Michael Massee

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Michael Massee
Massee in 2014
Born
Michael Groo Massee

(1952-09-01)September 1, 1952
DiedOctober 20, 2016(2016-10-20) (aged 64)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materHunter College
OccupationActor
Years active1984–2016
Spouse
Ellen Sussdorf
(m. 1997)
Children2

Michael Groo Massee (September 1, 1952 – October 20, 2016) was an American actor. Active on screen during a three decade career, he frequently portrayed villainous characters. His film roles include Funboy in the dark fantasy The Crow (1994), Newton in the horror anthology Tales from the Hood (1995), Andy in the neo-noir Lost Highway (1997), and the Gentleman in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and its 2014 sequel. Massee also voiced Bruce Banner in the first two entries of Marvel Animated Features in 2006. On television, he played Ira Gaines on the first season of the Fox action drama 24 (2001–2002), Isaiah Haden on the NBC fantasy mystery Revelations (2005), Dyson Frost on the ABC science fiction drama FlashForward (2009–2010), and sadistic serial killer "Dr." Charles Hoyt on the first two seasons of the TNT police procedural Rizzoli & Isles (2010–2013).

Early life[edit]

Michael Groo Massee was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1952, the younger of two children born to Jack Groo Massee and his wife, Holly (née Hoover), of Prairie Village, Kansas.[1][2]

The family moved to Paris, France, 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.[citation needed]

Career[edit]

In 1993, Massee portrayed the character Funboy in the film The Crow, starring Brandon Lee. Massee was the actor who fired the shot that accidentally killed Lee on the set, as the result of an improperly prepared prop gun. Traumatized by the event, 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 said that he still had nightmares about it, stating, "I don't think you ever get over something like that."[3]

In 1995, Massee played the cop Newton in the film Tales from the Hood. He 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.[citation needed]

Massee portrayed imprisoned serial killer "Dr." Charles Hoyt in the first two seasons of the TV series Rizzoli & Isles. He played 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.[4] In 2014, Massee, who spoke French, appeared in the French series Interventions.[citation needed]

Personal life[edit]

Massee married Ellen Sussdorf in 1997, with whom he had two children: Jack and Lily. The couple owned a clothing boutique in Los Angeles.

Death[edit]

Massee died of stomach cancer in Los Angeles on October 20, 2016, at the age of 64.[2]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1995 Sahara Leroux
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
The Wolves of Savin Hill Theo
2016 Everlasting Leor
Last Man Club John Final film role

Television[edit]

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 12 episodes
2002 The Practice Norman Tucker Episode: "Fire Proof"
2003–2005 Carnivàle Russian Soldier
Young Lucius Belyakov
5 episodes
2003 Threat Matrix Campbell Prokop Episode: "Patriot Acts"
Dragnet Victor Hellman Episode: "The Magic Bullet"
2005 Revelations Isaiah Haden 6 episodes
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
8 episodes
2009 CSI: NY Casey Steele Episode: "Hammer Down"
2010–2013 Rizzoli & Isles Charles Hoyt 4 episodes
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: Special Victims Unit 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[edit]

Year Title Role
2011 Star Wars: The Old Republic Additional Voices

References[edit]

  1. ^ Another Me (pp. 46-47), books.google.com. Accessed December 11, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Slotnick, Daniel E. (October 26, 2016). "Michael Massee, 64, Screen Villain Haunted by the Accidental Death of Brandon Lee, Dies". The New York Times. p. A24.
  3. ^ "'Extra' Archive: Michael Massee on Brandon Lee's Death (2005 Interview)". extratv. YouTube. October 27, 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
  4. ^ Schwerdtfeger, Conner (October 27, 2016). "How Andrew Garfield Feels About One Of Spider-Man's Biggest Mysteries". CinemaBlend. Retrieved January 8, 2022.

External links[edit]