Maxine Sneed is best known as Tommy Chong’s first wife and the mother who helped raise Rae Dawn Chong and Robbi Chong. Her family also includes her late brother Floyd Sneed, the drummer for Three Dog Night. These ties place her close to well-known names in film, comedy and music.
Yet her own story is less widely recorded. Readers often ask about her age, magazine work, later marriage and life today. Some answers are supported by public records, while others remain unclear. Her appearance at a film event in 2024 offers a useful glimpse of her later public life.
Maxine Sneed Quick Facts
Maxine appears in family accounts under both Sneed and Morrow. Her connection to Tommy Chong is well established, although sources do not all agree on the exact marriage dates. The table below separates clear family facts from details that still need stronger evidence.
| Detail | What is known |
|---|---|
| Name | Maxine Sneed |
| Later documented name | Maxine Morrow, née Sneed |
| Best known for | Her former marriage to Tommy Chong |
| Family | Rae Dawn Chong, Robbi Chong and brother Floyd Sneed |
| Background | Canadian; Black Canadian family roots |
| Birthday | September 23 is reported; birth year is unconfirmed |
| Career | Reported magazine work; exact role needs confirmation |
| Screen appearance | Herself in Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie |
| Public event | The film’s 2024 SXSW screening and Q&A |
| Net worth | No reliable public estimate found |
Early Life and Education
Few reliable sources describe Maxine Sneed’s childhood in detail. Her family history gives a clearer starting point than many online profiles. The Sneed family had roots in Alberta, Canada, and music became an important part of her brothers’ lives.
Her school, college and qualifications have not been reliably established in the sources checked. There is also little firm information about her childhood hobbies or early plans. Photographs of a young Maxine may show a moment in her life, but they cannot tell us where she studied or what she hoped to do.
Nationality and Canadian Background
Maxine is widely described as Canadian, and her family’s history places her within Canada’s Black community. Her early connection with Tommy also belongs to his Canadian years. This is the setting in which their family story began.
Later accounts connect members of the family with the United States. However, a move across the border does not tell us whether someone changed citizenship. No reliable public record checked for this article establishes Maxine’s current citizenship arrangements or permanent home.
Ethnicity and Family Roots
Maxine has Black Canadian family roots. Floyd Sneed’s family obituary connects the Sneed family with Alberta and the Black settlers of Amber Valley. This offers more meaningful background than describing her only through her famous former husband.
Some biographies and a Common Sense Media review of the documentary also describe her as having Cherokee ancestry. That is a reported family background; it does not establish membership in a particular Cherokee nation. Her ancestry should also be kept separate from Tommy’s Chinese and European family roots.
Maxine Sneed Age, Birthday, Height and Appearance
Maxine Sneed’s exact age is not reliably confirmed. September 23 is commonly reported as her birthday, but a birthday without a confirmed year cannot establish her age. Some websites give 1940 as her birth year, while others offer different information.
Her height and weight are also not supported by reliable public measurements. Descriptions of her as tall do not provide an exact height. Rather than turning those descriptions into numbers, the available information is best shown plainly.
| Detail | Public information |
|---|---|
| Birthday | Reportedly September 23 |
| Birth year | Not reliably confirmed |
| Exact age | Not reliably confirmed |
| Height | No verified measurement found |
| Weight | No verified measurement found |
| Appearance | Can be seen in documentary footage and identified event images |
Why Maxine Sneed Is Famous
Maxine is mainly known through her place in the Chong family. Tommy became famous through his comedy partnership with Cheech Marin and later television work. Rae Dawn and Robbi built their own careers as actresses, bringing further interest in their family background.
Her brother Floyd adds another connection to popular culture through Three Dog Night. Maxine’s documentary appearance also lets audiences encounter her as a participant in the family story. These are the main reasons her name appears in searches about entertainment history.
Marriage to Tommy Chong and the Reported 1960 Date
People’s 2024 profile of Shelby Chong gives 1960 to 1970 as the years of Tommy’s marriage to Maxine. The same dates appear in Tommy Chong’s Wikipedia biography. These are the dates most often repeated in short summaries of their relationship.
There is a difference worth keeping clear. A separate account published by AmoMama, drawing on Tommy’s book, gives September 23, 1961, as their wedding date. Without the marriage record, that difference cannot be fully settled here. Their marriage itself is not in doubt, but an exact wedding date needs careful wording.
Divorce from Tommy Chong and the Reported 1970 Date
The divorce year is also reported differently. People gives 1970, while the AmoMama account gives 1974. This means a simple timeline should label the commonly used dates as reported dates rather than treat every detail as fully settled.
