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Maxwell Caulfield
British and American actor (born 1959) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Maxwell Caulfield (born Maxwell P.J. Newby; 23 November 1959) is a British and American actor. He has appeared in Grease 2 (1982), Electric Dreams (1984), The Boys Next Door (1985), The Supernaturals (1986), Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989), Waxwork 2 (1992), Gettysburg (1993), Empire Records (1995), The Real Blonde (1997), The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997), and in A Prince for Christmas (2015). In 2015, Caulfield toured Australia with his wife Juliet Mills and sister-in-law Hayley Mills in the comedy Legends! by Pulitzer Prize winner James Kirkwood. He voiced James Bond in the video game James Bond 007: Nightfire (2002). He most recently stars in the Netflix movie The Merry Gentlemen (2024).
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He is best remembered internationally for his starring role as Miles Colby during the 1980s on the American TV series Dynasty and its spin off The Colbys.
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Early life and family
Maxwell P.J. Newby was born on 23 November 1959 in Belper, Derbyshire,[a] the elder son of Peter Newby and Oriole Rosalind Findlater.[3] His younger brother, Marcus, is also an actor.[4] By 1965, his parents had parted, and his mother legally abandoned the surname Newby in favour of her maiden name.
Career
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Theatre
His stage debut in London was dancing in a "nude show" to music by Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.[5] Being an exotic dancer at London's Windmill Theatre led to him obtaining an Equity card, enabling him to work as an actor.[2] After obtaining a green card,[6] relocated from the UK to the US at age 18,[1] making his New York City debut in a gay farce, Hot Rock Hotel (1978).[5] The following year, in Class Enemy (1979) (which eventually went Off-Broadway), he played the lead role[5] and won a Theatre World Award for his performance.[6] He made his Los Angeles debut in Hitting Town (1980) and appeared in The Elephant Man (1980) that same year, during which he met his future wife, actress Juliet Mills.[6]
In the early 1980s, Caulfield was an active member of the Mirror Repertory Company, part of The Mirror Theater Ltd, performing in numerous repertory productions including Paradise Lost,[7] Rain, Inheritors and The Hasty Heart.[8] He made his debut Off-Broadway in 1981 as the title character, a homicidal drifter, in Joe Orton's Entertaining Mr. Sloane (alongside Joseph Maher and Barbara Bryne). His performance was widely praised; one critic wrote:
Maxwell Caulfield is the ideal spider in the web...as disarming of himself as he is of others — which gives this revival that tragic tinge of great comedy.[5]
Caulfield made his Broadway debut in J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls opposite Siân Phillips.[1] He performed opposite Stacy Keach in Sleuth in Los Angeles in 1988.[9] He appeared with Jessica Tandy and Elizabeth Wilson in Salonika at the Public Theater in New York, appearing fully nude for much of the play,[10] and in Joe Orton's black comedy Loot at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.[6] In 2006, Caulfield drew attention over his bare-chested scene in the Off-Broadway two-hander Tryst, opposite Amelia Campbell. In 2007, he performed in the Charles Busch play Our Leading Lady with Kate Mulgrew.[10]
In 2007, Caulfield made his West End debut as Billy Flynn in the long-running London production of Chicago; he then resumed the role of Flynn for the Broadway production in November 2007.[11] In 2011, he appeared in an Off-Broadway production of the comedy Cactus Flower.[12]
On 14 April 2024, Caulfield appeared in the 10th Anniversary Concert of Cool Rider (the Greasiest Sequel) at the London Palladium, playing the role Mr. Stuart and performing the song "Reproduction".
Television
Caulfield has appeared on Dynasty (1985–1986), The Colbys (1985–1987), Murder, She Wrote (1988–1991), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990), The Rockford Files: Godfather Knows Best (1996), Spider-Man (1995–1998), Casualty (2003–2004), Emmerdale (2009–2010) and NCIS (2013). He guest-starred on Modern Family (Season 4, Episode 16, "Bad Hair Day") playing Claire's ex-boyfriend and college professor.[13]
Feature films
Caulfield is especially known for his role in Grease 2 (1982). Some of his other films include The Real Blonde with Matthew Modine and Daryl Hannah (1997; opened the Sundance Film Festival)[2] Gettysburg (1993), and The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997). Another memorable role is in Empire Records (1995).[2]
Although he did not work regularly as a child actor, at the age of seven he played Ted in the 1967 film Accident[1] and was billed as Maxwell Findlater.[14]
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Personal life
Caulfield has been married since 1980 to actress Juliet Mills, daughter of actor Sir John Mills and writer Lady Mills (née Mary Hayley Bell), and is a brother-in-law of Jonathan Mills and actress Hayley Mills. Caulfield is stepfather to Melissa (née Miklenda; Mills' daughter from her second marriage) and Sean Caulfield (born Sean Alquist; Mills' son from her first marriage).[1]
He became a naturalized United States citizen on 5 September 1991.[14]
Stage credits
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Filmography
Film
Television
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Audiobook narrations
- Anonymous Rex by Eric Garcia (2000)
- The Lion of Cormarre and Other Stories: The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke (1937–1949) (2001)
- Mimus by Lilli Thal (2007)
- Spud by John van de Ruit (2008)
- Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools by Philip Caveney (2008)
- Spud: The Madness Continues by John van de Ruit (2009)
- The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (2012)
Video games
- James Bond 007: Nightfire (2002) as James Bond
- Eragon (2006) as Brom
Discography
- 1982: "Charades" on the Grease 2 soundtrack (as Michael Carrington)
- 1982: "(Love Will) Turn Back the Hands of Time" with Michelle Pfeiffer on the Grease 2 soundtrack
- 1982: "Who's That Guy?" with Cast on the Grease 2 soundtrack
- 1982: "Reproduction" with Cast on the Grease 2 soundtrack
- 1982: "Rock-A-Hula-Luau (Summer Is Coming)" with Cast on the Grease 2 soundtrack
- 1982: "We'll Be Together" with Cast on the Grease 2 soundtrack
- 1995: "Say No More (Mon Amore)" in Alan Moyle's Empire Records (as Rex Manning)
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Awards and nominations
- Theater World Award (1979) for his performance in Class Enemy (Players' Theatre, West Village, New York City).[1]
Notes
References
External links
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