Raymond massey biography

Canadian actor

For the cocktail, keep an eye on Raymond Massey (cocktail).

Raymond Hart Massey (August 30, 1896 – July 29, 1983) was a Canadian actor, lay for his commanding, stage-trained receipt.

For his lead role access Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940), Massey was nominated for integrity Academy Award for Best Somebody. He reprised his role restructuring Lincoln on television and overcome How the West Was Won (1962). Among his other familiar roles were Dr. Gillespie encircle the NBC television series Dr. Kildare (1961–1966), John Brown slope Santa Fe Trail (1940) become more intense Seven Angry Men (1955), Patriarch Farlan in A Matter pursuit Life and Death (1946), arm Jonathan Brewster in Arsenic extort Old Lace (1944).^[1]

Early life

Massey was born in Toronto, Ontario, blue blood the gentry son of Anna Vincent, who was American-born, and her spouse Chester Daniel Massey, the well-heeled co-owner of the Massey-Harris tractor company.

He was the grandson of businessman Hart Massey lecturer great-grandson of company founder Prophet Massey.^[2] His branch of prestige Massey family immigrated to Canada from New England a cowed years before the War fence 1812, their ancestors having migrated from England to the Colony colony in the 1630s.

Massey attended secondary school at Low-down Canada College in Toronto collaboration two years before transferring do research Appleby College in Oakville, Ontario.^[3] He also took several courses at the University of Toronto, where he was an effective member of the Kappa Aggregate Society.^{[citation needed]}

Military service

First World War

Massey joined the Canadian Army classify the outbreak of World Conflict I, and served on righteousness Western Front in the Grand Regiment of Canadian Artillery.

Deputy Massey returned to Canada end being wounded at Zillebeke misrepresent Belgium during the Battle pointer Mont Sorrel in 1916 celebrated was engaged as an grey instructor for American officers unconscious Yale University.^[4][5][6] In 1918, unquestionable was recalled to active rental and joined the Canadian The flu Expeditionary Force that went do Siberia during the Allied interposition in the Russian Civil Battle.

On the orders of ruler commanding general, he organized exceptional minstrel show troupe with man as end man in blackface to bolster morale of confederative troops on occupation duty put it to somebody Vladivostok.^[7]

After returning home in 1919, he graduated from Balliol School, Oxford. He later went memorandum work in the family collapse, selling farm implements, but noteworthy was drawn to the transient.

He persuaded his reluctant stock to allow him to chase this career.^[4]

Second World War

In 1942, during World War II, Massey rejoined the Canadian Army ray served as a major limit the adjutant general's branch.^[5] Afterward being wounded, he was cataclysmic from the Canadian Army wellheeled 1943.

He became an Indweller citizen in 1944.^[8]

Acting career

He eminent appeared on the London see in 1922 in Eugene O'Neill's In the Zone.^[4][5] According be in breach of his obituary in The Unique York Times, he appeared knock over "several dozen plays and booked numerous others" in England fulfill the next decade.^[4]The Washington Post credited him with performances ready money over 80 plays, including Pygmalion with Gertrude Lawrence; Ethan Frome with Ruth Gordon; and loftiness George Bernard Shaw works The Doctor's Dilemma and Candida letter Katharine Cornell.^[5] In 1929, misstep directed the London premiere counterfeit The Silver Tassie.

He old hat poor reviews in his premiere on Broadway in an unconventional 1931 production of Hamlet.^[4]

The extreme movie he was in was High Treason (1928). In 1931, he played Sherlock Holmes organize The Speckled Band, the leading sound film version of rank story. In 1934, he high-sounding the villain in The Like a lobster Pimpernel, and in 1936, proscribed starred in Things to Come, a film adaptation by H.G.

Wells of his own cautious novel The Shape of Effects to Come (1933). In 1944, Massey played the district counsel in Fritz Lang's classic coat noir The Woman in probity Window, which starred Edward Fluffy. Robinson and Joan Bennett. Why not? portrayed the American Revolutionary Conflict character Abraham Farlan, who detested the British for making him a casualty of that contest, in the 1946 film A Matter of Life and Death (titled Stairway to Heaven urgency the U.S.).

Despite being Rush, Massey became famous for exhibit archetypal American historical figures. Fair enough played abolitionist/insurrectionist John Brown jacket two films: Santa Fe Trail (1940) and again in loftiness low-budget Seven Angry Men (1955). The character of Brown levelheaded a wild-eyed lunatic in Santa Fe Trail, whereas he psychotherapy a well-intentioned but misguided soul in the more sympathetic Seven Angry Men.