Tommy later married Shelby in 1975. His later marriage should not be confused with his earlier family life with Maxine. The broad sequence is clear even where the sources disagree about the precise year of the first divorce.
| Event | Date or status |
|---|---|
| Marriage to Maxine | Commonly reported as 1960; another account gives 1961 |
| Birth of Rae Dawn | February 28, 1961 |
| Birth of Robbi | May 28, 1965, in standard biographies |
| Divorce | Commonly reported as 1970; another account gives 1974 |
| Tommy’s marriage to Shelby | 1975 |
Children: Rae Dawn Chong and Robbi Chong
Maxine and Tommy raised Rae Dawn and Robbi, both of whom later worked in entertainment. The sisters are often the reason readers first come across Maxine’s name. Their careers are separate from hers, and their film credits should not be listed as Maxine’s work.
Rae Dawn Chong
Rae Dawn was born on February 28, 1961. She became known for films including Quest for Fire, The Color Purple and Commando. Her work brought her a public identity of her own, beyond being Tommy Chong’s daughter.
Rae Dawn’s accounts of her upbringing also help explain Maxine’s role in her life. In an interview quoted by Legit.ng, she described Maxine as the woman she calls her mother. That distinction matters when discussing the difference between a birth parent and the parent who raised a child.
Robbi Chong
Robbi is Maxine and Tommy’s daughter and is widely listed as having been born on May 28, 1965. She worked as a model and actress. Her television work includes Poltergeist: The Legacy.
| Family member | Connection to Maxine | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Tommy Chong | Former husband | Comedy, acting and music |
| Rae Dawn Chong | Daughter she raised | Film and television acting |
| Robbi Chong | Daughter | Modeling and acting |
| Floyd Sneed | Brother | Drummer for Three Dog Night |
Rae Dawn’s Family Background and the Gail Toulson Accounts
Some online accounts name Gail Toulson when discussing Rae Dawn’s birth mother and early care. Readers may also find searches describing a court case involving Gail and Maxine. The wording of a search, however, does not prove that a particular legal case took place as described.
Legit.ng quotes Rae Dawn’s interview with Roland S. Martin about how she came into the Chong household. It describes her paternal grandmother’s involvement and Maxine’s place as her mother. This article has not verified a court judgment that settles the different online versions, so it does not assign blame or present a detailed custody ruling as fact.
Brother Floyd Sneed and Her Connection to Music
Floyd Sneed became known for his drumming with Three Dog Night. His family obituary, published by the Los Angeles Times in February 2023, records a simple but useful detail about Maxine: she bought him a drum set in the early 1960s. Tommy then invited Floyd to join his band, Little Daddy and the Bachelors.
That gift gives Maxine a direct place in her brother’s early music story. It is a specific family memory, rather than a broad claim about her influence on the music business. Floyd’s obituary also names her among his surviving relatives as Maxine Morrow, née Sneed.
Career and Reported Work in Magazine Publishing
Many short biographies describe Maxine as an editor for “Black Radio Magazine.” There are also historical Black Radio Exclusive staff listings under the name Maxine Chong-Morrow. A July 1986 issue lists that name under production, which is not the same job title as editor-in-chief.
These records offer a useful lead, but they do not provide a complete, independently confirmed employment history for Tommy’s former wife. Her exact duties, employment dates and identity across all those credits need clearer evidence. It is therefore more accurate to describe magazine work as reported than to claim a fully documented career as a leading editor.
IMDb and Documentary Appearance
Maxine has a listed appearance as herself in Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie. IMDb identifies her role as “Self,” and reviews also discuss her part in the documentary. This answers the movie search more directly than listing films made by Tommy or their daughters.
The film first screened at SXSW in 2024 and reached U.S. theaters in 2025. Those different stages explain why readers may see either year beside its title. A documentary appearance does not, by itself, establish a long acting career.
| Title | Format | Maxine’s involvement | Release context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie | Documentary | Appears as herself | SXSW premiere in 2024; U.S. theatrical release in 2025 |
Life After Divorce and the Maxine Morrow Name
The name Maxine Morrow appears in Floyd’s family obituary. The phrase “née Sneed” means that Sneed was her birth surname. This helps connect the later name with the woman known through the Chong family.
Readers often ask whether Maxine married anyone after Tommy. The later surname is documented, but it does not supply a confirmed wedding date or a complete account of another marriage. Publishing records under Chong-Morrow may help future research, but the evidence checked here is not enough to name a later spouse with confidence.
