Daniel Raymond Massey (10 October 193325 March 1998) was an English actor and performer. He is possibly best known for his starring role in the British TV drama '' The Roads to Freedom'', as Daniel, alongside Michael Bryant. He is also known for his role in the 1968 American film '' Star!'', as

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

(Massey's godfather), for which he won a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

and an Oscar nomination.

Early life

Massey was born in London in 1933. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and

King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

. He was a member of the noted Massey family, which included his father,

Raymond Massey Raymond Hart Massey (August 30, 1896 – July 29, 1983) was a Canadian actor known for his commanding stage-trained voice. For his lead role in '' Abe Lincoln in Illinois'' (1940), Massey was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He r ...

, his sister,

Anna Massey Anna Raymond Massey (11 August 19373 July 2011) was an English actress. She won a British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Best Actress Award for the role of Edith Hope in the Hotel du Lac (film), 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner's novel ''Hotel ...

and his uncle

Vincent Massey Charles Vincent Massey (February 20, 1887December 30, 1967) was a Canadian diplomat and statesman who served as the 18th governor general of Canada from 1952 to 1959. Massey was the first governor general of Canada who was born in Canada. Mas ...

, the first Canadian-born

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...

. His mother was the actress

Adrianne Allen Adrianne Allen (7 February 1907 – 14 September 1993) was an English stage actress. Most often seen in light comedy, Allen played Sybil Chase in the original West End production of ''Private Lives'' and Elizabeth Bennet in the 1935 Broadway ...

. Living with his mother after his parents' divorce, Massey rarely saw his father through most of his adult life; however, they were cast as father and son in '' The Queen's Guards'' (1961).

Career

Massey made his film debut as a child in his godfather

's naval drama, ''

In Which We Serve ''In Which We Serve'' is a 1942 British patriotic war film directed by Noël Coward and David Lean, who made his debut as a director. It was made during the Second World War with the assistance of the Ministry of Information. The screenplay ...

'' (1942). He would later play Coward in the 1968

Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over eight decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...

vehicle '' Star!'', a performance for which he won a

and received his sole

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He made a major impression as an adult as

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

's son-in-law in the stage and screen versions of

John Osborne John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter, actor, and entrepreneur, who is regarded as one of the most influential figures in post-war theatre. Born in London, he briefly worked as a jo ...

's '' The Entertainer'' (film in 1960). Massey appeared in numerous British films from the 1950s onwards, including '' The Jokers'' (1967), ''

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

'' (1971), '' The Vault of Horror'' (1973, in which his character's sister was played by his real-life sister,

), '' The Cat and the Canary'' (1979), '' Victory!'' (1981) and ''

In the Name of the Father ''In the Name of the Father'' is a 1993 biographical crime drama film co-written and directed by Jim Sheridan. It is based on the true story of the Guildford Four, four people falsely convicted of the 1974 Guildford pub bombings that killed fo ...

'' (1993). Other highlights of his career were his stage roles, especially that of the German conductor

Wilhelm Furtwängler Gustav Heinrich Ernst Martin Wilhelm Furtwängler ( , ; ; 25 January 188630 November 1954) was a German conductor and composer. He is regarded as one of the greatest Symphony, symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. He was a majo ...

Ronald Harwood Sir Ronald Harwood ( né Horwitz; 9 November 1934 – 8 September 2020) was a South African-born British author, playwright, and screenwriter, best known for his plays for the British stage as well as the screenplays for '' The Dresser'' (for ...

's '' Taking Sides''; Massey was nominated for the 1996

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...

as Best Actor. He recreated the role for Broadway in 1996, earning a 1997

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

nomination for Outstanding Actor In A Play. His other Broadway stage appearances included musicals such as '' She Loves Me'' as Georg in 1963 and '' Gigi'' (as Gaston) in 1973. He appeared in

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

's '' Follies'' as Benjamin Stone in the West End in 1987. In the 1980s and 1990s, he also appeared with the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

in productions such as ''

Love's Labour's Lost ''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and his three companions as ...

'', ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604. It was published in the First Folio of 1623. The play centers on the despotic and puritan Angelo (Measure for ...

'' and ''The Time of Your Life'', the latter alongside

John Thaw John Edward Thaw (3 January 1942 – 21 February 2002) was an English actor in television, stage and cinema, best known for his television roles starring as Detective Inspector Jack Regan in '' The Sweeney'' (1975—78) and as Detective Chief ...

