Max Elliott Slade

Born into a family of actors, Max Slade scored his first acting role at the age of eight, as the child version of 'Steve Martin' (qv)'s character, Gil Buckman, in director 'Ron Howard' (qv)'s hit comedy _Parenthood (1989)_ (qv). The following year, he took a role in the short-lived _Parenthood (1990)_ (qv) TV series (alongside young 'Leonardo DiCaprio' (qv) and 'Thora Birch' (qv)), this time playing Gil Buckman's son, Kevin.Max is perhaps best known for his role as Colt in the children's martial arts films _3 Ninjas (1992)_ (qv), _3 Ninjas Kick Back (1994)_ (qv), and _3 Ninjas: Knuckle Up (1993)_ (qv). He had studied karate since the age of five and this role provided an opportunity for his acting and martial arts skills to come together. He was the only actor to appear in all three films, his co-stars 'Michael Treanor' (qv) and 'Chad Power' (qv) having declined to appear in 'Kick Back.' ('Kick Back' and 'Knuckle Up' were released out of order.)At the age of fourteen, Max worked with 'Ron Howard' (qv) for the third time, this time as 'Tom Hanks' (qv)' screen son in _Apollo 13 (1995)_ (qv). Max's final film appearance was in the independent action film _The Sweeper (1996)_ (qv).Max quit acting professionally at age 15 in order to focus on school, going on to earn a B.A. in anthropology from USC.::annonymous