Actress. She was best known for her portrayal of Velda, detective Mike Hammer's faithful secretary, in the 1955 film noir classic "Kiss Me Deadly". Raised in Chicago, she developed an interest in theater while a student at Bennington College, Vermont. After further study at the Pasadena Playhouse, she went to Europe to perform for troops stationed there, and ended up staying for five years. While in England, she refined her art in stage productions, and on BBC television. Returning to America, she was seen on television in "Perry Mason", "Dragnet", and "The Twilight Zone" during the 1950s. In 1955, director Robert Aldrich selected her for "Kiss Me Deadly" after watching her in a stage production of "Peer Gynt"; the film remains as a vivid portrait of Cold War paranoia. (In the 1970s, the film's last 64 seconds was somehow lost, completely changing the ending; it was later restored using Aldrich's personal print). Maxine was later to have small roles in Aldrich's "Autumn Leaves" (1956), and "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" (1962). She married screenwriter Sy Gomberg (deceased 2001) in 1957, and retired from acting in the 1960s to raise her family. Later in life, she was to become a noted photographer, earning praise for her illustrations of Howard Fast's "The Art of Zen Meditation".
Actress. She was best known for her portrayal of Velda, detective Mike Hammer's faithful secretary, in the 1955 film noir classic "Kiss Me Deadly". Raised in Chicago, she developed an interest in theater while a student at Bennington College, Vermont. After further study at the Pasadena Playhouse, she went to Europe to perform for troops stationed there, and ended up staying for five years. While in England, she refined her art in stage productions, and on BBC television. Returning to America, she was seen on television in "Perry Mason", "Dragnet", and "The Twilight Zone" during the 1950s. In 1955, director Robert Aldrich selected her for "Kiss Me Deadly" after watching her in a stage production of "Peer Gynt"; the film remains as a vivid portrait of Cold War paranoia. (In the 1970s, the film's last 64 seconds was somehow lost, completely changing the ending; it was later restored using Aldrich's personal print). Maxine was later to have small roles in Aldrich's "Autumn Leaves" (1956), and "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" (1962). She married screenwriter Sy Gomberg (deceased 2001) in 1957, and retired from acting in the 1960s to raise her family. Later in life, she was to become a noted photographer, earning praise for her illustrations of Howard Fast's "The Art of Zen Meditation".
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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