Max Julien

Maxwell Julien Banks (July 12, 1933 – January 1, 2022), better known by his stage name Max Julien, was an American actor, sculptor, and clothes designer best known for his role as Goldie in the 1973 blaxploitation film The Mack.^[1]

Max Julien
Julien, 1970.
Born	Maxwell Julien Banks July 12, 1933 Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died	January 1, 2022(2022-01-01) (aged 88) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations	Actor sculptor clothes designer
Years active	1966–2005
Known for	Goldie – The Mack
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Spouse	Arabella Chavers ​ (m. 1991)​
Partner(s)	Vonetta McGee (1970–1977)
Children	1

Early life

Julien was born in Washington, DC on July 12, 1933.^[2][3] He became a member of Xi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi at Howard University on December 4, 1954.^{[citation needed]}

Career

He began his career on the stage on New York City's Off-Broadway circuit including roles in Joseph Papp's Shakespeare-In-The-Park. Moving westward to Hollywood, he landed co-starring roles with Jack Nicholson in Psych-Out and Candice Bergen in Columbia's box-office hit film Getting Straight.

While spending time in Rome, Italy, he wrote and directed a documentary called Trestevre, then wrote the screenplay for, and subsequently co-produced, Warner Brothers's blaxploitation classic Cleopatra Jones, which starred actress Tamara Dobson in the title role as a narcotics agent who was as skilled in martial arts as she was with firearms. Julien refused to participate in the sequel, Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold, which led to his being credited instead with the film's story and script both being "based on characters created by Max Julien".

Aside from The Mack, Julien also appeared in Def Jam's How to Be a Player and he guest starred on TV shows such as The Mod Squad, The Bold Ones: The Protectors, and One on One.

Death

Julien died in Los Angeles on January 1, 2022, at the age of 88.^[4] Along with his wife, he was survived by a daughter.

Personal life

Julien was in a live-in relationship with actress Vonetta McGee from 1974 to 1977. McGee appeared with him in the 1974 western action film Thomasine & Bushrod, which was intended as a counterpart to the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde.^{[citation needed]} He married Arabella Chavers in 1991. The couple resided in Los Angeles.

Filmography

• The Black Klansman (1966) - Raymond
• Psych-Out (1968) - Elwood
• The Savage Seven (1968) - Grey Wolf
• Up Tight! (1968) - Johnny Wells
• The Mod Squad (TV) - Jack Dawson (1968) 1 episode
• The Bold Ones: The Protectors (TV) - Coley Walker (1969) pilot episode "Deadlock"
• CBS Playhouse (TV) - Joe Barnes (1969) 1 episode
• Getting Straight (1970) - Ellis
• The Name of the Game (TV) - Mjoma (1970) 1 episode
• The Mack (1973) - Goldie
• Cleopatra Jones (1973) Screenwriter
• Thomasine & Bushrod (1974) - Bushrod
• Def Jam's How to Be a Player (1997) - Uncle Fred
• Restore (2001) - Coach Barnes
• One on One (TV) - Goldie (2005) 1 episode