'Titanic' Actor Lew Palter Dead at 94

By Allison Schonter

Lew Palter, who starred Macy's co-owner Isidor Strauss in James Cameron's `1997's Oscar-winning blockbuster Titanic, has died. Palter died of lung cancer at his home in Los Angeles, California on Sunday, May 21, his daughter Catherine Palter confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter on Monday. He was 94.

Born Leon Louis Palter on Nov. 3, 1928, Palter graduated from Tufts University before earning his master's degree from Alfred University and his Ph.D. in theater from Northwestern University. He appeared in and directed plays off-Broadway before joining the Millbrook Playhouse in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania in the mid-1960s, Plater making his onscreen debut that same decade on a 1967 episode of NBC's Run for Your Life. He went on to appear on It Takes a Thief, The Virginian, Gunsmoke, and Mission: Impossible throughout the '60s. He also starred as one of the Supreme Court justices in First Monday in October (1981), portrayed an LAPD detective on the 1976-77 CBS series Delvecchio, and also appeared in The Flying Nun, Hill Street Blues, and L.A. Law.

Palter, however, was perhaps best known for his starring role in Titanic. The actor appeared in the blockbuster film as Isidor Strauss, the co-owner of Macy's department store, opposite Elsa Raven, who portrayed Ida Strauss. Isidor and Ida were two of the wealthiest passengers to tragically die when the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912. Isidor refused to board a lifeboat because there were women and children who had yet to get on one. His wife would not leave without him. In some of the final moments from Cameron's 1997 film, Isidor and Ida are seen lying in bed embracing one another as water rushes into their room.

Outside of acting, Palter was also well-known as a faculty member at CalArts School of Theater. He joined the school in 1971 and served as an acting teacher and director. His former student and Saturday Night Live star Cecily Strong described Palter as "a great teacher" in a social media tribute. Palter also taught famous students Ed Harris and Don Cheadle.

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"Lew loved the craft of acting and taught his students to do the same. He fostered deep curiosity, care, intellect and humor in every scene, play and class. He had the utmost respect of his students and encouraged all to find truth in their work and lives," CalArts School of Theater Dean Travis Preston said in a statement, with Palter's daughter adding, "as a teacher, he seemed to have truly changed people's lives."

Palter retired from CalArts School of Theater in 2013. His wife, Nancy Vawter, died in November 2020. In addition to his daughter Catherine, Palter is survived by his grandchildren Sam, Tessa, and Miranda.

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