Lew Palter, who played Macy’s businessman Isidor Straus in Titanic, has died aged 94.
Palter had lung cancer and died at his home in Los Angeles on Sunday, May 21, it has been confirmed.
He is best known for appearing in James Cameron’s 1997 movie as the man who cradled his wife in bed as the ship sank in a truly chilling scene.
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It’s a shot that lasts for mere seconds but is still remembered as one of the film’s most heartbreaking moments.
His character was based on a real person, as Isidor Straus and his wife did indeed die onboard the ship.
Straus co-owned Macy’s with his brother, Nathan.
The New York-born actor is also remembered for playing Associate Justice Benjamin Halperin opposite Walter Matthau and Jill Clayburgh in the 1981 Supreme Court dramedy First Monday in October.
What’s more, he worked as a professor at the CalArts School of Theatre.
He tutored students who would go on to achieve global fame, including Oscar nominees Don Cheadle and Ed Harris, and Emmy nominee Cecily Strong.
Palter retired from teaching in 2013.
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Through his long and varied career, Palter also directed numerous off-Broadway plays.
These included Tom Topor’s drama Nuts for the Los Angeles Stage Company, which was adapted into a movie in 1987 and starred Barbra Streisand.
The Steagle star is survived by his daughter Catherine Read Palter, who he shared with his wife and L.A. Law actress Nancy Vawter.
She sadly died in 2020, after the pair had been married for 64 years.
Palter is also survived by three grandchildren: Sam, Tessa, and Miranda Morgan.
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The sad confirmation of his death comes after the real Titanic ship made headlines last week when five passengers tragically died onboard a submarine intending to explore the wreckage.
Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Stockton Rush went missing on the sub last Sunday and a race against the clock to find them alive ensued.
However, it was later announced that Titan was destroyed by a ‘catastrophic implosion’ on descent.
In a new eerie twist of events, it turns out that Palter also has a connection to the sub, as Palter played the Macy’s co-founder whose great-great granddaughter is the wife of Rush, the OceanGate CEO, who died last week.
Following the haunting events, Netflix has come under fire for announcing the Titanic movie’s imminent return to the streaming platform, which people have branded ‘distasteful’.
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