Michael Massee
Michael Groo Massee (September 1, 1952 – October 20, 2016) was an American actor. He made his film debut appearing as Funboy in 1994 film The Crow, and is known for accidentally fatally shooting the film's star Brandon Lee during the production. He also portrayed Ira Gaines in 24 and The Gentleman in the 2012 film The Amazing Spider-Man and its 2014 sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Michael Massee | |
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Massee in 2014 | |
Born | Michael Groo Massee September 1, 1952 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
Died | October 20, 2016 64) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged
Alma mater | Hunter College |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active |
|
Spouse(s) | Ellen Sussdorf (m. after 1997) |
Children | 2 |
Early life
He was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1952, to Holly and Jack Groo Massee.[1] The family moved to Paris, where Massee grew up and, after high school, he came back to the United States settling in New York, where he graduated from Hunter College and studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.
Career
In 1993, Massee portrayed the character Funboy in the film The Crow, starring Brandon Lee. Massee was the actor who fired the shot that killed Lee by accident on the set in 1993, due to an improperly prepared prop gun. He was so traumatized by the event that he returned to New York and took a year off from acting and never saw the film. In an interview in 2005, 12 years after the incident, Massee revealed that he still had nightmares about it, going on to say, "I don't think you ever get over something like that."[2]
In 1995, Massee played the cop Newton in the film Tales from the Hood. He has provided the voice for the villain Spellbinder in The Batman, as well as appearing on the television series 24 as the villain Ira Gaines. He provided the voice of Bruce Banner for the Ultimate Avengers animated film, as well as the sequel Ultimate Avengers 2. He appeared in the film Seven alongside Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. He appeared in David Lynch's Lost Highway as Andy. He played the physical manifestation of Management (a.k.a. Lucius Belyakovin) on HBO's Carnivàle. He guest-starred in The X-Files episode "The Field Where I Died". He also appeared in the 2005 NBC TV miniseries Revelations as the main antagonist. In 2006, he guest-starred in Criminal Minds as a serial killer on death row. He also guest-starred in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Reunion" as a rock star. He appeared in the American TV series FlashForward as villain Dyson Frost. He appeared as a hunter, Kubrick, on the series Supernatural in 2007.
Massee portrayed imprisoned serial killer Charles Hoyt in the first two seasons of the TV series Rizzoli & Isles. He played the role of Gustav Fiers (alias The Gentleman) in 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man and reprised the role in the 2014 sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
In 2014, Massee, who spoke French, appeared in the French series Interventions.
Personal life
Massee married Ellen Sussdorf in 1997, with whom he had two children: Jack and Lily. The couple owned a clothing boutique in Los Angeles.[3]
Massee died of stomach cancer in Los Angeles on October 20, 2016 at the age of 64.[1][4][5]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | My Father is Coming | Joe | |
1994 | The Crow | Funboy | |
Six Days Six Nights | Uncredited | ||
Home of Angels | Detective Baines | ||
1995 | The Low Life | Bartender | |
Tales from the Hood | Newton | ||
Se7en | Man in Booth at Massage Parlor | ||
Burnzy's Last Call | Luke | ||
1996 | Guy | Mark | |
Mojave Moon | Fifth Guy | ||
One Fine Day | Eddie Parker | ||
1997 | Lost Highway | Andy | |
The End of Violence | Guy in Bar | ||
The Game | Airbag EMT Galliano | ||
Playing God | Gage | ||
Amistad | Prison Guard | ||
Jamaica Beat | Ian Benjamin | ||
1999 | The Florentine | Nick | |
