A native of
The Bronx borough of New York City, and a graduate of the
University of Michigan, he appeared in 151 films or television programs. Maxwell began his acting career on the Broadway stage, appearing in such notable plays as
Death of a Salesman (playing the role of Willy Loman's son, "Happy"),
South Pacific (playing "Luther Billis," a role that went to
Ray Walston in the film version), and
Stalag 17. His first television acting roles were in 1950 in episodes of the
Goodyear Playhouse/
Philco Playhouse followed in 1951 by an appearance in the episode "The Overcoat" of the television series
Big Town. Maxwell subsequently appeared in such series as
Decoy with
Beverly Garland,
Peter Gunn (twice),
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (five episodes),
The Fugitive (three episodes),
Whirlybirds,
Black Saddle,
The Man and the Challenge,
The Deputy,
The Munsters, ''
Cain's Hundred, Follow the Sun, Hong Kong, The Asphalt Jungle, Target: The Corruptors, and Mr. Novak. He was cast three times each on Robert Montgomery Presents, Cannon,
and Emergency! and four times each on Rawhide; Quincy, M.E.; and The F.B.I.'' In 1960, Maxwell was cast in
CBS's
science fiction series,
The Twilight Zone as Marty Fisher in the episode "
A World of Difference". That same year, he appeared as Hackett in the episode "Millionaire Jessica March" of the CBS fantasy drama,
The Millionaire. In 1960 he made two guest appearances on
Perry Mason: as Harry Wilson in "The Case of the Wayward Wife," and defendant Joe Dixon in "The Case of the Red Riding Boots." He made a third appearance in 1961 as Dr. Mooney in "The Case of the Injured Innocent." In the 1962–1963 television season, he was a co-star of the
ABC sitcom,
Our Man Higgins, starring
Stanley Holloway in the title role and with
Audrey Totter and
Ricky Kelman. Maxwell played the father, Duncan MacRoberts, in all thirty-four episodes of the series. He also appeared as a regular on the TV series
Felony Squad with
Howard Duff from 1966-68 and
The Second Hundred Years with
Monte Markham from 1967-68. In 1970, he appeared as a producer in “That Girl”. From 1973 to 1975, he appeared in five episodes of CBS's
Barnaby Jones, with
Buddy Ebsen. In 1977, he appeared an in episode of ABC's
The Feather and Father Gang; he also appeared on
All In The Family in the role of Tommy Kelsey, owner of Kelsey's Bar, a role originated by actor Brendan Dillon in Season 2, that had been assumed on a recurring basis by he and actor
Bob Hastings in Seasons 1-6, in Part 1 of the two-part Season 8 opening episode "Archie Gets The Business". In 1984, he appeared in a two-part episode of ABC's
The Love Boat, in which he was cast as Colonel Charles Holmsey. His last regular acting role was as
Dan Rooney, the lovable aging hospital administrator on
General Hospital which he appeared on from 1978-1988. Over the years, the character had a hand in practically every storyline and was a major participant in the now famous "Ice Princess" storyline which dominated the daytime ratings in 1981. He died in
Santa Monica, California, and was buried in
Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California. ==Selected filmography==