Lew Palter, a Brooklyn-born actor whose dozens of film and TV performances included a role in James Cameron’s “Titanic,” has died following a battle with lung cancer, his family said.
His daughter told The Hollywood Reporter that Palter, who was 94, died at his home in Los Angeles on May 21.
Born in 1928, Palter broke into the entertainment industry as an Off-Broadway actor and director. He began acting on-screen during the late 1960s with appearances on series such as “Run for Your Life,” “Days of our Lives,” “Gunsmoke” and “Mission: Impossible.”
Palter continued booking roles on popular shows throughout the 1970s, appearing on “Charlie’s Angels,” “The Bionic Woman,” “Kojak” and “The Brady Bunch.” He later portrayed Justice Benjamin Halperin in the 1981 comedy-drama movie “First Monday in October.”
In 1997′s “Titanic,” Palter played former Macy’s co-owner Isidor Straus, who died on the ship. Straus’ great-great-granddaughter, Wendy Rush, is the widow of Stockton Rush, the OceanGate Expeditions CEO who died in last week’s Titanic submersible implosion, according to The New York Times.
“Titanic,” which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, remains the fourth-highest grossing film ever, making more than $2.2 billion worldwide. Palter largely left acting after “Titanic” but did appear in the 2018 short “In Confidence.”
Palter was married for more than 60 years to actress Nancy Vawter, who died in 2020, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In addition to his performance career, Palter worked as an acting teacher and director at the CalArts School of Theater from 1971 to 2013.
“Lew loved the craft of acting and taught his students to do the same. He fostered deep curiosity, care, intellect and humor in every scene, play and class,” the program’s dean, Travis Preston, said in a statement to THR. “He had the utmost respect of his students and encouraged all to find truth in their work and lives.”
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