Bad City Blues | Eugene Grimes | ||
The White River Kid | Ralph Pines | ||
2001 | Corky Romano | Angry Gunman | |
The Theory of the Leisure Class | McMillon | ||
2004 | Catwoman | Armando | |
2006 | Ultimate Avengers | Dr. Bruce Banner | Voice, Direct-to-video |
Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther | |||
2007 | Underdog | Supershep | Voice |
2009 | Pandemic | Federal Prisoner | |
2011 | The Resident | Security Tech | |
2012 | The Amazing Spider-Man | Gustav Fiers / Gentleman | |
Reclamation | Lawrence Shiftlet | Short | |
2013 | CBGB | Officer Stan | |
2014 | At the Devil's Door | Uncle Mike | |
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | Gustav Fiers / Gentleman | ||
The Last Survivors | Walker | ||
2016 | Everlasting | Leor | |
Last Man Club | John | Final film role | |
2017 | The Wolves of Savin Hill | Theo | Posthumous release |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | The Marshal | Stanley | Episode: "Protection" |
Sahara | Leroux | TV movie | |
1996 | Picket Fences | Episode: "Bloodlines" | |
The X-Files | Vernon Ephesian | Episode: "The Field Where I Died" | |
Murder One | Donny McKee | Episode: "Chapter Five, Year Two" "Chapter Six, Year Two" | |
1997 | The Big Easy | Roland Sava | Episode: "Night Music" |
1997-2001 | Nash Bridges | Gerard Marquette / Harley Corzine | |
1997 | The Last Don | Jim Losey | Episodes #1.2 & #1.3 |
1998 | Millennium | Purdue | Episode: "The Pest House" |
1999 | L.A. Doctors | Howard | Episode: "Where the Rubber Meets the Road" |
2001-2002 | 24 | Ira Gaines | |
2002 | The Practice | Norman Tucker | Episode: "Fire Proof" |
2003-2005 | Carnivàle | Russian Soldier Young Lucius Belyakov | |
2003 | Threat Matrix | Campbell Prokop | Episode: "Patriot Acts" |
Dragnet | Victor Hellman | Episode: "The Magic Bullet" | |
2005 | Revelations | Isaiah Haden | |
The Batman | Spellbinder | Voice | |
2005-2006 | Alias | Dr. Gonzalo Burris | Episodes: "The Horizon" "There's Only One Sydney Bristow" |
2006 | Criminal Minds | Jacob Dawes | Episode: "Riding the Lightning" |
2007 | Cold Case | Kiril | Episode: "Cargo" |
Supernatural | Kubrick | Episodes: "Bad Day at Black Rock" "Fresh Blood" | |
2008 | Shark | Duncan Mercer | Episode: "Partners in Crime" |
Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Jordie Black | Episode: "Reunion" | |
2009-2010 | FlashForward | D. Gibbons Dyson Frost | |
2009 | CSI: NY | Casey Steele | Episode: "Hammer Down" |
2010-2013 | Rizzoli & Isles | Charles Hoyt | |
2010 | Law & Order: LA | Denis Watson | Episode: "Echo Park" |
2011 | Human Target | Henry Claypool | Episode: "The Trouble with Harry" |
House | Frank | Episode: "Twenty Vicodin" | |
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Stan Richardson | Episode: "Crime After Crime" | |
2012 | Fringe | Anson Carr | Episode: "A Short Story About Love" |
Dakota | George | Episode: "Down $770" | |
2013 | Ironside | Stan Nagy | Episode: "Pentimento" |
2013 | Law & Order: SVU | Michael 'Pa' Williams | Episode: "Imprisoned Lives" |
2014 | Interventions | Jean-Francois Montfort | |
2015 | The Blacklist | Karakurt | Episodes: "Quon Zhang (No. 87)" "Karakurt (No. 55)" |
Video games
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2011 | Star Wars: The Old Republic | Additional Voices |
References
- Slotnick, Daniel E. (27 October 2016). "Michael Massee, 64, Screen Villain Haunted by the Accidental Death of Brandon Lee, Dies". The New York Times. p. A24.
- "'Extra' Archive: Michael Massee on Brandon Lee's Death (2005 Interview)". extratv. YouTube. October 27, 2016.
- "Michael Massee on Extra: Talks about Brandon Lee Shooting" on YouTube. Extra, 2005, archived at YouTube, April 1, 2007, accessed May 13, 2011.
- Barnes, Mike (October 26, 2016). "Michael Massee, Actor Involved in Fatal Accident During Filming of 'The Crow,' Dies at 64". The Hollywood Reporter. ISSN 0018-3660.
- Nolfi, Joey (October 26, 2016). "Michael Massee, actor who played 24 villain Ira Gaines, dies at 64". Entertainment Weekly. ISSN 1049-0434.