MAX GAIL: LIFE IS SWEET

The General Hospital and Barney Miller star reflects on the long road he has traveled

Television viewers first came to know Max Gail in the ensemble police comedy Barney Miller. “I remember getting a call from my agents saying, 'It's for a cop show - but it's a comedy,' like maybe I wouldn't be interested,” Max tells Closer. “But, of course, I was.” He had good instincts: Barney Miller ran for eight seasons, from 1975 to 1982. While the show got plenty of laughs, it also dealt with real issues like racial profiling, social injustice and the role of the police. Along the way, Max's character, Det. Stanley “Wojo" Wojciehowicz, grew from a naive, gung-ho former Marine into a seasoned detective and a caring humanitarian.

In the years since, Max, 79, has also continued to grow. In 2019 and 2021, he won Daytime Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for playing Mike Corbin, a man with Alzheimer's disease, on General Hospital. During the pandemic lockdown, he and former Dukes of Hazzard star John Schneider co-starred in an episode of Viral Vignettes, a series of short comedies that stream online. “I enjoyed being a part of that and using Zoom as a place we could come together,” Max says.

First of all, congratulations on your Daytime Emmy wins!

Thanks. It was a cool experience to win. It was nice to have a chance to say that it's all about collaboration.

Where do you keep your awards?

You know, they're in their Emmy boxes under the bed! We live in a small bungalow, so there's not a lot of room. I don't think I would want to have them out anyway.

Did you enjoy working on General Hospital?

Yes, I did like a lot about it. I didn't think it was a world I was interested in, but I am open to working and I really felt it was an interesting part to play.

Going back to the beginning. You didn't start off as an actor, right?