Max Wagner(1901-1975)
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Composer
Like thousands of "day actors' during Hollywood's Golden Era, Max
Wagner toiled in relative obscurity in supporting and bit roles with
the occasional meaty character part. It was a film career that
sustained him as a durable and dependable actor from the mid-1920s
through the '70s.
The youngest of five boys, Wagner was born in Mexico, the son of
William W. Wagner, a railroad conductor. His mother, Edith Wagner, was
a writer and correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor during the
Mexican Revolution. He was 10 years old when Mexican rebels fatally
wounded his father. His mother then brought him to Salinas, California,
where he struck up a lifelong friendship with John Steinbeck. Wagner
served as a model for the boy in Steinbeck's novel "The Red Pony" and
he would appear in many of the films based on Steinbeck's books.
Max's brothers - Jack, Blake, and Bob - were already in Hollywood
working on films. Jack and Blake worked under D.W. Griffith at Biograph
as cameramen and later went to work for Hal Roach and Mack Sennett. Bob
worked on the First National lot as an assistant cameraman. At 23 years
old, Max joined his brothers in Hollywood. Jack was working on a Harry
Langdon film in 1924 and helped Max secure his first acting part. His
early experiences at Mack Sennett honed his talent in physical comedy
that would serve him well throughout his career.
During the early talkie period studios often made Spanish-language
versions of their popular films. Max, fluent in Spanish, acted in many
such films in supporting roles under the name of Max Baron. Studios
often went to him to serve as a Spanish-language coach for actors. He
appeared alongside Lupe Velez in the "Mexican Spitfire" series and when
he wasn't acting, he monitored Velez's ad-libbing in Spanish to spot any
profanity.
While most of Max's work was with major studios, he was a regular with
Mascot, the low-budget studio that churned out serials including "The
Lost Jungle (1934) and Tom Mix's "The Miracle Rider" (1935). Max was a
regular in the Charlie Chan series and was a company player with
Preston Sturges, appearing in such films as "The Palm Beach Story"
(1942), "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" (1944), "The Great Moment"
(1944) and "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock" (1946).
During World War II, he took a break to serve in the U.S. Army in North
Africa.
His tough, brawny appearance made him a casting director's perfect
choice for gangster roles, giving him unlimited work as a henchman in
dozens of Warner Bros. films in the 1930s. Los Angeles newspaper gossip
columnists used to jokingly chart his rise from Gangster No. 4 (no gun,
no dialog) to Gangster No. 2 (gun and dialog).
A lifelong heavy drinker, Max struggled off and on with alcoholism. He
entered Alcoholics Anonymous in 1950, but resumed acting the following
year.
His most notable appearance in films came in 1953 with the role of Sgt.
Rinaldi in the cult sci-fi classic "Invaders from Mars." The same year
he was also cast in "Donovan's Brain," another cult favorite.
By the 1960s, Max was cast mostly in bit parts in film and television
westerns and dramas, ending his career with small parts in such TV
series as "Gunsmoke" and "Columbo."
Wagner toiled in relative obscurity in supporting and bit roles with
the occasional meaty character part. It was a film career that
sustained him as a durable and dependable actor from the mid-1920s
through the '70s.
The youngest of five boys, Wagner was born in Mexico, the son of
William W. Wagner, a railroad conductor. His mother, Edith Wagner, was
a writer and correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor during the
Mexican Revolution. He was 10 years old when Mexican rebels fatally
wounded his father. His mother then brought him to Salinas, California,
where he struck up a lifelong friendship with John Steinbeck. Wagner
served as a model for the boy in Steinbeck's novel "The Red Pony" and
he would appear in many of the films based on Steinbeck's books.
Max's brothers - Jack, Blake, and Bob - were already in Hollywood
working on films. Jack and Blake worked under D.W. Griffith at Biograph
as cameramen and later went to work for Hal Roach and Mack Sennett. Bob
worked on the First National lot as an assistant cameraman. At 23 years
old, Max joined his brothers in Hollywood. Jack was working on a Harry
Langdon film in 1924 and helped Max secure his first acting part. His
early experiences at Mack Sennett honed his talent in physical comedy
that would serve him well throughout his career.
During the early talkie period studios often made Spanish-language
versions of their popular films. Max, fluent in Spanish, acted in many
such films in supporting roles under the name of Max Baron. Studios
often went to him to serve as a Spanish-language coach for actors. He
appeared alongside Lupe Velez in the "Mexican Spitfire" series and when
he wasn't acting, he monitored Velez's ad-libbing in Spanish to spot any
profanity.
While most of Max's work was with major studios, he was a regular with
Mascot, the low-budget studio that churned out serials including "The
Lost Jungle (1934) and Tom Mix's "The Miracle Rider" (1935). Max was a
regular in the Charlie Chan series and was a company player with
Preston Sturges, appearing in such films as "The Palm Beach Story"
(1942), "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" (1944), "The Great Moment"
(1944) and "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock" (1946).
During World War II, he took a break to serve in the U.S. Army in North
Africa.
His tough, brawny appearance made him a casting director's perfect
choice for gangster roles, giving him unlimited work as a henchman in
dozens of Warner Bros. films in the 1930s. Los Angeles newspaper gossip
columnists used to jokingly chart his rise from Gangster No. 4 (no gun,
no dialog) to Gangster No. 2 (gun and dialog).
A lifelong heavy drinker, Max struggled off and on with alcoholism. He
entered Alcoholics Anonymous in 1950, but resumed acting the following
year.
His most notable appearance in films came in 1953 with the role of Sgt.
Rinaldi in the cult sci-fi classic "Invaders from Mars." The same year
he was also cast in "Donovan's Brain," another cult favorite.
By the 1960s, Max was cast mostly in bit parts in film and television
westerns and dramas, ending his career with small parts in such TV
series as "Gunsmoke" and "Columbo."