Gail’s recent portrayal of an Alzheimer’s patient brings awareness to the important issues surrounding the disease
Project Lifesaver International is proud to announce the ambassadorship of Max Gail. The actor, most currently known for his portrayal of an Alzheimer’s patient on ABC’s hit soap opera, General Hospital, accepted the role of Project Lifesaver Ambassador in late 2018, a position granted to only seven other individuals before him.
“In the 20 years since I founded Project Lifesaver, we have only inducted a handful of individuals as Ambassadors. This important role is only conferred to individuals who, without personal gain, go above and beyond in providing support for our lifesaving program. As an organization, we are incredibly honored to name Max Gail a Project Lifesaver Ambassador. Max will be joining the ranks of prominent influencers who believe, trust, and advocate for our mission,” explained Chief Gene Saunders, Founder & CEO of Project Lifesaver International.
Gail, after spending the majority of his formative years trying to “make sense” of the world around him, began acting at the age of 27 in a number of small supporting roles in television shows and movies. He explains that he had never really thought about being a celebrity, but that notion flew out the door after gaining notoriety while portraying what is likely known to be his most notorious role: Detective “Wojo” Wojciehowicz on ABC’s hit sitcom, Barney Miller. Many believe that, unlike most other cop shows of its time, the hit-running show portrayed a more factual representation of community policing with just enough wit and comedic relief. Gail portrayed the fun-loving “Wojo” for 8 seasons until the show went off the air in 1982.
Unsurprisingly, given the generation in which he was raised, Gail has always had a passion for and interest in environmental and social activism, for which he believes influenced much of his on-screen and on-stage work. Within a few short years after the conclusion of Barney Miller, Gail decided to step back from his acting career to care for his young daughter after his wife lost her battle with cancer. After later remarrying and beginning to grow his family with more children, Gail decided it was time to return more prominently to his acting career. That decision was short-lived though, as he quickly noticed a shift that occurred in the industry during his absence, and decided that that was no longer his path. Again, deciding to take a step back from acting, and instead exploring his interest in activism; returning to his roots which were heavily influenced by world activist movements.
During this time, Gail founded LAP – Local Access Places (www.lap.org). The acronym itself took on many different meanings and metaphors, but the philosophy of the organization, stewed deep in the heart of his passion for social activism, was that being one as a community and society is stronger than the concept of individualism. The goal of the organization was to promote dialogue, through collaboration and integration, that brings people together because while each individual/group/culture is their own, they are more the same than one may think. Gail still profoundly believes in this philosophy, and actively tries to spread this belief throughout communities, only now, instead of speaking on the topic during seminars, he has returned to acting, taking on roles that help create a dialogue for a number of issues.
Most recently, Gail has taken on the award-winning role of Mike Corbin, the father of the long-term protagonist, Sonny Corinthos on ABC’s General Hospital. For more than 55 years, the soap opera has been taking its viewers on a rollercoaster of stories and plot twists, some a bit more suited for the drama while others depict real-life social problems and solutions, as is the case with Gail’s depiction of an individual succumbing to Alzheimer’s disease. With the significant and growing prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, this storyline and the portrayal of these characters have resonated with so many people who are also going through the same or at least similar struggles each day. The plot is creating dialogue and bringing about awareness to this disease that takes the lives of so many, while also bringing hope to those facing these struggles each day that they are not alone in this fight. Rooted in his activist efforts, Gail has described this role and awareness it has brought about as “meaningful.”
“Activism has always been heavily prominent throughout my life – something I have always been truly passionate about, and I am proud to be able to continue on this journey as a Project Lifesaver Ambassador, to open communications about the dangers of wandering. This role is a nice integration of what could be ‘bookending’ parts of my career, in which my appreciation for the important work being done by this organization is only deepened through my understanding of both parties (law enforcement/ Alzheimer’s patient),” stated Gail.
Max Gail will be officially inducted as a Project Lifesaver Ambassador during a ceremony at the Project Lifesaver 20th Anniversary Conference being held at Walt Disney World® Resort in late August 2019. More information about this event can be found at www.projectlifesaver.org/conference.