. In 1970 Massey played the role of the openly gay character Daniel, alongside a cast headed by Michael Bryant as Mathieu in the acclaimed multi-part BBC adaptation of Jean Paul Sartre's '' The Roads to Freedom''. Other television highlights of Massey's career include ''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1692 to 1693. Miller wrote ...

'' on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

(1981) as Reverend Hale, '' The Golden Bowl'' (1972) as the Prince, in the ''

Inspector Morse Endeavour Morse, GM, is the namesake character of the series of "Morse" detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, a Detective Chief Inspector in the Thames Valley Police in Oxford, England. On television he was portrayed by John ...

'' episode "Deceived by Flight" as Anthony Donn, again with John Thaw, the BBC adaptation of Molly Keane's novel '' Good Behaviour'' (1983) as the Major, and his performance as an AIDS patient in '' Intimate Contact'' (1987). With

Jeremy Brett Peter Jeremy William Huggins (3 November 1933 – 12 September 1995), known professionally as Jeremy Brett, was an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes from 1984 to 1994 in 41 episodes of a Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV ...

as Sherlock Holmes, he played a US Senator in " The Problem of Thor Bridge", series 3, episode 2, '' The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes'',

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

, 1991. Brett had once been married to Massey's sister, Anna, and was father to Massey's nephew by Anna, actor David Huggins. He also stole mostly every scene he appeared in the Alan Bleasdale classic '' G.B.H.'' (1991) as the awkward eccentric hotel owner, Grosvenor.

Personal life

Massey was married three times, two of his wives being well-known actresses: * Adrienne Corri (1961–1967)Staff
"Daniel Massey dead at 64"
''Variety'', 11 May 1998 * Penelope Wilton (1975–1984); one daughter, Alice Massey and a stillborn son. * Linda Wilton (1986–1998) (a sister of Penelope) Massey also had a close friendship/relationship with

Marilu Henner Marilu Henner (born April 6, 1952) is an American actress and author. She began her career appearing in the original production of the musical ''Grease (musical), Grease'' in 1971, before making her screen debut in the 1977 comedy-drama film ''B ...

. The two worked together in 1985 in Italy making the film, ''Love with a Perfect Stranger'' (1986). Henner wrote she fell for Massey.

Death

He died in London, on 25 March 1998 from

Hodgkin's lymphoma Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the lymph nodes. The condition was named a ...

, which had been diagnosed in 1992.Vallance, Tom
"Obituary: Daniel Massey"
''The Independent'', 28 March 1998 Gussow, Mel

''The New York Times'', 29, March 1998 His body was interred at Putney Vale Cemetery. Massey worked in theatre throughout his cancer treatments, rarely missing a performance.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1942) – Bobby Kinross * '' Girls at Sea'' (1958) – Flag Lieutenant Courtney * '' Operation Bullshine'' (1959) – Bombardier Peter Palmer * '' Upstairs and Downstairs'' (1959) – Wesley Cotes * '' The Entertainer'' (1960) – Graham * '' The Queen's Guards'' (1961) – John Fellowes * '' Go to Blazes'' (1962) – Harry * '' The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders'' (1965) – Elder Brother * '' The Jokers'' (1967) – Riggs * '' Star!'' (1968) – Noël Coward * '' Fragment of Fear'' (1970) – Major Ricketts * ''

'' (1971) – Robert Dudley * '' The Vault of Horror'' (1973) – Rogers (segment 1 "Midnight Mess") * '' The Incredible Sarah'' (1976) – Victorien Sardou * '' The Devil's Advocate'' (1977) – Black * '' Warlords of Atlantis'' (1978) – Atraxon * '' The Cat and the Canary'' (1978) – Dr. Harry Blythe * ''Love with a Perfect Stranger'' (1986) - Hugo DeLassey * '' Bad Timing'' (1980) – Foppish Man * '' Escape to Victory'' (1981) – Colonel Waldron * '' Intimate Contact'' (1987) - Clive Gregory * ''

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...

'' (1989) – Mervyn Griffith-Jones * ''

'' (1993) – Prosecutor * '' The Miracle Maker'' (2000) – Cleopas (voice) (final film role)

References

Granada Television: screen credits.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Massey, Daniel 1933 births 1998 deaths Daniel Raymond Massey Alumni of King's College, Cambridge English male musical theatre actors English male film actors English male television actors English male voice actors English people of Canadian descent People educated at Eton College Male actors from London Royal Shakespeare Company members Deaths from Hodgkin lymphoma Burials at Putney Vale Cemetery 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English singers Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Laurence Olivier Award winners Actors from the City of Westminster 20th-century English male singers Deaths from lymphoma in England