Maxwell Caulfield

November 23, 2024

Fast Facts
Background
Career Timeline
Why We Love
Surprising Facts
FAQs

Maxwell Caulfield, born on November 23, 1959, has been a major presence on screen and stage since the 1980s. After a successful stage debut, Caulfield moved to the big screens, starring in movies like “Grease 2,” “The Boys Next Door,” “Gettysburg,” “Empire Records,” and more. He interspersed this with television roles in “Dynasty,” “Casualty,” and “Emmerdale,” while also regularly appearing on stage. He’s also done voiceover work, lending his vocals to multiple audiobooks and video games.

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Maxwell P.J. Newby

Nickname:

Max

Birth date:

November 23, 1959

Age:

Zodiac Sign:

Sagittarius

Height:

6' 0"

Relationship Status:

Married

Net Worth:

$10 million

Background

Maxwell Caulfield was born Maxwell P.J. Newby in 1959, in Belper, Derbyshire. By the time Caulfield was seven, his parents had split, and his mother later married a former marine who had a tumultuous relationship with the young boy. His childhood, as the actor later revealed in interviews, was often spent alone and sidelined. He credited this feeling as being the inspiration behind his drive to act. By the time he was 15, Caulfield was asked to leave the house, and he spent the next few years as an exotic dancer at Windmill Theatre in London, a job that would gain him an ‘equity card’ that would help him work as an actor in various theater productions.

Caulfield eventually moved to the U.S. in 1978, landing in New York for stage roles. The very next year, he was getting a Theater World Award for his performance in the Broadway show “Class Enemy.” He went on to star in many more stage shows, eventually landing roles on the big and small screens. Arguably, his biggest claim to fame back then was a starring role in “Grease 2,” a project that unfortunately did not do well at the box office. After years of struggle, Caulfield was back on screens and on stage, and this time he worked on more diverse projects. A few movies later, Caulfield was playing roles in English soaps “Emmerdale” and “‘Casualty,” and his popularity was the highest it had ever been. So far, he’s had more than 70 credits to his name; he’s had countless guest roles in top-rated shows like “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “NCIS,” and “Modern Family,” has starred in multiple movies and mini-series, and has lent his voice to audiobook narrations for “Anonymous Rex” by Eric Garcia and 2012’s “The War of the Worlds” by H. G. Wells, among others. The multi-talented actor has also been a playback singer, recording songs like ‘Say No More (Mon Amour)’ for “Empire Records” and ‘(Love Will) Turn Back the Hands of Time,’ ‘Who’s That Guy?,’ ‘We’ll Be Together,’ and ‘Charades’ for “Grease 2.”

As big a star as Caulfield is, his personal life was the subject of much scrutiny too, especially since he married his co-star Juliet Mills, whom he met while performing “The Elephant Man” in 1980. The couple, who have an age difference of 18 years, are still deliriously happy, and Caulfield is a doting stepdad to Mills’ two children from her previous marriages.

Career timeline

1979

His First Lead Role and an Award

A starring role in “Class Enemy” puts Caulfield on the map, and bags him a Theatre World Award for his performance.

1982

A Big Hollywood Project

“Grease 2,” starring Caulfield and Michelle Pfeiffer, is not a box office success, but eventually becomes a cult classic that legions of moviegoers still talk about.

1985 — 1987

His Most Recognizable T.V. Role

“Dynasty” and its spin-off, “The Colbys,” introduce us to Caulfield’s smooth-talking bad-boy Miles Colby, and the audiences go wild.

1995

Another Cult Classic is Born

Another one of Caulfield’s movies doesn’t make it big at the box office, but “Empire Records” eventually becomes a major hit and spawns a special celebration — the ‘Rex Manning Day,’ held each year on April 8.

2003 — 2004

His U.K. Success

Caulfield stars in the hit series “Casualty,” and becomes a household name in the U.K.

2013 — 2022

Character Roles

Caulfield plays multiple character roles on television, starring in “Modern Family,” “Pam and Tommy,” and “NCIS.”

Why We Love Maxwell Caulfield

He's a very versatile actor
He made it through teen idol status and is now a full-blown character actor and legend. He's worked on every medium there is — television, movies, stage — and even dabbled in production.
He's fought for his success
Not only did he have to struggle to land a role in his early years, but he also faced complete obscurity after “Grease 2” bombed at the box office. His present throngs of fans came only after years of heartbreak. It’s only natural that he values them so much more.
He was ahead of his time
Two of his major movies, “Grease 2” and “Empire Records,” fared poorly at the box office. However, they became major hits later, even recovering some portion of their sales on T.V. and V.H.S. Caulfield thinks they were ahead of the times.

5 Surprising Facts

He initially had another name
He took on his mother's maiden name for his initial debuts, later changing it to a stage name.
His stage name was inspired by literature
J.D. Salinger's “Catcher in the Rye” might have been the inspiration behind his stage name Caulfield.
He prefers the stage
Caulfield says there's nothing like a live audience; the people and their reactions are real, and feedback is immediate.
The failure of “Grease 2” affected him
According to Caulfield, he suffered years of professional and psychological trauma when “Grease 2” failed at the box office.
He's now a U.S. citizen
He might have had to struggle a bit, but Caulfield is now a proud naturalized U.S. citizen, becoming one on September 5, 1991.