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Job Actor
Years active 1918-1973
Known for Scowling smile and deeply resonant voice; villains and historical characters
Top Roles Maj. Gen. Claire L. Chennault, John Brown, Jonathan Brewster, King Cutler, John Cabal / Oswald Cabal
Top Genres Drama, Adventure, Romance, War, Action, Film Adaptation
Top Topics World War II, Book-Based, Aviation, England, Romance (Drama)
Top Collaborators Jack Mower, Michael Powell (Director), Monte Blue, William Haade, Spencer Charters, Hank Mann, James Flavin, Raoul Walsh (Director)
Also Born on August 30
Also Born in 1896
Also a Virgo

Raymond Massey Overview:

Legendary actor, Raymond Massey, was born Raymond Hart Massey on Aug 30, 1896 in Toronto, Canada. Massey appeared in over 80 film and TV roles. His best known films include The Scarlet Pimpernel (as Chauvelin), Santa Fe Trail (as John Brown), Reap the Wild Wind (as King Cutler), Arsenic and Old Lace (as Jonathan Brewster), The Fountainhead (as Gail Wynand), and East of Eden (as Adam Trask). He also appeared as Dr. Leonard Gillespie in the TV series Dr. Kildare from 1961 to 1966. Massey died at the age of 86 on Jul 29, 1983 in Los Angeles, CA and was laid to rest in Beaverdale Memorial Park Cemetery in New Haven, CT.

MINI BIO:

With a scowling smile and deeply resonant voice, Raymond Massey alternated between British and Hollywood films for ten years before settling in America in 1941 and showing a liking for villains and historical characters. He married actress Adrianne Allen (second of three wives).

(Source: available at Amazon Quinlan's Film Stars).

HONORS and AWARDS:

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Although Massey was nominated for one Oscar, he never won a competitive Academy Award.

Academy Awards

YearAwardFilm nameRoleResult
1940Best ActorAbe Lincoln in Illinois (1940)Abraham LincolnNominated
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He was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the categories of Motion Pictures and Television. In addition, Massey was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame .

Raymond Massey BlogHub Articles:

Summer Under the Stars Blogathon: Day 8 – Raymond Massey

Raymond Massey is the star for today! Below, you’ll find links to those participating and honoring Massey (updated as they come in), as well as my own reviews of his work throughout the years. Meredy.com contributes a profile on Massey JCF REVIEWS Possessed (1947) East of Eden (1955) Fill ... Read full article


Raymond Massey

Birth Name: Raymond Hart Massey Birthdate: August 30, 1896 Number of Films Raymond Massey Made with Humphrey Bogart: 2 The Lowdown A veteran of the Canadian Army from World War I and World War II, Massey had a long and distinguished career in film and television – and even achieved the honor of h... Read full article


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Raymond Massey Quotes:

Brant Marlow: How's he gonna pay us the money he owes us if we keep topping off his herd?
Will Marlow: I don't buy mortgages to get paid back. I buy them to foreclose.
— From: Dallas

Jonathan Brewster: [to Dr. Einstein] This time, I want the face of an absolute non-enity!

Dr. Einstein: You shouldn't have killed him. Just because he know something about us, what happens?
Jonathan Brewster: We come to him for help, and he tries to shake us down. Besides, he said I looked like Boris Karloff!

John Brown: I have given you fair warning. You can keep your heads or lose 'em as you wish.
— From: Santa Fe Trail

Jonathan Brewster: [threatening Mortimer] If you tell O'Hara what's in the window seat, I'll tell him what's in the cellar.
Mortimer Brewster: Cellar?
Jonathan Brewster: There's an elderly gentleman down there who seems to be very dead.
See more quotes from Raymond Massey...
Raymond Massey Facts
Played Abraham Lincoln four times on TV and in the movies as well as in the stage play "Abe Lincoln in Illinois.".

Spoke the lines given to Abraham Lincoln in the staged dramatic reading of Stephen Vincent Benet's "John Brown's Body", in which he also spoke John Brown's lines.

Was a two-time Wound Badge winner, having been wounded in both world wars.

There was much dissatisfaction among the public when it was learned that Massey, a Canadian with clear diction and a fine speaking voice, had been selected to play Abraham Lincoln in the stage production of "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" - until he received rave reviews for his performance. His subsequent reprise of the role in the 1940 film version (Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940)) earned him an Oscar nomination.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 554-555. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.

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