Max Showalter
Actor

Max Showalter Net Worth

Max Showalter was a multi-talented actor, composer, songwriter, and pianist. He was born in Kansas and developed a love for acting at a young age when his mother took him to the local theater. He acted in 92 shows at the Pasadena Playhouse between 1935 and 1938, and made his Broadway debut in "Knights of Song" under the direction of Oscar Hammerstein II. He also acted in Irving Berlin's traveling musical "This Is the Army" for two years. Showalter had a long career in film, television, and stage, and in his later years he lived in an 18th-century farmhouse in Connecticut, which he fell in love with while shooting the movie It Happened to Jane (1959).
Max Showalter is a member of Actor

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Actor, Soundtrack, Music Department
Birth Day June 02, 1917
Birth Place  Caldwell, Kansas, United States
Age 103 YEARS OLD
Died On July 30, 2000(2000-07-30) (aged 83)\nMiddletown, Connecticut, U.S.
Birth Sign Cancer
Resting place Caldwell City Cemetery, Kansas, U.S.
Other names Casey Adams
Occupation Actor, composer, pianist, singer
Years active 1935–84

💰 Net worth: $1.5 Million (2024)

Max Showalter, widely recognized for his versatile career in the entertainment industry, has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million as of 2024. Showalter, a renowned actor, soundtrack artist, and music department professional, has continually mesmerized audiences in the United States with his exceptional talents. With his incredible contributions to numerous successful projects over the years, Showalter has established a firm position in the industry, solidifying his financial worth and sustaining his prominence as a multifaceted performer.

Biography/Timeline

1889

Showalter was born in Caldwell, Kansas, the son of Elma Roxanna (Dodson) Showalter (1889–1953), a music Teacher, and Ira Edward Showalter (1887–1953), who worked in the oil industry and was also a banker and farmer. He developed a Desire for acting as a toddler while accompanying his mother to local theatres where she played piano for silent movies.

1930

By the late 1930s, Showalter had multiple stage roles under his belt, including acting in productions of the Pasadena Playhouse. He soon made his Broadway to debut in Knights of Song. Showalter also appeared in the traveling musical This Is the Army for two years and in other notable Broadway productions like Make Mine Manhattan and The Grass Harp. His most memorable stage role was as Horace Vandergelder in the Broadway hit show, Hello Dolly!. Showalter performed the role more than 3,000 times opposite Carol Channing, Betty Grable and Ethel Merman.

1940

In the late 1940s, Showalter was signed to 20th Century Fox as a featured contract player. His name was changed by Fox's founder, Darryl F. Zanuck to the more "bankable" Casey Adams.

1949

He made his feature film debut in Always Leave Them Laughing (1949). He first appeared on live television in the short-lived musical variety series The Swift Show (1948–49), also known as The Lanny Ross Show.

1950

In the 1950s, Showalter took a hiatus from his work in Hollywood, returning to Caldwell, Kansas, to care for his 15-year-old sister who was orphaned by the death of their parents in an automobile accident. Their deaths followed the death of Showalter's brother, Robert, in a car wreck two years earlier. After "a couple of years" he returned to Hollywood and resumed his career.

1952

Showalter's second feature film was the biopic With a Song in My Heart (1952), where he had a small role as a vaudeville performer. In the film, Showalter, along with David Wayne, sang the song "Hoe that Corn", which he also wrote. He appeared in Niagara (1953) alongside Marilyn Monroe and Joseph Cotten. He made a cameo as a Life magazine Photographer in another Monroe movie, Bus Stop, in 1956.

1956

In 1956, Showalter (as Casey Adams) recorded an album of his own music, Casey Adams Plays and Sings Max Showalter Songs (Foremost Records FML-1004). He was one of the artists featured on The Secret Garden, a 1988 CBS Special Products album containing performances of music from the musical of that title that "has played the repertory circuit in England."

1960

In the 1960s, Showalter reclaimed his original name and continued to land roles in such big-budget films as Elmer Gantry (1960), The Music Man (1962), and How to Murder Your Wife (1965). He worked through the 1960s and 1970s. He made six appearances on Perry Mason, including the role of murderer Carl Reynolds in the 1958 episode, "The Case of the Curious Bride," murder victim Burt Stokes in "The Case of the Wandering Widow" in 1960, and murderer Talbot Sparr in the 1964 episode, "The Case of the Ugly Duckling." He made appearances in other television series like The Twilight Zone (the iconic episode "It's a Good Life"), The Lucy Show, Gunsmoke, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Bewitched, Dr. Kildare, Surfside 6, The Doris Day Show, Kojak, Police Story, The Bob Newhart Show, as well as in cult films, Lord Love a Duck, The Anderson Tapes and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. In the 1979 film 10, he famously played a pastor whose hobby was writing (bad) songs. He was also a regular cast member in the short-lived 1980 TV series, The Stockard Channing Show. Showalter made his last onscreen appearance in the John Hughes film Sixteen Candles (1984).

1963

Show Business columnist Hedda Hopper reported in a 1963 newspaper column that Showalter had sold 139 paintings and would have his first one-man show.

1984

In 1984, Showalter retired from acting and moved to an 18th-century farmhouse in Chester, Connecticut, near the area where he acted in the film, It Happened to Jane (1959). Showalter became involved in local musical theatre, including the Ivoryton Playhouse, and went on to produce, direct, write, and narrate the Christmas musical Touch of a Child. Also, Showalter spent much of his free time painting oil miniatures.

2000

On July 30, 2000, Max Showalter died of cancer in Middletown, Connecticut. He was 83 years old.

Some Max Showalter images

About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.