Obituary: Wayne Maunder

Wayne Maunder, left, with James Stacy in Lancer

It is now officially confirmed after days and days of rumors:  Retired actor Wayne Maunder, known mostly for his television work on 1960s  shows like Custer and Lancer, has died at the age of 80.  Apparently the birth year of 1937 is correct for Maunder despite having graduated from Bangor (Maine) High School in 1957.  He might have been held back a year during one of the school years in his youth.  He graduated the same year as one of his brothers, Lyle, who is among his survivors.

The Hollywood Reporter went beyond the call of duty and managed to contact the Vermont Department of Health, which confirmed Maunder died of a heart attack on November 11, Veterans Day.  The article also noted Maunder had a history of heart disease.

Days and days of rumors blanketed social media, but there was absolutely nothing in any news outlet.   I knew eventually there would have to be an official report if those rumors proved true.  There was no way in hell this man, who was a fairly well-known actor, especially among western fans, would not have his death reported.

When I was a young girl, I would say I was a fan of his through his role in the western, Lancer.  He played a rather goody two-shoes type of guy who was a lawyer, contrasted to his "brother" on the show played by the late James Stacy, whose death I also mentioned on this blog about three months after he died in 2016.  Stacy played a more rough-type character, so they were a study in contrasts.  Veteran actor Andrew Duggan played referee as the father.  In other words, it was a bit of scaled-backed version of Bonanza.  He didn't have as many grown up kids to keep track of.

Maunder had some success with that show, which lasted for two seasons.  Prior to this, he played the title role on the ABC series Custer, and he resembled the general, only better looking.  It didn't help in the ratings or with television critics, who savaged the show.  It lasted just 17 episodes before being canceled.  By this time, there was a lot of controversy about increasing violence on television, and this program was one such casualty.

Even so, this show, which I have on DVD, could not have endured for many seasons given the fact we know what eventually happened to the real-life Custer.

Maunder continued to work in television and in the production of independent films.  Though Canadian-born, Maunder moved to the U.S. with his parents and siblings when he was young and considered Bangor, Maine, his hometown.

Maunder was married for many years (though no obit mentions whether he was married at the time of his death and mentions only his two brothers as survivors) and had a son, who died aged only 37, in 2005 of a drug overdose.  Apparently the son was his only child.

From Variety:

Born Dec. 19, 1937, in New Brunswick, Canada, Maunder was raised in Bangor, Maine. Following high school, he had stretches in the U.S. Navy and tryouts for baseball teams like the Milwaukee Braves and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Later, Maunder caught the acting bug and studied under Stella Adler in New York City.

Maunder got his break when he was noticed by agent Jane Oliver, who later also discovered Sylvester Stallone, and got a screen test at Fox in 1966.

The whole rumor thing sounds a lot like what surrounded the death of silent film star Vilma Banky.  If the Hollywood Reporter/Variety hadn't dug into the matter, Maunder's death might never have been officially reported at all.  Thus far there is no death notice whatsoever in his hometown paper, the Bangor Daily News, or  the paper from where he lived until his death, the Brattleboro Reformer.