Though Lionel Stander was a well-renowned actor, his career reached an abrupt standstill when he was blacklisted by Hollywood. It was an accusation that the Hart to Hart actor vehemently denied, even years later in a 1983 interview.

“If they’d wanted real communists, they could have had the heads of the party,” Stander said during an interview with the Chicago Tribune. “But you don’t get publicity by having ordinary people testify. When you go after actors and prominent people, you get press... I have always been a progressive liberal— I was never a communist.”

Despite Stander’s dedication to authenticity, it didn’t stop many elites from turning their backs on him.

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“It felt bad, but I was never angry,” said the actor. “I was lucky— because the blacklist destroyed other people. Some turned to drink, and there was a lot of personal tragedy.”

However, Stander still had to support himself, becoming a stockbroker. The occupation proved incredibly fruitful. “Ironically, I made more money than I ever did acting,” said Stander. “I think I’m the only actor who’s ever been president of a brokerage house.”

Of course, the ostracization wouldn’t last forever. Eventually, after Hollywood came to its senses, Stander was back in the spotlight, appearing in popular television shows like Hart to Hart. “At these prices, I’d be crazy not to work,” said the actor. “It isn’t a chore; it’s a pleasure. A minimum of effort— a maximum of reward.”