Actor who portrayed Isidor Straus in ‘Titanic’ died in Los Angeles

As the world mourns the loss of five passengers who died on the Titan submersible more than a week ago, Hollywood is mourning the loss of actor Lew Palter, 94.

Palter’s connection to the Titan is that he portrayed Macy’s co-owner Isidor Straus in James Cameron’s 1997 film “Titanic.” Isidor Straus and his wife, Ida, were depicted in the film as the couple who chose to hold each other in bed in their stateroom and go down with the Titanic in 1912.

The Straus’s great-great-granddaughter is Wendy Rush, married to Stockton Rush, CEO and founder of OceanGate Expeditions who perished onboard the Titan in an implosion a week ago Sunday.

Palter, a New York-born actor, had lung cancer and died in his Los Angeles home on May 21.

He directed several off-Broadway plays during his career, including “Nuts” for the Los Angeles Stage Company. “Nuts” was later adapted into a 1987 movie starring Barbara Streisand.

Palter taught at the CalArts School of Theatre, and tutored students such as Oscar nominees Don Cheadle and Ed Harris, and Emmy nominee Cecily Strong. He retired in 2013 from teaching.

Besides his role in “Titanic,” Palter is remembered for portraying Associate Justice Benjamin Halperin alongside Walter Matthau in the 1981 comedy-drama “First Monday in October.”

Palter is survived by a daughter and three grandchildren. His wife, “L.A. Law” actress Nancy Vawter, died in 2020 after 64 years of marriage.

The Titan submersible lost communication with its mother ship one hour and 45 minutes after submerging into the ocean toward the wreckage of the Titanic on Sunday, June 18, 2023. After a search for several days by an international team of experts, including the U.S. Coast Guard, wreckage was discovered near the hull of the Titanic.

A “catastrophic implosion” as the Titan descended toward the Titanic took the lives of pilot Rush, Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son, Suleman Dawood, 19, Hamish Harding, 58, and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77.

A remote-operated vehicle found five major pieces of debris from the Titan on Thursday, including the nose cone and most of the pressure chamber.