Michael "Max" Thayer (born June 18, 1946) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

movie actor, sometimes credited as Michael R. Thayer. He is mostly known for playing lead roles in several B-movies and action films such as '' Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks'', ''

Planet of Dinosaurs ''Planet of Dinosaurs'' is a 1977 science fiction film. Set in an unspecified future, the film follows the journey of Captain Lee and his crew after they crash land on a planet with similar life conditions as Earth, but millions of years behind in ...

'' and ''

No Retreat, No Surrender 2 ''No Retreat, No Surrender 2'' (also known as ''No Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder'') is a 1987 Hong Kong-American martial arts film directed by Corey Yuen, and starring Loren Avedon, Matthias Hues, Max Thayer and Cynthia Rothrock. D ...

''.

Biography

After serving in the US Army, Thayer decided to become an actor. He first appeared in theater, then in several low-budget movies during the 1970s. In 1976, he played the lead male role, opposite

Dyanne Thorne Dyanne Thorne (October 14, 1936 – January 28, 2020) was an American actress, stage performer and vocalist. She was known for her stage work in Las Vegas and as the lead actress in the ''Ilsa'' film franchise which began with ''Ilsa, She Wolf ...

in '' Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks''. He went on to play roles in such films as ''

'' and ''The Retrievers''. During the 1980s, after a short hiatus from acting due to an accident, Thayer found himself working in the Philippines, where he starred in several low-budget action films such as ''Deadringer'', ''No Dead Heroes'' and ''Phantom soldiers''. In 1987, he played one of the lead roles in the action film ''

'', opposite Loren Avedon and Cynthia Rothrock. In the 1990s and 2000s, he appeared mostly in bit parts. In 2018, he played one of the lead roles in the independent film ''In the Middle of the River''.Review: In the Middle of the River, FILMFEST MÜNCHEN 2018
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Partial filmography

* Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks (1976) *

(1978) *Hot Ice (1977) *The Retrievers (1981) *Skeezer (1982) *The Story of the Dolls (1984) *Talk Dirty to Me Part III (1984) *Perfect Fit (1985) *Deadringer (1985) * Iron Eagle (1986) *No Dead Heroes (1987) *

(1987) *A Night at the Magic Castle (1988) *Phantom Soldiers (1989) *Dominion (1995) *Visions (1996) *Sworn to Justice (1996) * The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) * Pearl Harbor (2001) * American Gun (2002) *C.E.O. (2002) *

S.W.A.T. In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

(2003) *The War of Gene (2004) *A Killing in Choctaw (2004) * In the Middle of the River (2018)

References

External links

* *
Nanarland''
Website on campy b-movies that has a big section about Max Thayer, even hosting a fan-made photograph comic strip
Interview of Max Thayer about his movie career
Male actors from Detroit American male film actors 1946 births Living people {{US-film-actor-1940s-stub