{{short description|American actor}} {{Infobox person |name = Max McLean |image = Max McLean 2019 (mxsTpZMJn8Q).jpg |caption = McLean in 2019 |birth_name = |birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|4|14}} |birth_place = Panama City, Panama |death_date = |death_place = |alma_mater = University of Texas |occupation = Stage actor, writer, and producer |years_active = 1992-present |spouse = Sharon McLean |children = 2 }}
'''Max McLean''' (born April 14, 1953) is a Panamanian-born American<ref name="BW.com7-20-10">{{cite web|url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/153044/the-devil-and-max-mclean-star-of-the-off-broadway-hit-the-screwtape-letters/|title=The Devil and Max McLean, Star of the Off-Broadway Hit ''The Screwtape Letters''|last=McLean|first=Max|date=July 20, 2010|work=Broadway.com|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref> stage actor, writer, and producer.<ref name="NCReporter4-30-16">{{cite web|url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/media/whole-story-luthers-life-trial-onstage|title=Whole story of Luther's life on trial onstage|last=Blaney|first=Retta|date=April 30, 2016|work=National Catholic Reporter|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref> He is the founder and artistic director of the Fellowship for Performing Arts,<ref name="CHI11-22-17">{{cite web|url=https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/blog/post/max-mclain-cs-lewis|title=Max McLean as C.S. Lewis|date=November 22, 2017|work=Christian History Institute|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref> a New York City-based company that produces live theater and film from a Christian worldview.<ref name="BW2-2-20">{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/birmingham/article/BWW-Interview-Director-Max-McLean-Bares-His-Soul-on-Spiritual-Warfare-in-CS-Lewis-THE-SCREWTAPE-LETTERS-at-BJCC-CONCERT-HALL-20200202|title=BWW Interview: Director Max McLean Bares His Soul on Spiritual Warfare in C.S. Lewis' THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS at BJCC CONCERT HALL|last=Perry|first=David Edward|date=February 2, 2020|work=BroadwayWorld|access-date=May 6, 2022}}</ref>
McLean is known for his stage adaptations of books by author and theologian C. S. Lewis. Some of McLean's adaptations include ''The Screwtape Letters'' (written with Jeffrey Fiske),<ref name="Guardian12-11-16">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/dec/11/the-screwtape-letters-park-theatre-london-review-cs-lewis|title=Theatre: The Screwtape Letters review – a hell of a disappointment|last=Billington|first=Michael|date=December 11, 2016|work=The Guardian|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref><ref name="WP12-23-12">{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/a-riveting-charming-adaptation-of-the-screwtape-letters/2012/12/23/35d9931e-4c6e-11e2-8758-b64a2997a921_story.html|title=Style: A riveting, charming adaptation of 'The Screwtape Letters'|last=Horwitz|first=Jane|date=December 23, 2012|work=The Washington Post|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref> ''The Great Divorce'' (written with Brian Watkins),<ref name="BW11-25-15">{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/BWW-Interview-Max-McLean-Chats-About-THE-GREAT-DIVORCE-and-The-Fellowship-for-Performing-Arts-Inaugural-Season-20151125|title=BWW Interview: Max McLean Chats About THE GREAT DIVORCE and The Fellowship for Performing Arts Inaugural Season|last=Dominick|first=Nora|date=November 25, 2015|work=BroadwayWorld|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref><ref name="PB11-12-19">{{cite web|url=https://www.playbill.com/article/cast-set-for-off-broadway-run-of-cs-lewis-the-great-divorce|title=Cast Set for Off-Broadway Run of C.S. Lewis' ''The Great Divorce''|last=Gans|first=Andrew|date=November 12, 2019|work=Playbill.com|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref> and ''C.S. Lewis Onstage: The Most Reluctant Convert'' (based on ''Surprised by Joy'').<ref name="CP11-12-19">{{cite web|url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/cs-lewis-conversion-biopic-hits-theaters-nationwide.html|title=Hit CS Lewis biopic 'The Most Reluctant Convert' highlights author's dramatic conversion|last=Klett|first=Leah MarieAnn|date=November 8, 2021|work=The Christian Post|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref> ''C.S. Lewis Onstage'' was adapted into a film, ''The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis'', which starred McLean as an older Lewis and was released in 2021.<ref name=Deadline9-8-21>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/09/c-s-lewis-biopic-the-most-reluctant-convert-cinema-release-watch-first-trailer-1234828714/|title=C.S. Lewis Biopic 'The Most Reluctant Convert' Sets Cinema Release; Watch First Trailer|last=Grater|first=Tom|date=September 8, 2021|work=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref>
