Maxwell Arnow
Encyclopedia
Casting director. He was noted for his discoveries of future film stars Ronald Reagan
and Kim Novak
.
Arnow was born in New York City on 25 November 1902, the son of Jacob and Pauline Cohen Arnowitz. He married Henrietta Schnall in 1929 in New York. In 1932, he moved his family to California and was hired by Warner Bros.
, becoming one of the youngest casting directors in Hollywood at the time. While at Warner, he auditioned an Illinois sportscaster named Dutch Reagan. After offering him a contract, Max insisted that Dutch use his given first name Ronald.
After leaving Warner Bros. in 1938, he worked for David O. Selznick and was the casting director for Gone With the Wind and other films. He joined Columbia Pictures
in 1942 and remained there until 1956. Then he joined a new company formed by Harold Hecht and Burt Lancaster
.
Max developed diabetes in his later years which cost him his eyesight. He died in Beverly Hills on 6 June 1984. He is survived by two daughters and three grandchildren.
Aside from the two mentioned above, other film stars he worked with included Kay Francis
, Miriam Hopkins
, Helen Hayes
, Ruth Chatterton
, Katharine Hepburn
, Humphrey Bogart
(who wouldn't change his first name), Jack Lemmon
, Ernest Borgnine
, Shelley Winters
, Robert Vaughn
and Tab Hunter
.
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
and Kim Novak
Kim Novak
Kim Novak is an American film and television actress. She began her career with her roles in Pushover and Phffft! but achieved greater prominence in the 1955 film Picnic...
.
Arnow was born in New York City on 25 November 1902, the son of Jacob and Pauline Cohen Arnowitz. He married Henrietta Schnall in 1929 in New York. In 1932, he moved his family to California and was hired by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, becoming one of the youngest casting directors in Hollywood at the time. While at Warner, he auditioned an Illinois sportscaster named Dutch Reagan. After offering him a contract, Max insisted that Dutch use his given first name Ronald.
After leaving Warner Bros. in 1938, he worked for David O. Selznick and was the casting director for Gone With the Wind and other films. He joined Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
in 1942 and remained there until 1956. Then he joined a new company formed by Harold Hecht and Burt Lancaster
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
.
Max developed diabetes in his later years which cost him his eyesight. He died in Beverly Hills on 6 June 1984. He is survived by two daughters and three grandchildren.
Aside from the two mentioned above, other film stars he worked with included Kay Francis
Kay Francis
Kay Francis was an American stage and film actress. After a brief period on Broadway in the late 1920s, she moved to film and achieved her greatest success between 1930 and 1936, when she was the number one female star at the Warner Brothers studio, and the highest paid American film actress...
, Miriam Hopkins
Miriam Hopkins
Ellen Miriam Hopkins was an American actress known for her versatility in a wide variety of roles.Hopkins was born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in Bainbridge, a town in the state's southwest near the Alabama border...
, Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes Brown was an American actress whose career spanned almost 70 years. She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of twelve people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award...
, Ruth Chatterton
Ruth Chatterton
Ruth Chatterton was an American actress, novelist, and early aviatrix.- Early life :Chatterton was born in New York City, on Christmas Eve 1892, to Walter Smith and Lillian Reed Chatterton...
, Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
, Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
(who wouldn't change his first name), Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
, Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine is an American actor of television and film. His career has spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, including his Academy Award-winning turn in the 1955 film Marty...
, Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television; her career spanned over 50 years until her death in 2006...
, Robert Vaughn
Robert Vaughn
Robert Francis Vaughn, , is an American actor noted for stage, film and television work. His best known roles include the suave spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., wealthy detective Harry Rule in the 1970s television series The Protectors, Albert Stroller in...
and Tab Hunter
Tab Hunter
Tab Hunter is an American actor, singer, former teen idol and author who has starred in over forty major films.-Background:...
.