stage production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. In 1973, he reprised this role in his New York stage debut.

Career

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The 1977 cast of Barney Miller; (Back): Max Gail, Ron Glass, Abe Vigoda and Jack Soo; (front): Hal Linden

Gail is best known for his television role as Det. Stan "Wojo" Wojciehowicz in the sitcom Barney Miller (1975–1982). Gail's best-known feature film role is in D.C. Cab (1983) as Harold, the owner of the D.C. Cab taxi company. He directed several episodes of Barney Miller as Maxwell Gail. During his audition, Gail started to lose his hair and had begun wearing a toupee, he would continue to do for all eight seasons that Barney Miller was on the air.

In 1984, Gail was featured in the monodrama The Babe on Broadway. This stage play was filmed and later featured on PBS. Gail has starred in other TV series, including Whiz Kids (1983) as Llewellan Farley Jr., an investigative reporter who is friends with a group of teenaged computer hackers. He worked on the short-lived Normal Life (1990). He has appeared on the TV series Sons & Daughters (2006).

Gail has made many guest appearances on TV shows such as: Walker, Texas Ranger ("Whitewater"); Cannon, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Due South, The Streets of San Francisco, Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers, Murder, She Wrote, The Drew Carey Show, Hawaii Five-0, Quantum Leap, Psych, Longmire, Gary Unmarried, NCIS, Scorpion, and Mad Men.

Gail appeared as Brooklyn Dodgers manager Burt Shotton in the 2013 film 42, about Jackie Robinson's first two years as a member of the Dodgers organization, including his first year of playing at the major-league level in 1947.

Gail runs Full Circle, a production company that has featured documentaries on such subjects as Agent Orange, Native Americans, and nuclear issues.

In 2015, Gail was nominated as Best Actor for his role in the short film In Memory at the Los Angeles International Film Festival.[5]

Gail stepped into the recast role of Mike Corbin on General Hospital. He debuted on February 5, 2018, and went on to win the 2019 and 2021[6] Daytime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[7]

Personal life

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Gail's first wife, Willie Bier, died of cancer in 1986 after three years of marriage. The experience inspired Gail to be the narrator of the alternative medicine film documentary Hoxsey: When Healing Becomes a Crime (1988). They have a daughter, India.

His second wife, Nan, and he have two children, Maxwell and Grace.[citation needed] They separated amicably in 2000.

He has been in a relationship with Chris Kaul since 2007.

Gail's daughter Grace Gail, who later became a model, married actor Adam Rodriguez in 2016. They have three children, including son Bridgemont Bernard Rodriguez who was born on March 16, 2020.

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b Profile, Filmreference.com; accessed June 12, 2018.
  2. ^ Gates, Anita (September 11, 2014). "A Son Comes Home: Cue the Father Clash". The New York Times.
  3. ^ https://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20150826/NEWS/150829890/say-nice-things-about-detroit-creator-helps-carry-on-message
  4. ^ "Maxwell Gail Jr - Founder / Caretaker -Full Circle LAP". Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  5. ^ "October 2015". A home for your amazing films. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  6. ^ "THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS OF THE 48TH ANNUAL DAYTIME EMMY® AWARDS CBS TELEVISION BROADCAST" (PDF). Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  7. ^ Webb Mitovich, Matt (January 31, 2018). "General Hospital Brings Back Sonny's Dad — Find Out Who's Playing Him". TVLine. United States: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
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