Outside of his work regarding Lewis, McLean wrote the play ''Martin Luther on Trial'' with Chris Cragin-Day,<ref name="NCReporter4-30-16"/><ref name="TVV12-21-16">{{cite web|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2016/12/21/martin-luther-on-trial-goes-too-easy-on-its-subject/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912203818/https://www.villagevoice.com/2016/12/21/martin-luther-on-trial-goes-too-easy-on-its-subject/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 12, 2018|title='Martin Luther on Trial' Goes Too Easy On Its Subject|last=Shaw|first=Helen|date=December 21, 2016|work=The Village Voice|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref><ref name="WM1-27-17">{{cite web|url=https://wng.org/articles/luther-and-his-legacy-1618209984|title=Luther and his legacy|last=Belz|first=Emily|date=January 27, 2017|work=World Magazine|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref> and narrated KJV, NIV, and ESV versions of "The Listener's Bible", an audio Bible.<ref name="Challies1-21-08">{{cite web|url=https://www.challies.com/interviews/an-interview-with-max-mclean/|title=An Interview with Max McLean|author=Challies, Tim|date=January 21, 2008|work=Challies.com|access-date=April 9, 2015}}</ref>
==Early life and education== McLean was born in Panama City, Panama, on April 14, 1953. McLean immigrated to the United States through New York City at age four.<ref name="Challies1-21-08"/>
McLean graduated from the University of Texas in 1975, where participation in theater helped him overcome a fear of public speaking. After graduating, he pursued theatrical studies in London.<ref name="Alcalde2-19-13">{{cite web|url=https://alcalde.texasexes.org/2013/02/from-sociophobia-to-the-national-stage/|title=From Sociophobia to the National Stage|last=Guajardo|first=Gaby|date=February 19, 2013|work=alcalde.texasexes.org|access-date=April 9, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Challies1-21-08"/>
==Career== In 1992, McLean founded the non-profit theatre company, the Fellowship for Performing Arts (abbreviated as FPA).<ref name="Challies1-21-08"/>
Early on, McLean and the FPA toured and performed at colleges and universities. These included one-man shows with dramatic presentations of books of the Bible. He has adapted Genesis, the Acts and the Gospel of Mark (called ''Mark's Gospel'').<ref name="Challies1-21-08"/><ref name="CHI11-22-17"/>
===C. S. Lewis stage adaptations===
After seeing McLean perform ''Genesis'', playwright Jeff Fiske emailed McLean, telling him that he would portray Screwtape well.<ref name="BW.com7-20-10"/> With Fiske, McLean adapted the 1942 novel ''The Screwtape Letters'' by C. S. Lewis as a stageplay, which stars McLean as Screwtape.<ref name="WP12-23-12"/> It has been performed since 2006,<ref name="BW8-3-09">{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/washington-dc/article/National-Tour-Dates-Announced-For-THE-SCREWTAPE-LETTERS-20090803|last=Loki|first=Reynard|date=August 3, 2009|title=National Tour Dates Announced For THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS|work=BroadwayWorld|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref> and has received positive responses from critics.<ref name="NYT6-12-10">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/12/theater/reviews/12screw.html|title=Lewis's Tempters, Meticulously Paving the Road to Hell|last=Hampton|first=Wilborn|date=June 12, 2010|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref><ref name="OS12-30-11">{{cite web|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/os-screwtape-letters-review-20111230-story.html|title=Entertainment: Theater review: 'The Screwtape Letters'|last=Palm|first=Matthew J.|date=December 30, 2011|work=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref><ref name="WP12-23-12"/><ref name="DN3-28-13">{{cite web|url=https://www.deseret.com/2013/3/28/20517021/theater-review-c-s-lewis-screwtape-letters-is-devilish-fun|title=Theater review: C.S. Lewis' 'Screwtape Letters' is devilish fun|last=Askar|first=Jamshid Ghazi|date=March 28, 2013|work=Deseret News|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref>
