Max Gail Biography

Maxwell Trowbridge "Max" Gail Jr. (born April 5, 1943) is an American actor who has starred in stage, television, and film roles. He most notably portrayed the role of Detective Stan "Wojo" Wojciehowicz on the television sitcom Barney Miller.

Early life

Gail was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Mary Elizabeth (Scanlon) and Maxwell Trowbridge Gail, Sr., a businessman, and he was raised in Grosse Ile, Michigan. He attended Williams College, and 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

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 also directed several episodes of Barney Miller as Maxwell Gail. 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 (ep. Whitewater), Cannon, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Due South, The Streets of San Francisco, Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers, The Drew Carey Show, Hawaii Five-0, Quantum Leap, Psych, Gary Unmarried, NCIS episode "Murder 2.0", "Longmire" episode 40, Dexter, Mad Men, and Scorpion, and an episode of the FX miniseries Fargo. Gail appeared as Brooklyn Dodgers manager Burt Shotton in the 2013 film 42, a film 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 which has featured documentaries on such subjects as Agent Orange, Native Americans, and nuclear issues. Gail was recast as Mike Corbin on General Hospital. He's set to debut on February 5, 2018.

Personal life

Gail's first wife, Willie Bier, died of cancer in 1986; they have a daughter, India. His second wife, Nan, and he have two children, Maxwell and Grace. Gail has a twin sister, actress Mary Gail.

Filmography

• The Organization (1971) - Rudy
• Dirty Harry (1971) - Tunnel Hoodlum #1 (uncredited)
• Night Moves (1975) - Stud
• Curse of the Black Widow (1977, TV Movie) - Ragsdale
• Cardiac Arrest (1980) - Leigh Gregory
• D.C. Cab (1983) - Harold
• Heartbreakers (1984) - King
• Where are the Children (1986) - Clay Eldridge
• Man Against the Mob (1988) - Judah Best
• The Outside Woman (1989, TV Movie) - Billy
• Our Shining Moment (1991, TV Movie) - John McGuire Jr.
• Street Crimes (1992) - Flannigan
• Dangerous Touch (1994) - Jasper Stone
• Pontiac Moon (1994) - Jerome Bellamy
• Deadly Target (1994) - Captain Peters
• Good Luck (1996) - Farmer John
• Forest Warrior (1996) - Sherrif Ramsey
• Frame by Frame (1996)
• Naturally Native (1998) - Mr. Carlson
• Judgment Day (1999) - General William 'Bill' Meech
• Facing the Enemy (2001) - Thomas Galloway
• Truth and Dare (2003) - Mr. Quigley
• Mind Rage (2004) - Lou
• Bloodlines (2004) - Robert
• Perceptions (2005) - David Storm
• Tillamook Treasure (2006) - Grandpa Kimbell
• Angst (2006)
• Dexter (2007, TV Series) - Banana Boat Tour Guide
• You Don't Know Jack: The Jack Soo Story (2009) - Himself
• Always and Forever (2009, TV Movie) - Bill Anderson
• Beautysleep Symphony (2010) - The Voyeur
• Act Your Age (2011) - Andrew
• JumpRopeSprint (2011) - Uncle Charlie
• Psych (2012-2013, TV Series) - Jerry Carp
• 42 (2013) - Burt Shotton
• Haunted (2014) - Scott
• The Frontier (2015) - Sean
• Underdog Kids (2015)
• I'll See You In My Dreams (2015) - Carl
• Mad Men (2015, TV Series) - Floyd
• Underdog Kids (2015) - Charlie
• Longmire (2015, TV Series) - Thomas Hoyt
• Review (2015, TV Series) - Forrest's Father
• Wine Dancing (2015) - Himself
• Don't Tell Kim (2016) - Uncle Charlie
• The Hero (2017) - Gary Babcock
• Hawaii Five-0 (2017, TV Series) - Bill Walker
• Abundant Acreage Available (2017) - Hans
• September Morning (2017) - Delivery Don
• DriverX (2017) - Danny