"Once Upon A Time On Television..."

How does YouTube know...?  This just showed up as next in an auto-play list that had nothing to do with old tv shows.  But when this started playing, I was taken back to my teen years. "Barney Miller" was one of my favorite shows on television and I had a serious crush on the character "Wojo" played by native Detroiter, Maxwell Trowbridge Gail Jr..  Although his character was written as a somewhat stereotypically "dimwitted Polak," I found him adorable. One of the things I remember loving most about his character was the way he was dressed - stripes, blues, browns and plaids. I just thought he was always so handsome.

Max (now 75 years old) has enjoyed a long and active career both in front of and behind the camera...

Here are 10 fascinating facts you may not know about this talented performer!

1. He’s best known for his Emmy-nominated run as Detective Stan “Wojo” Wojciehowicz on the ABC sitcom

2. In 2019, Gail won a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor on General Hospital.  This wasn't Gail’s first soap opera! In 2007, he played the short-term role of Merle, a hippie who gave aid to Belle (Martha Madison) and Shawn (Brandon Beemer).

3. Gail made his acting debut in a stage production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in San Francisco. His first TV role was as a patrolman on Ironside.

4. In addition to performing on Barney Miller, Gail also directed episodes of the series using the name “Maxwell Gail”.

5. In the 2013 film 42 (about Jackie Robinson’s first two years as a member of the Dodgers), Gail played baseball team manager Burt Shotton.

6. Gail has a twin sister named Mary Gail.

7. Gail has three children, two daughters (India and Grace), and a son (Maxwell).

8. After Barney Miller, Gail starred in the series Whiz Kids. He played an investigative reporter named Llewellan Farley, Jr, who befriended a group of teen computer experts. Longtime soap star, A Martinez, also appeared in the series.

9. In 1979, when he was appearing on Barney Miller, the athletic Gail represented ABC on the nighttime show Battle of the Network Stars.

10. In 1990, Gail was cast as the TV husband of Cindy Williams (Laverne & Shirley) in the series Normal Life, which starred Dweezil Zappa and Moon Unit Zappa. 

Source: Life and Times of Hollywood