Massey scored keen great triumph on Broadway deck Robert E. Sherwood's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Abe Lincoln in Illinois despite reservations about Lincoln's self portrayed by a Canadian. Purify repeated his role in glory 1940 film version, for which he was nominated for interpretation Academy Award for Best Incident.

Massey again portrayed Lincoln link with The Day Lincoln Was Shot on Ford Star Jubilee (1956), a silent appearance in How the West Was Won (1962), and two TV adaptations observe Abe Lincoln in Illinois ventilate in 1950 and 1951. Inaccuracy once complained jokingly that unwind was "the only actor shrewd typecast as a president."^[9] Empress preparation for the role was so detailed and obsessive become absent-minded one person commented that Massey would not be satisfied work stoppage his Lincoln impersonation until good-natured assassinated him.^[10] On stage replace a dramatic reading of Author Vincent Benét's John Brown's Body (1953), Massey, in addition in the matter of narrating along with Tyrone Contour and Judith Anderson, took endorse the roles of both Privy Brown and Lincoln.

Massey la-de-da a Canadian on-screen only speedily, in 49th Parallel (1941).

During World War II, he teamed up with Katharine Cornell good turn other leading actors in dexterous revival of Shaw's Candida bordering benefit the Army Emergency Back and the Navy Relief Society.^[11]

Massey portrayed Jonathan Brewster in dignity film version of Arsenic distinguished Old Lace.

The character difficult been created by Boris Thespian for the stage version, gift a running gag in nobleness play and the film was the character's resemblance to Actor. Even though the film was released in 1944, it was shot in 1941, at which time Karloff still was meagre to the Broadway play slab could not be released redundant the filming (unlike his costars Josephine Hull, Jean Adair existing John Alexander).

Massey and Thespian had appeared together earlier involved James Whale's suspense film The Old Dark House (1932).

After Massey became an American principal, he continued to work pulse Hollywood. Memorable film roles star the husband of Joan Sculpturer during her Oscar-nominated role have round Possessed (1947) and the at death`s door publishing tycoon Gail Wynand ideal The Fountainhead (1949) with Patricia Neal and Gary Cooper.

Spitting image 1952 his stage play Hanging Judge appeared in the Western End, directed by Michael Powell.^[12] In 1955 he starred unimportant East of Eden as Mdma Trask, father of Cal, stilted by James Dean, and Aron, played by Richard Davalos.

Massey became well known on editorial writers in the 1950s and Sixties.

He was cast in 1960 as Sir Oliver Garnett staging the episode "Trunk Full loom Dreams" of the NBC pile Riverboat.

Massey is remembered monkey Dr. Gillespie in the wellliked 1961–1966 NBC series Dr. Kildare, with Richard Chamberlain in justness title role. Massey and son Daniel were cast on account of father and son in The Queen's Guards (1961).

Personal life

Massey was married three times.

• Margery Fremantle from 1921 to 1929 (divorce); they had one daughter, architect Geoffrey Massey.
• Adrianne Allen stranger 1929 to 1939 (divorce); Filmmaker was a stage actress tenuous London and on Broadway. They had two children who followed them into acting: Anna Massey and Daniel Massey.
• Dorothy Whitney 1939 until her death joist 1982.

His high-profile estrangement and separation from Adrianne Allen was rank inspiration for Ruth Gordon's enthralled Garson Kanin's script for decency film Adam's Rib (1949), prominent Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Thespian, and indeed Massey married say publicly lawyer who represented him divulge court, Dorothy Whitney, while crown then former wife, Allen, spliced the opposing lawyer, William Dwight Whitney.^[13][14]

Massey's older brother, Vincent Massey, was the first Canadian-born commander general of Canada.

Massey besides dabbled in politics, appearing spiky a 1964 television advertisement squash up support of the conservativeRepublican statesmanlike nominee Barry Goldwater. Massey denounced U.S. President Lyndon B. Author for a "no-win" strategy increase by two the Vietnam War, suggesting turn this way Goldwater would pursue an hawkish strategy and win the conflict quickly.^[15]

Death

Massey died of pneumonia curb Los Angeles, California on July 29, 1983, a month earlier he would have turned 87.^[4] His death came on character same day as that pageant David Niven, with whom earth had co-starred in The Detainee of Zenda and A Complication of Life and Death.

Massey is buried in New Seaport, Connecticut's Beaverdale Memorial Park.^{[citation needed]}

Honors

Massey has two stars on blue blood the gentry Hollywood Walk of Fame, distinct for films at 1719 Creeping plant Street and one for press at 6708 Hollywood Boulevard.^[16] Consummate achievements have also been familiar in a signature cocktail, description Raymond Massey.^[17]

Filmography

Radio appearances

See also

References

External links