Maazel was born on February 12, 1903, in New York City to Russian Jewish parents. In 1920, aged 17, he and 30 other young people were picked to perform at the Shubert Theater on Broadway, where he sang the Prologue to Pagliacci. He later moved to Los Angeles, California and developed into a performer at nightclubs and for local television.

As an actor, Maazel did not start an onstage career until he was 56 but proceeded to appear in stage plays for the Pittsburgh Playhouse, the Civic Light Opera, Little Lake Theater, Mountainview Playhouse, Odd Chair Playhouse and White Barn Theatre. In 1977, he appeared in the screen role for which he is best known in George A. Romero's Martin.

In 1928 he married his wife Marie (died 1993) in Paris. On March 6, 1930, his son, conductor Lorin Maazel (1930–2014) was born. In 2003 he became a centenarian. He died six years later on September 15, 2009, in Castleton, Virginia, United States, at the age of 106.

• The double life of Lincoln Maazel
• Profile of Lincoln Maazel
• Bauknecht, Sara (2009-09-23). "Obituary: Lincoln Maazel / Performer and father of symphony conductor". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Block Communications. Retrieved 2014-08-21.

• Lincoln Maazel at IMDb