The world of entertainment lost another star on new year’s day- Max Julien the star of The Mack died at the age of 88, on his birthday. He was discovered by his wife early in the morning on Jan 1st, 2022.
Max Julien had a long career in the entertainment business; he was always honest, upfront, and never shied away from the truth. He always spoke the truth where it was to do with personal or business affairs- a quality that is severely lacking in Holywood today.
The majority of people who encountered Max found him to be laid back, funny, easy to get along with, and above all else a decent human being. The cause of his death has not been revealed but after all, he was 88 years of age.
Max made a name for himself as the star of ‘The Mack’ and was a pioneer of the blaxploitation movie era. Not only was he a good actor but a brilliant producer and writer.
He started his career in the entertainment business on the Off-Broadway circuit in New York City and as his talents were recognized; he then moved west to Hollywood where he had a starring role with Candice Bergen in the hit ‘Getting Straight’ and with Jack Nicholson in ‘Psych-Out.’
Julien obtained recognition for his acting talent after playing John Goldie Mickens in the 1973 classic ‘The Mack.’ The movie was about a formerly imprisoned male who was on a quest to become the number one pimp in Oakland. Another famous comedy legend who starred alongside Julien was Richard Pryor, who played Slim, goldie’s partner in crime. Even though the movie did not receive global attention, it was groundbreaking for many future actors and directors including Jay Z, Tupac, Too Short, Jadakiss, and Quentin Tarantino. When the movie was first played out in the 70s, audiences were thrilled to observe blacks being portrayed in the underworld; roles that had previously always been offered to Caucasians.
Besides playing a role in ‘The Mack,’ Julien also continued as a producer and writer on two other blaxploitation movies- ‘Cleopatra Jones’ and “Thomasine & Bushrod.”
Throughout the 80s and 90s, Julien continued to appear in big and small screen cinemas including Getting Straight, The Black Klansman, How to Be a Player, and Uptight. His final performance was in early 2000 where he made a guest appearance on the sitcom ‘one on one.’
When not acting Julien was a fashion designer, sculptor, and author. He had no children and is survived by his wife Arbella Julien whom he married in 1991. The couple resided just outside LA.
