Max Elliott Slade (born July 4, 1980) is an American actor who starred in 3 Ninjas, 3 Ninjas Kick Back, and 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up. He was featured as Jay Lovell in Apollo 13, young Mark Goddard in The Sweeper, and young Gil Buckman in Parenthood. Slade was born in Pasadena, California. He chose his own middle name, Elliott, at the age of 3 after watching the movie E.T. His parents' names are John and Betty, and has an older brother named Demian. All of them are, or at one time were, actors. He attended Pasadena High School, where he co-founded a rock and roll club called Three Broken Chords and The Lying Truth. Slade earned a brown belt in Gosoku-ryu karate at age 11. Slade previously worked as a bartender. He plays guitar and sings in a band called Haden. He holds a bachelor's degree in Anthropology from the University of Southern California.