McLean and co-writer Brian Watkins developed a stageplay for the 1945 Lewis novel, ''The Great Divorce'', and in September 2013, McLean brought it to the Cape Playhouse in New York City for the development production.<ref name="BW11-25-15"/> On December 13, 2013, it premiered at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix, Arizona, and toured nationally in 2014.<ref name="BW8-15-14">{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/houston/article/National-Tour-of-CS-Lewis-THE-GREAT-DIVORCE-Coming-to-Cullen-Theater-815-16-20140814|title=National Tour of C.S. Lewis' THE GREAT DIVORCE Comes to Cullen Theater This Weekend|author=BWW News Desk|date=August 15, 2014|work=BroadwayWorld|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref> In December 2019, a revised revival of ''The Great Divorce'' opened at Theatre Three on Theatre Row in New York City.<ref name="BW11-12-19">{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/Casting-has-Been-Announced-for-CS-Lewis-THE-GREAT-DIVORCE-at-Theatre-Three-at-Theatre-Row-20191112|title=Casting has Been Announced for C.S. Lewis' THE GREAT DIVORCE at Theatre Three at Theatre Row|last=Rabinowitz|first=Chloe|date=November 12, 2019|work=BroadwayWorld|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref> After this, it began a national tour.<ref name="PB11-12-19"/>
McLean adapted the 1955 Lewis book ''Surprised by Joy'' <ref name="CP11-12-19"/> into the one-man play, ''C.S. Lewis on Stage: The Most Reluctant Convert''. McLean also stars as Lewis.<ref name="WP4-29-16">{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/the-tangled-questions-on-cs-lewiss-journey-to-becaming-a-christian/2016/04/29/b6ab463e-0d65-11e6-8ab8-9ad050f76d7d_story.html|title=The tangled questions on C.S. Lewis's journey to becoming a Christian|last=Wren|first=Celia|date=April 29, 2016|work=The Washington Post|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref> The play was adapted into the film, ''The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis'', which McLean reprises his role in as an older Lewis. It was released in 2021.<ref name=Deadline9-8-21/>
===Other projects=== McLean co-wrote the play, ''Martin Luther on Trial'', with playwright and drama professor Chris Cragin-Day, which premiered at the Lansburgh Theatre in Washington, D.C., on May 12, 2016.<ref name="NCReporter4-30-16"/>
===Awards=== In 2009, McLean received the Jeff Award for Best Solo Performance for his one-man show ''Mark's Gospel''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jeffawards.org/archives?combine=Max+McLean&field_nomination_category_target_id=All&field_award_year_target_id=All&field_division_target_id=All&field_recipient_value=All|title=Past winner archives|work=Jeff Awards|accessdate=May 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528190301/http://www.jeffawards.org/archives?combine=Max+McLean&field_nomination_category_target_id=All&field_award_year_target_id=All&field_division_target_id=All&field_recipient_value=All|archive-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref>
McLean's narrations for The Listener's Bible have received several Audie Award nominations in total. One in 1999 for the "Inspirational" category,<ref name="APorg99">{{cite web|url=https://www.audiopub.org/winners/1999-audies|title=1999 Audie Awards®: Inspirational|work=Audie Awards|access-date=May 28, 2022|archive-date=October 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006114056/https://www.audiopub.org/winners/1999-audies|url-status=dead}}</ref> one in 2000 for "Package Design",<ref name="APorg00">{{cite web|url=https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2000-audies|title=2000 Audie Awards®: Package Design|work=Audie Awards|access-date=May 28, 2022|archive-date=October 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002152856/https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2000-audies|url-status=dead}}</ref> and one in 2002 for "Inspirational/Spiritual".<ref name="APorg02">{{cite web|url=https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2002|title=2002 Audie Awards®: Inspirational/Spiritual|work=Audie Awards|access-date=May 28, 2022|archive-date=October 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002152853/https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2002|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Personal life== In 1976, McLean became a Protestant Christian, after having grown up a nominal Catholic.<ref name="Challies1-21-08"/>
He is married to Sharon McLean, and they have two grown daughters. They live in New York City, and are members of the Redeemer Presbyterian Church.<ref name="Challies1-21-08"/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:McLean, Max}} Category:American male stage actors Category:Living people Category:1953 births Category:People from Panama City Category:Presbyterians from New York (state)