Full name, Lionel Jay Stander; born January 11, 1908, in New York, NY; died of lung cancer, November 30, 1994, in Brentwood, CA. Actor and producer. Lionel Stander was a veteran of the Broadway stage and the Hollywood screen. He isperhaps best remembered, however, for his television role as Max the chauffeur in the 1979-84 series Hart to Hart, starring Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers. Stander reprised the role in a number of recent Hart to Hart specials.The actor, known for his gravel-like delivery, made his professional stage debut in a production of Him by e. e. cummings. He turned to Hollywood in the1930s after making a reputation on radio, and played character roles oppositesuch actors as Harold Lloyd, Gary Cooper, and Rudy Vallee. In 1937 he portrayed both press agent Casey Burke in the original A Star Is Born, and Curly inThe Last Gangster. Stander, a committed liberal activist, was active in founding the Screen Actors Guild. In 1953, he was called to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. When Stander refused to deny on oaththat he was a Communist, he was blacklisted by the industry. He relocated toItaly for many years, but returned to the screen in 1965, in The Loved Ones.He also appeared in Cul de Sac (1966), New York, New York (1977), and 1941 (1979).
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