Reported Controversies and Unverified Claims
No well-supported report of wrongdoing by Maxine herself was found in the sources reviewed. Much of the online discussion concerns Tommy’s relationships or conflicting versions of the family’s early years. Those stories should be attributed to the person giving the account.
A divorce, a private family disagreement and a proven scandal are different things. Describing Maxine as involved in a scandal without clear evidence would give readers the wrong impression. The uncertain details are best handled within the relevant family sections rather than turned into a dramatic claim about her character.
Maxine Sneed Now and Her Public Appearances
One clear later event is Maxine’s attendance at the 2024 SXSW screening of Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie. CBS Austin reported that she joined director David Bushell at the event for the discussion after the film. This is dated evidence of a public appearance, not just an undated family photograph. CBS Austin’s SXSW report
That appearance gives a useful answer to part of the “Maxine Sneed now” question. It does not tell us her daily routine, health or current address. No newer, equally clear account of those private details was established during this research.
Life Status and Same-Name Obituary Confusion
No verified death announcement for Tommy Chong’s former wife was found. A 2025 obituary for a woman named Maxine Sneed in Cincinnati appears in search results. However, the sources checked do not establish that she was the same person as the Maxine in the Chong family.
The shared name is not enough to connect the two records. For that reason, no cause of death or personal obituary can responsibly be given here. The confirmed 2024 public appearance is useful historical evidence, while her present status should not be overstated beyond the available reporting.
Maxine Sneed’s Net Worth and Financial Overview
Maxine Sneed’s net worth is not reliably known. Public information does not provide the assets, debts or earnings needed to calculate it. Figures for Tommy Chong cannot be used as an estimate of her finances.
| Financial detail | Available information |
|---|---|
| Personal net worth | No reliable estimate found |
| Salary from reported magazine work | Not publicly verified |
| Documentary payment | Not publicly disclosed in the sources checked |
| Divorce settlement | No verified amount found |
| Property and business assets | Insufficient reliable information |
An appearance in a film also does not reveal how much someone was paid. Without financial records or a clear statement from Maxine, a precise dollar figure would be guesswork.
Maxine Sneed’s Wikipedia Coverage
A dedicated English-language Wikipedia biography for Maxine was not located during this research. She is mentioned in related coverage, including Tommy Chong’s page and biographies of family members. These pages are useful starting points for understanding the relationships.
They are not complete records of her life. As the differing marriage dates show, even familiar facts need to be checked against the source behind them. A missing standalone page also does not mean that someone has no public history.
More read : https://storyofceleb.com/jeannine-belleguic/
Photos and Social Media Presence
Readers looking for Maxine Sneed’s photos can find images associated with her family and documentary coverage. A caption that identifies the person and event is more useful than an image appearing under a search term. Photos of Shelby Chong, Rae Dawn or Robbi should not be mistaken for Maxine.
No independently verified personal social media account for Maxine was established in this research. A family post may include her without being an account she manages. Similarly, an old photograph should not be described as a recent picture unless its date is known.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Maxine Sneed?
Her exact age is not reliably confirmed. September 23 is reported as her birthday, but her birth year remains uncertain.
Who are Maxine Sneed’s children?
She and Tommy raised Rae Dawn Chong and Robbi Chong. Rae Dawn has described Maxine as the mother who raised her.
Is Maxine Sneed Black?
Yes. Her family background is Black Canadian. Some published sources also report Cherokee ancestry.
What movies has Maxine Sneed appeared in?
She appears as herself in Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie. That is a documentary appearance rather than a fictional acting role.
Did Maxine Sneed remarry after Tommy Chong?
She is documented under the later name Maxine Morrow. A later spouse and wedding date were not independently confirmed in the sources checked.
What is Maxine Sneed’s net worth?
No reliable public estimate is available. Her former husband’s wealth does not establish her own.
Is Maxine Sneed still alive?
She attended a public film event in 2024, and no verified death announcement for her was found. That is the limit of the evidence established here.
Final Thoughts
Maxine Sneed’s story connects a family with several branches of entertainment. She helped raise two actresses, shared part of Tommy Chong’s early life and supported her brother Floyd with a drum set. Her later documentary appearance adds her presence to that public history.
There are still gaps, especially around her age, exact work history and later relationships. Keeping those gaps clear allows the known details to stand on their own. Her biography is most useful when it tells readers what the evidence supports in simple, honest terms.
