'Barney Miller' Star Max Gail Is Almost Bald on 80th Birthday – The Grandpa of 8 Raised His Child Alone after Wife’s Death

• Detective Stan "Wojo" from “Barney Miller” turned 80!
• Max Gail himself raised his then-young daughter when his wife died.
• Now he appears almost bald on video, but he is a happy grandpa of 8.

Actor Max Gail is famously known for his role as Stan Wojciehowicz in the American sitcom, "Barney Miller," which aired from 1975 until 1982 for eight seasons.

Before his stint on the show, Gail appeared in the medical series "General Hospital" (1963). He went on to star in the sports drama film "42" (2013).

Gail rose to stardom after appearing in "Barney Miller." He said he was busy learning music and practicing activism during that period.

Born Maxwell Trowbridge Gail on April 5, 1943, in Detroit, Michigan, the Hollywood veteran holds a B.A. in Economics and a Masters in International Finance.

Gail has a twin sister and two other sets of twin girls in his family. He has been married twice, first to Willie Beir, whom he wed in 1983.

The pair share a daughter named India, whom they welcomed in 1984. Sadly, Beir died from cancer in 1986, and Gail was forced to stay home and raise their two-year-old child following her untimely passing.

Gail later walked down the aisle for the second time with Nan Harris, and they had two kids. Their son Max was born in 1990, and their daughter Grace arrived three years later in 1993.

In addition to raising their children, the Hollywood star and Harris raised her nephew, Delondon, who was born in 1979. However, the two separated in 2000.

Gail Raised His Daughter After the Death of His Wife: Now He Is 80

Gail dotes on his children. In June 2020, his now adult daughter shared photos of them, starting when she was little. "Daddy," she captioned the post.

Four years earlier, in 2016, Gail proudly posted that his daughter got hitched and shared a picture from her big day, adding the event occurred in Tuscany, Italy.

The image showed Gail, the bride, the groom Adam Rodriguez and another family member as they all beamed for the photograph.

Grace walked down the aisle in May 2016 in an Eavis & Brown of London gown, while actor Rodriguez donned a custom Ermenegildo Zegna suit.

The screenwriter from 2012's "Magic Mike" and 2015's "Magic Mike XXL," Reid Carolin, officiated the ceremony. While Rodirguez's co-stars Channing Tatum and Kevin Nash were also in attendance.

The wedding celebrations reportedly started on Friday with a brunch followed by a sightseeing tour of Florence and Siena. The guests came together again for a Sunday pizza dinner in the alfresco garden of Borgo Pignano.

The wedding took place on a Monday in the forest, and guests were given flip-flops for the walk. They later indulged in a light lunch in the villa's courtyard.

After Grace and Rodriguez said their 'I do's,' they hosted a reception at Borgo Pignano. For dinner, guests feasted on homemade ravioli, sea bass, and a rack of lamb.

The couple has a daughter named Frankie, whom they welcomed in 2014, making Gail a grandpa, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday.

Singer Billy Vera paid a special tribute to him on Facebook, writing, "Happy Birthday Maxwell Gail Jr!" alongside a photo of the two smiling. The stage and film actor sported an almost bald head in the photo.

Gail's twin sister, who is five minutes younger than him, also marked her 80th birthday milestone in Berlin, he revealed in an Instagram post. The TV star, who admitted it was surreal to know how old she was turning, posted a picture of his sibling blowing out her cake candles while wearing a tiara.

"It's Just Wonderful": Gail Is a Doting Grandpa of 8

Now that he has reached old age and decades since Gail starred in "Barney Miller," he was asked whether he kept in contact with some of the castmates.

The award-winning actor revealed, "Mainly, who's left is me and Hal Linden. We got together for dinner a couple of months ago."

While he said goodbye to his character on the police comedy show, Gail remained a fixture in "General Hospital," playing the role of Mike Corbin, Sonny Conrintho's father (Maurice Benard). The series has been on air since its inception in 1963.

It explored Mike's Alzheimer's disease in the past few seasons and his difficulty coping with the condition. Ultimately, he lost the battle. Gail made his one last appearance on the October 8, 2020, episode of the daytime show.

Initially, his character was only meant to last for a short period when he started. But the show's creators spontaneously decided to delve further into the storyline of Mike's later years as a recovering gambling addict. Gail divulged:

"I got a call to read for a recurring part they thought would last maybe two months."

When he received a call about the part, he learned it would explore a character with Alzheimer's which captured his attention—mainly because it was not a new role for him as he previously did a play portraying a man with the same condition.

Gail mastered his role in the series, leading him to win Daytime Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for playing Mike in 2019 and 2021.

Asked if he had a blast being a part of the show, the father of three said he enjoyed a lot of things about "General Hospital." Even though he did not think he would be a good fit for the part initially, he became drawn to it nonetheless because it piqued his interest.

Now that he has closed that chapter, Gail enjoys being a grandfather of eight grandchildren. He gushed about being a grandparent in an interview once:

"It's just wonderful. You get to see your own parenting and what you did in a different light. You get to sort of resonate with your child about that."

Gail was asked what he liked the most about being an octogenarian, and he said that hardly crossed his mind. However, he admitted that he liked that he was still alive.

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