Michael Massee was an American actor best known for his role as The Gentleman in the 2012 film The Amazing Spiderman and its sequel The Amazing Spiderman 2. Michael portrayed Funboy in the 1994 film The Crow
Early Life[]
Michael Groo Massee was born on September 1, 1952 in Kansas City, Missouri to Jack and Holly Massee. His family moved to Paris, France which is where Michael grew up. As an adult, Michael returned to the United States and lived in New York where he attended and graduated from Hunter College. Following his graduation from college he attended Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre.
Career[]
One of Michael’s first major roles was as Funboy in the 1994 film The Crow. While filming a flashback sequence, Michael accidentally shot and killed his costar Brandon Lee due to an improperly prepared handgun that he was using. This incident haunted Michael for the rest of his life. The following year Michael portrayed Newton in the 1995 film Tales from the Hood. Michael had a number of appearances in film and television such as in the film Se7en which starred Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, Lost Highway and The Amazing Spiderman series. He had a number of guest roles on TV shows such as The X-Files, 24, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and he appeared in the TV series Flash Forward as Dyson Frost. Michael also appeared in the French series Interventions.
Personal Life[]
After Brandon’s death, Michael was so traumatized he took a year off of acting and moved back to New York. In an interview in 2005, he admited that he still has nightmares about the incident and didn’t believe he’ll ever get over it. Michael married Ellen Sussdorf in 1997 and they have two children Jack and Lily. The couple owned a clothing boutique in Los Angeles.
Death[]
In 2014, Michael was diagnosed with stomach cancer and he eventually died from it on October 20, 2016 at the age of 64.
Trivia[]
- Michael never saw The Crow.
- Michael rarely ever watched his own work.
- Michael was bilingual and spoke English and fluent French.
- In The Crow, Michael wore outfits inspired by Iggy Pop, who is in the second film.
- Michael’s birth year is often reported as being 1955, which would make him 61 at the time of death.
- Michael, along with 13 others, was included in the lawsuit filed by Brandon Lee’s mother, Linda Lee Cadwell, for the negligence that caused her son’s death. Michael was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.
- While on the set of The Crow, Michael had a tendency to remain in-character between takes; he often made mean faces at his co-star, Rochelle Davis. She later said he once asked her “Did I scare you out there? I was just joking.” Another time, after he'd gotten his make-up off, he went up to her and asked, “See. Am I that scary-looking?” She said he wasn’t.
- Michael did not get along with the director of The Crow, more so after the tragedy.
- Michael was one of the few actors in The Crow who genuinely enjoyed filming at night.